Cheesy Chicken, Kale and Sweet Potato Skillet Meal
A one-skillet wonder, this cheesy chicken, kale and sweet potato skillet meal is nutritious and delicious, just the way a weeknight meal should be!
Easily one of the yummiest meals we’ve eaten lately, this healthy and delicious chicken, kale, and sweet potato skillet meal is perfect for post-Valentine’s day sweet-eating overload.
Oh wait, do I hear you saying you didn’t overindulge? That you have self-control? That chocolate desserts don’t tempt you?
At the risk of making you feel uncomfortable, I have to say, I’m not sure we can be friends.
However, I will try and channel all my maturity and hope that instead we can still bond over nutritious, skillet meals such as this one.
You can probably also rest assured that I most likely overindulged in all things chocolate for both you and me. I’m pretty selfless like that; always willing to take one for the team.
This simple sweet potato skillet meal may look unassuming, but it is ridiculously yummy.
I whipped it up a couple weeks ago on one of those nights.
You know. A night when somehow the hours between 4 and 8 p.m. passed in such a blur, when I finally had a minute to pause and digest my life at 8:01 p.m., I wondered, “who am I, and how did I get here?”
Life is really busy right now (can I get an “amen” from all of you in the same position…I know you are out there?), and on nights like this, we sometimes eat in small groups, depending when everyone has to leave the house.
And by eat, I mean we shovel food in our faces as we stumble out the door grabbing water bottles, scout books, musical instruments, wrestling head gear, and whatever else is needed so that no one (ahem) gets frustrated when we end up at the destination without the aforementioned essential supplies.
I believe this dinner was made right around 4:03 p.m. so that the two kids who had Cub Scouts could eat a meal before ending up back home at 8:00 p.m., and I kept it warm (details below) for the others who were eating later.
I devoured my portion before hopping in the car (where I would live for the next four hours) and thought “Mmmm, yummy,” but that was about it.
Imagine my surprise when I got home later to hear the other kids and Brian still raving about this meal.
Granted, I had eaten it so fast, the enjoyment factor was a little minimized, but when deciding what to make that night, I had considered this a “necessity” meal and not necessarily a “my family will go crazy for this” meal.
When I heated up the small amount of leftovers the next day and ate it more slowly (and probably with a few more manners), it was easy to understand why everyone was kind of dying over it (and why my cousin-in-law, Julianne, had felt it important to send the recipe to me with the command: make this now!).
Yes, it was all becoming more clear. Funny how eating slowly can do that.
Not only is this sweet potato skillet meal pretty to look at (those colors!), but the combination of tender, creamy sweet potatoes with golden, sautéed chicken and fresh kale – all topped with a little smattering of cheese – is absolutely wonderful.
Simple in concept and ingredients, the flavor and texture of all those good-for-you foods creates a meal that is really quite incredible.
And because, everything is cooked in one handy-dandy skillet, besides a little chopping, it comes together quickly and easily and is perfect for those hectic, why-do-I-have-to-leave-my-house-again nights.
When I made this earlier in the afternoon, I covered it with tinfoil and popped it in a warm oven (about 175 degrees). It was still tasty as can be an hour or so later.
Speaking of skillets, my current favorite 12-inch skillet is this one:
Cuisinart Skillet with Glass Lid
I had a Farberware version for years that I loved, but it wasn’t available when I needed to replace it, and I’ve been using the Cuisinart one for months now and love it. You know, for a skillet.
Considering how often I use this skillet (several times a week, at least), I consider it one of my essential tools, and is well worth it for this cheesy chicken and sweet potato skillet meal alone!
I love me a good skillet meal! Hope you love this one, too.
What To Serve With This:
One Year Ago: Chicken Noodle Stew
Two Years Ago: Shrimp and Mango Lettuce Wraps {20-Minute Meal}
Three Years Ago: Cinnamon and Sugar Dusted Coconut Vanilla Breakfast Muffins
Cheesy Chicken, Kale and Sweet Potato Skillet Meal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed in 1/2-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup finely diced shallot or other onion, like red or yellow
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded, stemmed and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, 3 to 4 cups, peeled and small-diced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups (about 113 g) stemmed and chopped kale
- ½ to 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or other cheese of choice
Instructions
- In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot and shimmering.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add to the skillet in a single layer. Let them cook and sizzle without moving (so they can get nice and golden) for 1-2 minutes. Flip the pieces and continue cooking until no longer pink in the center, another 1-2 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate, keeping as much liquid in the skillet as possible, and return the skillet to medium heat.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil if the skillet is dry. Add the shallot (or onions), red pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until the onions have started to turn translucent and soften.
- Add the sweet potato, red pepper flakes (if using), and broth. Give the mixture a good stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice to make sure the sweet potatoes aren’t sticking (turn the heat down, if needed), until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add more broth as it cooks if the mixture becomes sticky or dry.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet along with the kale. Stir and heat through until the kale is bright green and slightly wilted (if you like the kale more tender and cooked, add it to the skillet first without the chicken, cover the skillet and let it steam until it is tender; uncover, add the chicken and heat through).
- Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle cheese over the top and cover with the lid until melted or pop under a preheated oven broiler until golden and bubbly.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: inspired by this recipe at Primavera Kitchen (sent to me by my cousin-in-law, Julianne) – I changed up the protein, messed with ingredient amounts, added kale and a few other things
99 Comments on “Cheesy Chicken, Kale and Sweet Potato Skillet Meal”
I have made this many times. It’s delicious! We use Parmesan cheese and just put a little on individual servings instead of on all of it. Then you can limit the amount and it’s a very healthy meal!
Excellent! I am so glad I tried this. I added Kale and some chipotle in adobo sauce for some added heat.
Thank you for this new staple for our house.
Yum! I cooked 3 thin strips of bacon in the skillet as I chopped everything else, then used those drippings to cook the rest. The only other change I made was to add some dried thyme as the veggies simmered. This was ridiculously good with the melted cheese and bacon crumbles on top. The kids tried to complain about it since kale and onions were involved, but they got it all down in the end!
Is there any way we can get nutrition facts for this recipe? Also it’s delicious, my roommates love it!
Hi Ethan, I haven’t added nutrition facts yet – but you can input the recipe into online nutritional calculators in the meantime.
This was the perfect way to use up rotisserie chicken. I love sweet potatoes but don’t use them often…this was the perfect quick easy way to get them in.
Followed the recipe as is with the exception of using vegetable broth instead of chicken and Pecorino Romano cheese. Probably one of the best things I’ve ever made!!
This is so yummy! Thank you for this fresh delicious recipe. I love recipes like this – full of veggies and a variety from the same things we always eat. I did spinach instead of Kale. It worked well. I seasoned the sweet potatoes with salt and onion powder.
I love this one so so much!!
I really wish there were nutrition facts…. at the very least a calorie count on these recipes.
I made your mexican sweet potato skillet meal first and I love it! So when I tried this one, it was pretty bland. (I did forget the red pepper flakes though.) The cook time was nice and quick.
This was so good! Used swiss chard instead of kale and added chopped chard stems during the simmering process. Excellent!
I made this for my boyfriend and I tonight and it was fantastic! He actually really liked the kale which is super surprising. I highly recommend this recipe. Healthy and super tasty dinner. Thank you!
So, I LOVED this. However, my husband and 3 children gagged it down. I guess I have a lot of leftovers. I knew they wouldn’t be happy about dinner, but sometimes I want to eat what I want to eat!
Delicious! Easy recipe to prepare.
My daughters and I like to eat sweet potatoes but the boys in my family, sadly, do not. Do you have any suggestions for a subsitute?
You could try regular potatoes, or butternut squash!
Every time I make this recipe I am reminded again how much I love it. Thanks Mel! The true test of a recipe for me is if we will happily eat all the leftovers. I’m eating leftovers as I post this and this skillet definitely passes the test. Oh and we like it with a pepper jack/cheddar mix on top. So yummy.
For us this was meh, definitely not in the same ballpark as the sweet potato foil tacos or something sorta similar that I LOVE. I do think it’s a great healthy lunch option but it didn’t make my dinner dreams come true. I would make again for a bulk lunch idea though.
I used sliced Brussels sprouts and white beans in place of the sweet potato. Very delicious!
How many servings are in this recipe, making this tomorrow?
It serves about 6.
I was skeptical of this at first, but it’s delicious! I left the cheese off for a family member with dairy-intolerance and it still was so, so good.
Thanks, Alli!
I made this tonight and it was so good. The cheese was the perfect complement on top (used Mozzarella). Thank you!
Very tasty and my 2 year old loves it!
I make this all the time. My husband loves it! Thank you.
I made a few adjustment used yellow potatoes and added bacon but overall was an amazing dish thanks for the idea
It was very good, but The Italian in me had to alter the recipe, as I always do, nothing personal, I hardly ever stick to a recipe.. I doubled the onions, more chicken, additional spices, popped with green onions. I love, loved it!! Thanks for the Idea! 🙂
SOOOO good. I, like other commenters, subbed butternut squash for the sweet potatoes and spinach for the kale and it was INCREDIBLE. I made it last week and it’s on the menu again for this week. Thank you for sharing!
I loved it. My husband saw it on my meal plan and later confessed that he was not looking forward to this meal also liked it. My 1 year old loved it, my 4 year old enjoyed it cautiously, and my 6 year old professed it his favorite “skillet dish”. I am not sure if he knows what that means exactly. But he did eat every bite. Thanks for a winner!
This has been a favorite at my house since you posted it! It’s one of those I’ve made over and over and it never turns out badly. I’ve been following the blog for almost 6 years now, and I just wondered if you ever thought about creating a budget friendly meals section?
Glad you love this meal! I haven’t ever created a budget-friendly category mostly because I feel like that is a very subjective area depending on grocery store sales, personal budgets, etc. Does that make sense?
Wanted to try something diff and healthy and made this. Usedbyour siggestion to go meatless and put black beans in instead. It was great!
Really pretty good!! Filling. Teenage boys liked. No leftovers— a win and not unhealthy
This was delicious. Thank you! Next time I need to double it in a big electric skillet because I want the leftovers for breakfast with eggs! I am excited to try it with ground turkey…even faster to put together on a busy weeknight! I spiced up the chicken with a bit of Lowry’s and some lemon pepper as I cooked it, which we liked.
This looks like another keeper! Tons of thank yous from me and my family for the beef tenderloin and cheesy potatoes recipes you gave me to feed my crowd of 25 at Christmas. Over the moon, Mel!☺ Also, your Italian Salad and Dressing recipe. What is your recommendation for Macaroni and Cheese to feed a croud? (Kitchen Tested’s Classic Mac n Cheese was too “bland”) Happy New Year, and a big Thank You for helping me feed my family, Mel!
Loved it and so did the others at the pot luck. Delicious.
I made this for the first time in May following the directions. My daughter and I ate it all in one sitting and she asked for me to make more. I didn’t have any more chicken so I sliced Italian Sausage and it was equally as good. Pulled up recipe today because my son is coming into town and he doesn’t eat meat. Deciding if I should swap out the meat for eggplant, Portebello mushroom, or zuchinni. I hope it’s amazing and he enjoys it as much as we do with meat. Thanks Mel!
Yum! Sounds like a delicious variation!
This was TASTY!!!! One of my favorites. You will not be disappointed. FYI use a sweet onion gives it a sweet kick.
My husband and I just made it and we love it!
Absolutely delicious!
We love super spicy food, so I threw in a jalapeno pepper along with a bell. Gives it a great kick!
Also, I did not have chicken stock, so used half a cup of water and more seasoning.
Came out amazing!
Thank you so much!!!
It checked all the boxes for me. Healthy, fast and delicious. It’s hard to find recipes that fit all those categories! I guess I should add the best feature of all- it can be cooked in one pan! Easy clean up. It’s a real winner.
I have made this recipe serveral times. My family absolutely loves it. My 11 year old son says that he can’t even taste the kale! The cheese topping changes based on what I have on hand but regardless it’s been a hit! Thanks for helping me feed my family kale!
This was delicious & easy to make, exceeded my expectations
I’m totally making this tonight with ground turkey and low sodium taco seasoning! Will add a little lime and fresh cilantro for a nice kick! Can’t wait!!!
Thank you for this delicious recipe, Mel! My husband and I love it! The only change I make is to add some salt-free Mexican seasoning to the chicken before I put it in the pan.
making this again tonight for dinner. It really is delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe Mel! Love healthy, easy & fast!
I made this last night and was really pleasantly surprised by how good it was, considering the simple ingredients and the ease of preparation. My kids loved it and were happily scarfing down kale, which is a win for me! Thanks for such a great healthy recipe!
Made this for dinner last night. Glad it was fast – we were really short on time and this one slid in just under the wire and got us to the theater on time, bellies full, pans cleaned. I used a small butternut squash instead of the potato since this is what I had on hand. We really enjoyed this easy dish – great flavor, healthy, a nice change of pace and fast. I used the left overs this morning with my eggs. I’m a little mad that my husband had the same idea and used most of it for himself, but luckily he left me a little. Nice guy. I’ll make again.
Hi, Mel! I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious…and so good for us! This is definitely going to be a regular in my dinner rotation. I skipped the peppers for my very picky eaters and chopped up the kale so small that they couldn’t avoid eating it, and it was devoured. The colors were beautiful!
I’ve been following you for years and you make me feel like a rock star in the kitchen! Thanks for all that you do. So sorry about all that you’re doing through with your skin cancer–you’re in my prayers.
Thank you for the prayers, Katie – I won’t say no to that. 🙂
I’m making this recipe as we speak, just started following you. Prayers going your way
Oh my goodness! We loved this meal. Simple, quick, and super delicious. The next day leftover were maybe even tastier. This will be a keeper for our family. Thanks!
I will be making this for my family and the Baldry family tomorrow. I do not own a steamer what is the easiest way to steam the kale and the red peppers?
Hey Lorrie – I don’t steam it separately – can you add the kale and red peppers to the skillet per the recipe?
I made this for dinner for my husband & me last week. It was so yummy & I can say probably one of the best recipes I’ve ever made. We had 2 meals from this & 1 extra serving! OK, now which one of us will get the extra serving???? It heated up really well for the next time we ate it. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful & healthy meal!!!
Thx for another great recipe, Mel! This easy, delicious, adaptable dish was amazingly helpful when I had to hit the ground running after being away for a long weekend. I was able to sub in cauliflower for the potatoes & spin for the kale, since those were ingreds I had on hand. It came together quickly in an enormous pinch, & the big added bonus was that it got rave reviews by the fam. “This is really delicious!” & “This is awesome!!” Plus, I felt like one of those healthy wives/moms that naturally serves (& eats!) lean protein & veges. (I am not!)
Sry, that was totally 5 stars!
Haha, well, then it’s a winner!
This was a hit. Next time I’ll grill the chicken beforehand and add it at the end with the kale, to add just a bit more flavor to the chicken. Your cornbread recipe on the side took the meal over the top. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!!!
This is going into regular rotation, so good! I made the recommended cornbread with it and it was delicious together.
We loved this! I made it with sausage instead of chicken because I had bought it with the sweet potatoes and kale for a similar dish, but ended up doing this one instead. We loved how colorful and flavorful it was!
Just printed out your Nutella Cookie Dough Energy Bites and can’t wait to try them! G’bye waist line…
Haha..well, those energy bites ARE supposed to be a slightly “healthier” treat. Slightly. 🙂
Made this tonight & it was delicious!! Yay! The cheese totally made the meal too. Thumbs up and high five, thanks so much!
Made this last night for dinner, and it was delicious! I didn’t have kale so I used the large bunch of swiss chard wilting in my fridge, and it turned out fantastic. Thanks for another great recipe, Mel!
This is my favorite kind of recipe! It was quick and easy to make, used one skillet, had lots of vegetables, and was absolutely delicious. Another fabulous and dependable recipe from Mel’s kitchen – thank you!
Made this on Sunday. Love love love how healthy it is and incredibly delicious!
I’m eating this as I type… Sooo good. Husband and I are trying to eat healthy again and this is a great change. Thank you!
Just made this tonight- delicious! It is so colorful. I used shredded Parmesan and it was great! Will add this to my Mel’s favorites.
I made this for dinner last night, and my husband and I both loved it! Thanks for a simple one pot meal recipe. I will be making this again and again.
Happy to hear you loved it, Chris – thanks for letting me know!
This was easy to make and I made it into 9 servings in one large skillet- it was busting at the seams but it worked. I think next time I will add some more herbs or spices to make it pop even more. Thanks for a healthy week night meal that was easy to make.
I used shredded Brussel sprouts instead of the kale because I had some that needed to be used up. Also red bell pepper and I added with the kale. My husband doesn’t really like sweet potatoes but liked this.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! I love one dish meals; I added a warm baguette and dinner was served. I used a package of chicken apple sausage and it was yummy! Thanks for the recipe, Mel.
Hello, looks like a great recipe! Was wondering if rotisserie baked chicken can be used instead of chicken breasts? It would be added at end of cooking the main ingredients. Thanks for your help!
Yes, that would be delicious!
This recipe looks like it makes up fairly quick. I like that and it looks pretty healthy. Thanks for the great recipe.
I made sweet potato and kale soup a few weeks ago. I had both hanging out in the fridge for about a week and needed to find a way to use them up. I didn’t have a recipe I just made it up as I went along..It was so good. Even my most picky child liked it. Something about the sweet potato and slightly bitter kale together is great. I’ll be trying this soon : )
This was a fantastic weeknight dinner. SO many super healthy foods, I felt like a rockstar getting them all in one meal. I have four kids, three of whom are huge eaters (teen athletes), so I made this in a wok and just increased most of the ingredients. It worked out great and there was enough for everyone
I can see how as my kids get older and eat bigger, I’ll need to do the same! 🙂 Glad it was a hit!
Will we lose flavour by using regular red potatoes? We have garden potatoes we mainly use throughout the year so I’d probably just try it with those.
It will certainly have a different flavor, but I’m all about using what you have on hand, so I’d try it for sure.
This was so good! I used ground turkey as that is what I had in the fridge and I had all the other ingredients. Really yummy and filling. We loved it!!!
I had a feeling you might make this one pretty quickly, Teresa. 🙂 Glad you loved it!
Yum yum yum!! This was the perfect dinner for our family! Fast and full of delicious veggies! It’s almost like you read my mind that we needed a healthy meal after our Valentines day binge! (And I definitely binged haha) It was so good, we will definitely be making it again!
I’m so happy to hear this! (Ahem, and glad I’m not the only who may have overdone it on the Valentine’s treats…)
I make something similar to this at my house. I’ve subsitututed baby spinach and butternut squash a few times and it still turns out great. I also made it with Adeles chicken sausage. It’s a favorite in our house!
I really want to try this just because it looks so different! And if you say it’s good, I trust you;). Amen to life being crazy busy! I have six kiddos ages 15 to 4 and can totally relate to eating in shifts!
Try it, Mistie! And good luck with your crazy schedule!
This is going on the list to make next. Lots of super veggies in it…yum!
This looks delicious! I’m wondering if you typically double these skillet recipes for your family? I only have two sons, but as they got older I found that these one-pot dinners would never have stretched to six servings. On busy nights when there’s no time for extra sides (such as salad), I’m curious if you just double the recipe? We’re slowly transitioning to the empty-nester stage….must be nostalgia making me ask these questions that don’t affect me!:)
I was wondering the same thing!
That’s a great question, Sandra (and Sheree!). For now, a meal written just like this feeds our family of five kids + two adults…but there’s no leftovers AND I still have some pretty tiny eaters (Cam who is 4 eats like a bird unless it’s popcorn or mac and cheese and one of my older boys has a small appetite, too). I can see how as they grow and eat more, a meal like this won’t work. When I make things like this for company, I double and use my electric skillet. And most often, if I don’t have time for side dishes, I always, always have a loaf of whole wheat bread that serves as a side dish (slices with lots of butter). Hope that helps a little!
I keep forgetting how young your kids are (boy, I feel old!!). During the high school years “I’m starving!” was all I ever heard–seemed like shoes and pants were outgrown within months! You’ve reminded me growing up in a family of six…a dressed salad and bread/butter was on the table at EVERY meal as well.:)
Well,Julianne is never wrong! So I’m making it!
After Valentines (and your chocolate mousse torte) I need this dish. I love a one dish meal that is full of vegetables. Thanks for making Wednesday a better day with this recipe because I have all of the ingredients. Yay!
This looks amazing! I need to add this to the dinner menu for next week! I love the kale and sweet potato combo!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com