The first time I made these I was so pleasantly surprised! They are SO. DANG. GOOD! And you don’t have to chop the sweet potatoes, which is a big win in my book. They look fancy, are healthful, but require minimal work. A repeat for sure.

NOTES, SUBS, AND ADDITIONS:

• I would go ahead and roast at least 4 sweet potatoes. Even if you don’t need them all, you can use some for leftovers or mash some up with butter and cinnamon for the kiddos. So good!
• You can go ahead and cook everything early in the day. When it comes time to eat, slice the sweet potato, add some chicken, and give it a quick reheat in the oven. Or, simply leave the crockpot on “keep warm” and reheat the potatoes in the oven then add the chicken.
• Additional topping ideas: fresh cilantro, avocado, corn salsa, slaw, roasted corn, sour cream, or green onion.
• I will forever add diced peppers to my crockpot barbecue chicken. SO GOOD!
• You could also cook the quinoa directly in the crockpot with the chicken to simplify the process and dirty one less dish. To do this, add 1/3 cup dry quinoa + 1/2 cup water.

BARBECUE CHICKEN QUINOA STUFFED SWEET POTATO INGREDIENTS:

• 2 chicken breasts
• BBQ sauce of choice (I prefer Trader Joe’s Carolina Gold but any will do)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Half a white onion (can sub any onion if you like)
• A pepper (optional, and any color will do)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Red pepper flakes
• Quinoa
• Sweet potatoes
• Optional for garnish: Ranch dressing (for drizzling over the top), fresh cilantro and/or slaw (for color and added flavor), green onions, avocado, etc.

HOW TO MAKE BARBECUE CHICKEN QUINOA STUFFED SWEET POTATOES:

• STEP 1: Start by putting the diced onion and peppers in the bottom of the crockpot.
• STEP 2: Add the chicken on top.

• STEP 3: Mix BBQ sauce with apple cider vinegar.

• STEP 4: Pour the BBQ mixture over chicken breasts and season with S&P. Cook it in the crockpot on LOW for 4-6 hours.

• STEP 5: Meanwhile, cook 1 cup of quinoa according to package directions (this will yield 2-3 cups cooked quinoa, which is more than you need for this recipe, but just save it for another meal. Alternatively, you could halve it). You could also cook the quinoa directly in the crockpot with the chicken to simplify the process and dirty one less dish. To do this, add 1/3 cup dry quinoa + 1/2 cup water.

• STEP 6: Wash and dry 4 sweet potatoes, stab them each a few times with a fork, and roast in a 400°F oven on a foil-lined baking sheet for 50 minutes to an hour.

• STEP 7: Remove the cooked chicken breasts from the crockpot and shred them on a plate using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot. Mix 1 cup of cooked quinoa into the BBQ chicken to bulk it up.

• STEP 8: Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, bring them out and cut them open longways.
  

• STEP 9: Stuff approximately 1 cup the BBQ chicken quinoa mix into the sweet potato. Top with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and whatever toppings you’d like (ranch dressing, slaw, green onions, cilantro, etc.).

I know it seems like a lot, but it really isn’t too bad. It only leaves the crockpot and quinoa pot to clean! And it felt super fancy. Goes great with a side salad too.

Barbecue Chicken Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Recipe by Kate

A very fancy-feeling meal that has tons of nutrients and will keep you full. Each element of this recipe is good on its own — together though, the BBQ chicken quinoa mixture and baked sweet potato are a perfect match.

Ingredients

• 1/2 white onion (you can sub any onion you’d like), diced

• 1 pepper (optional, and any color will do), diced

• 2 chicken breasts

• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce of choice (I prefer Trader Joe’s Carolina Gold but any will do)

• 1/4-1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (depending on how “vinegary” you like it)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup quinoa

• 4 sweet potatoes, washed and patted dry

• Optional:

• Red pepper flakes

• 1/2 cup ranch dressing (for drizzling over the top)

• Fresh cilantro and/or cabbage or a bagged “slaw mix,” for color and added flavor, as a garnish on top!

Directions

• Make the BBQ chicken in the crockpot: Start by putting the diced onion and peppers in the bottom of the crockpot. Add the chicken breasts.
• Mix the BBQ sauce with apple cider vinegar. Pour this mixture over the chicken and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook it in the crockpot on LOW for 4-6 hours.
• Meanwhile, cook 1 cup of quinoa according to package directions (this will yield 2-3 cups cooked quinoa, which is more than you need for this recipe, but just save it for another meal! Alternatively, you could halve it).
• Wash and dry 4 sweet potatoes, stab them each a few times with a fork, and roast in a 400°F oven on a foil-lined baking sheet for 50 minutes to an hour.
• Remove the cooked chicken breasts from the crockpot and shred them on a plate using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot. Mix 1 cup of cooked quinoa into the BBQ chicken to bulk it up.
• Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, bring them out and cut them open longways. Scoop approximately 1 cup of the BBQ chicken quinoa mixture into each sweet potato. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Top with some ranch dressing and other garnishes if desired.
  

Notes

• I would go ahead and roast at least 4 sweet potatoes. Even if you don’t need them all, you can use some for leftovers or mash some up with butter and cinnamon for the kiddos. So good!
• You can go ahead and cook everything early in the day. When it comes time to eat, slice the sweet potatoes, add some BBQ chicken quinoa, and give it a quick reheat in the oven. Or, simply leave the crockpot on “warm” and reheat the potatoes in the oven then add the chicken.
• Additional topping ideas: fresh cilantro, avocado, corn salsa, slaw or cabbage, green onion or roasted corn
• I will forever add diced peppers to my crockpot barbecue chicken. SO GOOD!
• You could also cook the quinoa directly in the crockpot with the chicken to simplify the process and dirty one fewer dish.  To do this, add 1/3 cup dry quinoa + added 1/2 cup water.

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