Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (One Pan)

The best, healthy, quick and easy stuffed sweet potatoes recipe, homemade with simple ingredients in one pan. Loaded with Mexican shredded chicken, cheese and salsa.

This is great healthy weeknight meal option, especially during Fall when there is an abundance of sweet potatoes in the market. You can also try these Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes (One Pan) or these Mashed Sweet Potatoes (One Pot), which are both unbelievably tasty!

Today's recipe is filling, hearty and full of flavor plus it can be modified to each person's taste.

Gi ahead and create a stuffed sweet potato bar at your next party and allow guests to create their own favorite combination. It's so much fun!

How to make stuffed sweet potatoes?

1. Prick and oil potatoes- Rub each potato with a thin layer of olive oil. Use a fork to prick all potatoes to allow venting during baking.
2. Prep tray- Place potatoes on a baking tray, lined with aluminum foil and lightly greased with oil.
3. Bake- The best temperature is 400 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until center is cooked through and can easily be pierced with a knife.
4. Cut and fluff- Use a knife to cut lengthwise from one end to the other end. Use a fork to fluff up the inside flesh of the potatoes.
5. Stuff them- Fill with shredded chicken and toppings like salsa and cheese.
6. Enjoy! Garnish with cilantro and dig in!

What to serve with stuffed sweet potato recipe? What do sweet potatoes pair well with?

They are truly a complete meal in and of themselves. So, adding a light side is the best choice.

However, you can serve a variety of toppings for people to choose from such as: sour cream, Greek yogurt, salsa, shredded cheese, lettuce, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, avocados, black olives and even crumbled bacon.

If you really want a side dish, pair it with a simple green salad like this Italian Chopped Salad or your favorite soup such as this Roasted Red Pepper Soup (One Pot).

Variations

BBQ chicken or Buffalo chicken stuffed sweet potatoes- Instead of Mexican chicken, use bbq chicken and top off with hot sauce.

Black bean stuffed sweet potatoes- Add black beans, or use them instead of chicken. You can also use chickpeas or a combination of chickpeas and other beans.

Healthy vegan/ vegetarian stuffed sweet potatoes- Prepare Oven Roasted Vegetables (One Pan). Stuff the sweet potatoes with these instead of meat.

Add other proteins- Such as cooked ground turkey, ground beef, sausage, pork, or diced ham.

Add quinoa or barley- It should be cooked according to the package instructions first. Makes it more filling and hearty too.

Fill it with chili- Fill these potatoes with my delicious Easy Chili Recipe (One Pot) in addition the the chicken or instead of the chicken.

Garnish and topping options- Avocado, black olives, green onions, cilantro, jalapenos, chives, sour cream, Greek yogurt, fried onions, crumbled bacon.

Breakfast version- Stuff the potatoes with scrambled eggs, salsa, avocado, and cilantro.

Fill with sloppy joes- Stuff the potatoes with these fantastic Instant Pot Sloppy Joes instead of the chicken.

Make it sweet- Similar to candied sweet potatoes. Instead of stuffing with chicken, add a little butter and toss some roughly chopped pecans and finally, drizzle some maple syrup or sprinkle some brown sugar on top.

Tips and Techniques

Feed a crowd- Simply double all the ingredients to feed a party.

Microwaving sweet potatoes- This is a quicker option to prepare the potatoes. Wash, pat dry, pierce with a fork 3-4 times, and microwave for 3 minutes. Flip the sweet potato with an oven mitt, and microwave for an additional 2-3 minutes. If it’s not done, continue cooking for 30 second increments until the potato feels soft or fork tender.

How to grill a sweet potato? Wash, dry, and poke holes in the potatoes. Wrap tightly in foil, and place on the grill. Shut the lid and grill for 30-40 minutes, depending on their size. Continue cooking, if needed, until the potato is soft. Make sure to check with tongs or an oven-safe mitt to prevent your hands from burning.

What to do with leftovers? Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Use rotisserie chicken- This is a time-saver option. Shred the rotisserie meat and add to your potatoes.

Choose similar sized potatoes- This will allow them all to cook through at the same time. Otherwise, the potatoes will cook at varying amounts of times and you will have to pull them out one by one, as they are done cooking. I highly recommend picking potatoes that are as similar in size, shape, and weight.

Can stuffed sweet potatoes be frozen? No. That's because potatoes are starchy and they will begin to degrade and the texture will be altered when re-heated.

Why do I need to poke the sweet potatoes? This allows steam from inside of the potato to be released. If you don’t do this, the inside will become soft and mushy but the outside will still be dry and inedible.

Do I need to oil the potato before cooking? Yes, because this ensures that the skin cooks with a nice texture instead of shriveling and becoming too dry to eat.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

• Candied Sweet Potatoes (One Pot)
• Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes (One Pan)
• Baked Sweet Potato Fries (One Pan)
• Sweet Potato Soup (One Pot)
• Easy Sweet Potato Casserole (One Pan)

Recipe

Happy cooking everyone!