BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Paleo-Friendly)

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – Baked sweet potatoes stuffed with tender barbecue chicken and topped with goodies. We love this easy dinner! (Gluten-Free, Paleo, Whole30 Friendly)

Three cheers for easy, family-friendly dinners!

They’ve been our bread and butter lately while I’ve been in the middle of some blog side projects (like a beautiful redesign!), while we juggle our regular routine and homework and house projects. One of my favorites on a busy night is stuffed sweet potatoes.

I LOVE stuffed baked sweet potatoes! I’ve written about 6 of our favorite combinations here, but today, I’m going to focus on our BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. Tender, saucy chicken gets tucked into a baked sweet potato and topped with fresh goodies to finish things off.

I love that the ingredient list is short and sweet, the recipe is mostly hands-off, and everyone can build their own just the way they like it.

Here’s all you need to get started on our BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes…

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED FOR OUR BBQ CHICKEN STUFFED SWEET POTATOES:

SWEET POTATOES. My favorite varieties of sweet potatoes for baking are Garnet Yams and Jewel Yams. (They’re both technically sweet potatoes, not yams!) I feel like they have light, fluffy centers when baked or roasted and the best sweet flavor.

CHICKEN BREAST OR CHICKEN THIGHS. You can use either chicken breast or chicken thighs for our BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. You could even do a mix, if you prefer! I usually use chicken breast, but some people find chicken thighs more tender and moist. It’s up to you!

A LITTLE ONION + GARLIC. I find that adding a little bit of finely chopped (or grated!) onion and some minced garlic really brings out the flavor in the barbecue sauce and keeps this dish from tasting flat. I recommend adding them when you can!

YOUR FAVORITE BARBECUE SAUCE. Next up for our BBQ Chicken is your favorite barbecue sauce. I keep things simple with bottled sauce, but you can certainly make your own if that’s your jam! Choose a sauce that best fits your dietary needs to keep this gluten-free, paleo, or whole30 compliant. (See the FAQ for some of our favorite brands below!)

CIDER VINEGAR. A little cider vinegar is kind of a secret ingredient! Not only does the acidity help make the chicken tender, it really keeps the flavor of the barbecue sauce nice and vibrant even after the slow cooking. Depending on how vinegary your barbecue sauce is straight from the bottle, you can choose to add more or less.

OUR TANGY SLAW. To top off the BBQ Chicken stuffed sweet potatoes, I like to add a hit of freshness with our quick, tangy coleslaw. It’s lighter than many and adds a super satisfying note to finish things off. But it’s not the only yummy way to top BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes…

YUMMY TOPPINGS FOR BBQ CHICKEN SWEET POTATOES:

Once you’ve baked your sweet potatoes and cooked your chicken, it’s time to put everything together! Here are some delicious topping ideas for BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes:

• COLESLAW. I’ve included a recipe for a quick coleslaw below. It’s lighter than some slaws, and I like the cold + creamy coleslaw with the warm, savory BBQ chicken sweet potatoes.
• A LITTLE RED ONION. Add a little freshness and punch with some finely minced red onion on top! It’s a pretty pop of color.
• SNIPPED CHIVES. Or, if raw onion’s a bit strong for you, swap it out for some fresh chives! They have a much more mild flavor and add a gorgeous fresh green to the color palette.
• FRESH HERBS. Similarly, a hit of fresh herbs can be great on top of BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. I like cilantro best, but fresh parsley is another great choice.
• PICKLES. Stay with me! The bright, punchy hit from some dill pickles can be a great contrast with the sweetness of the potatoes and BBQ chicken.
• PEPERONCINI PEPPERS. Kick it up even more by using pickled banana peppers. I like the mild peperoncini peppers, but feel free to add some heat by using medium or spicy peppers instead!

FAQ + TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE BEST BBQ CHICKEN STUFFED SWEET POTATOES

SHORTCUT! USE PRE-SHREDDED CHICKEN. If you’re in a rush or have leftover cooked chicken to use, feel free to skip the slow cooking and stir some of your favorite barbecue sauce into some cooked chicken. You can eyeball the amounts until you feel like the chicken is saucy enough. (We do this a lot with leftover rotisserie chicken.)

 WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO BAKE SWEET POTATOES? I scrub my sweet potatoes, prick them a few times with a fork (this allows steam to escape and keeps them from bursting) and place them on a sheet pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of your sweet potatoes. You can also slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and place them cut-side down on a greased baking sheet to help them cook faster.

PALEO? WHOLE30? READ THIS! BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are SUPER paleo + Whole30-friendly! To make them paleo/Whole30, simply use compliant barbecue sauce (see our faves below), and compliant mayonnaise (like Primal Kitchen). Everything else is good to go!

OUR FAVORITE BRANDS OF BARBECUE SAUCE. I prefer using barbecue sauce without corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup, and this one from Stubb’s is one of our favorites. We also like Bone Suckin’ sauce, which is naturally sweetened with honey and molasses. If you’re looking for something Paleo-approved, Primal Kitchen and Noble Made are two Paleo & Whole30 options!

CAN I DO THIS WITH BEEF OR PORK INSTEAD? You bet. You can substitute 2 lbs. beef roast or pork roast in place of the chicken and cook on HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours.

LOVE SWEET POTATOES? YOU MIGHT ALSO LOVE:

• 6 AMAZING Ways to Stuff Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos
• Chipotle Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls
• Southwest Sweet Potato Hash (you can cut up leftover baked sweet potatoes for this!)
• Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili (Paleo + Whole30)
• Paleo Sweet Potato Salmon Cakes With Chipotle Dipping Sauce

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