Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Directions

1. Preheat the oven:Place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Set out a large casserole dish or a 9x13 baking dish. Slice the bell peppers in half through the stem end. Remove the seeds and ribs, but keep the stem. Place in the baking dish, cut side up.
2. Cook the bulgur:In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat add 1 ¼ cups of water. Bring to a boil, then stir in the bulgur wheat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Make the filling:In a large skillet set over medium heat add the olive oil. Once it begins to shimmer add the onion and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes. Add the ground chicken, breaking it up as you cook. Add the salt, Aleppo pepper, cumin, coriander, sweet paprika, sumac, and nutmeg. Continue breaking up the chicken and stirring to combine everything together as it cooks. When the chicken is almost done cooking, about 6 minutes, stir in the canned tomatoes (juice and all)cooked bulgur, spinach, parsley, and mint. Stir together and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes just to let most of the moisture evaporate. You still want the filling to have some moisture, you just don’t want it to be soupy.
4. Stuff the peppers:Spoon the filling into each pepper half until it is heaping. Place the baking dish in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 35 minutes, until the peppers are tender, but still have structure.
5. Make the sauce:In a small bowl, add the yogurt. Finely mince the garlic, then using the flat side of your knife drag it across the garlic multiple times until it becomes a paste. Add it to the bowl with the yogurt. Stir in the olive oil, lemon zest, salt, Aleppo pepper, and chopped mint (if using). Make sure all the ingredients are well combined and set aside to let the flavors get to know one another.
6. Serve:Remove the peppers from the oven and serve with the sauce.