2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally to create two chicken breast fillets

½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

¼ teaspoon salt, divided

3-quarts water

2 red bell peppers, each cut in half lengthwise, cores removed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 tsp pesto

½ jar julienne sundried tomatoes

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Season chicken with ¼ teaspoon black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

3. Pour water in a 5-quart pot. Bring to a boil. Add red bell peppers. Bring down to a simmer and cook 3 minutes. Remove red bell peppers from water and set aside.

4. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, or until chicken is to an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove chicken from skillet, shred it, and set aside.

5. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon salt, pesto, sundried tomatoes,  Italian seasoning,  ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and the shredded chicken.

6. Stuff each red bell pepper with the cream cheese and chicken mixture. Place red bell peppers cut sides up in a 2-quart square baking pan sprayed with vegetable oil. Top each with 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese.

7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated 400°F oven 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.