This Spooky Fall Dinner Will Put a Spell on Your Guests
Today is officially the first day of fall. What a wonderful time of year! The air is getting crisper, the leaves are changing colors, the days are growing shorter and the nights are getting longer. With fall comes one of the most celebrated times at Brit + Co: Halloween.
For this very spooky night, we’re bringing some Witches’ Stew and Colorful Chicken Stuffed Peppers to a table so spine-chilling, you’ll never know who might come crawling by. The best part of these recipes — aside from Perdue’s super tasty, all-natural, vegetarian-fed chicken breast — is that they’re easy to prepare, leaving plenty of time to cue up your favorite flick and get your scare on!
How to Make Witches’ Stew
This is seriously the easiest recipe ever. Just follow these five easy steps and you’ll have the tastiest, juiciest Witches’ Stew brewin’. You’ll need some dramatic flair to really give you goosebumps, so we served the piping hot stew in colorful squash bowls.
Ingredients:
- 2 PERDUE® FIT & EASY® Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 2 16-ounce cans of chili verde or tomatillo salsa
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, for garnish
- sour cream
Instructions:
- Dice the onion.
- Place the chicken breast and diced onions in a slow cooker and pour chili verde salsa all over the top of the chicken. Stir to combine.
- Cook for three and a half hours on high or seven hours on low.
- Once chicken is cooked, remove to shred and then return to the slow cooker.
- Serve the stew in the squash bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro.
Cut your onions. Place the chicken breasts, chopped onions and chili verde salsa into the slow cooker. Stir together and set the timer for three and a half hours on high or seven hours on low. It’s that easy — leaving plenty of time for a scary story or two!
Once the stew is done cooking, shred the chicken and then add back into the slow cooker. Give one final stir and you’re done. Make it more festive by serving in colorful squash bowls. Cut off the top of the squash, scoop out the insides and spoon the stew inside of them.
Don’t forget to top off your Witches’ Stew with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh cilantro. The devil is in the details!
How to Make Colorful Chicken Stuffed Peppers
We love PERDUE® FIT & EASY® Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts because they make cooking so easy, allowing the preparation of these stuffed peppers to be a breeze. (Winner, winner Perdue dinner!) The color in these peppers scream FALL and are like mini coffins with a killer kick.
Ingredients:
For the poached chicken:
- 2 PERDUE® FIT & EASY® Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 lemon slices
- bundle of fresh herbs
- water
For the stuffed pepper:
- poached chicken, cooled and shredded
- 4 large poblano peppers
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15-ounce can sweet corn, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 small sweet potato, finely diced
- 1 ¼ cup chunky tomato salsa (how hot are you willing to go?!)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup feta cheese
- ¼ chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions:
- Poach the PERDUE® FIT & EASY® Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts. Lay the chicken breasts in a single layer in the bottom of a large saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Top with lemon slices, fresh herbs (we used rosemary, oregano and marjoram) and crushed garlic. Fill the saucepan with cold water until it reaches 1 – 1 ½ inches above the chicken breasts. Bring the water to a boil, then cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Lightly simmer until the chicken breasts are just cooked through, about 15 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts. Once the chicken is done cooking, cool and shred.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice each poblano pepper in half lengthwise and place in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Clean and dice the sweet potato and red onion.
- Mix shredded chicken, black beans, corn, onion, sweet potato, tomato salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
- Divide mixture evenly in each poblano pepper half. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the peppers are fork tender.
- Remove from oven and garnish with feta cheese and cilantro.
First, poach the chicken. Place the chicken breasts into a pot, season with salt and pepper and top with sliced lemon.
Add some extra flavor to the chicken with a bundle of fresh herbs (we used rosemary, oregano and marjoram) and crushed garlic.
Fill the pot with water until it is 1 – 1 ½ inches above the chicken breast. Bring the water to a boil, then cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Lightly simmer for about 15 minutes, until the chicken breasts are fully cooked.
While the chicken is cooking, you can prepare your other ingredients. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise, clean out the seeds and place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet.
Next, cut the veggies for the fillings. Finely dice the sweet potato and red onion. Add them to a large mixing bowl.
Add the salsa, corn, black beans, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and shredded poached chicken together.
Mix the ingredients well and divide the mixture evenly in each poblano pepper half. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the peppers are fork tender.
Be sure to garnish the peppers appropriately with feta cheese and cilantro to add some extra zest. Aren’t they frightfully colorful?!
Don’t forget to dress your table to match your spooky night! Ahhhh, there’s nothing better than bringing in autumn with good friends, good food and some frightful delight.
Wondering what type of spooky cocktail would kick this party up a notch? Follow us on Pinterest for all your spooky recipe needs.
Author, Production + Styling: Lindsay Saito
Photography: Chris Andre
