Stuffed BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes
Loaded with flavor AND toppings, these stuffed BBQ chicken sweet potatoes are incredible! Bonus tip: throw the chicken and potatoes in the instant pot or slow cooker for a super easy meal.
If this stuffed BBQ chicken sweet potato speaks to your soul like it does to mine, then we are most definitely meant to be friends forever.
Not only is it exploding with color, but the flavor in these loaded sweet potatoes is totally insane in the membrane.
Literally every good ingredient that I know and love is piled on. I swear there is actually a sweet potato under all that goodness!
And while the toppings are many, these stuffed sweet potatoes couldn’t be easier to make. The bones of this recipe require two things: cooked sweet potatoes and BBQ chicken.
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes
I like to cook sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot/pressure cooker:
1 cup water + trivet + enough potatoes to not exceed maximum fill line + 12-14 minutes high pressure.
You can see from the picture on the right I overcooked these sweet potatoes just a bit. That’s because I let the pressure naturally release vs quick releasing. Don’t be like me. Or if you ARE like me and think you may not be there to quick release pressure (hello, life), subtract a few minutes from the cooking time.
Of course you can definitely still rock sweet potatoes in the oven. Prick them a couple times with a fork and cook them for about 45-60 minutes in a 425 degree F oven (line the pan with foil or parchment!).
For the BBQ chicken, you basically want to get your hands on some cooked, shredded chicken and mix it with BBQ sauce. Seriously, how easy is that?
A rotisserie chicken works great here, but if you don’t have one laying around, throw some chicken breasts or chicken thighs in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. Or use this quick stovetop shredded chicken method.
I’m certainly not against storebought BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Rays and Kinders brands are our faves), but if you haven’t made this amazing homemade BBQ sauce yet, you probably should. It falls into the L.C. (life changing) category.
The only other component that needs to be premade is this super easy peasy corn and black bean salad. It’s really, really delicious.
- corn (fresh or frozen)
- black beans
- cilantro
- lime juice
- salt and pepper
Yes. Yum.
Start Stuffing and Loading
For maximum enjoyment, don’t leave out a single thing. Especially the tortilla chips. They might seem like an odd topping in this lineup, but they add the most delicious and necessary crispy crunchiness to all the other ingredients).
Everything about these stuffed BBQ chicken sweet potatoes makes me happy. The flavors are unreal.
The zesty lime juice in the corn and black bean salad makes me want to sing. And the creamy cilantro lime dressing assures me all is right in the world.
Even though I feel strongly you shouldn’t stray from the above outlined plan (on How To Stuff The Perfect BBQ Chicken Sweet Potato), I’ll admit that this recipe is pretty customizable.
Swap in baked russet potatoes for sweet (if you must) and change up those toppings to your liking.
Also, you should probably add avocado (and additional lime juice). My lovingly purchased avocados were appallingly nasty which is why they didn’t make it in the pictures, but they would be fantastic on these sweet potatoes.
I’m just warning you that the leftovers for these loaded sweet potatoes a) save exceptionally well (which makes for a great lunch option throughout the week) and b) are so ridiculously tasty, I’m guessing you might have a leftover hoarding situation in your household like I do in mine.
I prefer not to get involved in your personal food disputes, but if you’d like to message me privately, I can share with you some leftover hiding tactics that have worked very well for me over the years.
What to Serve With This
- Cornbread Muffins
- Honey Lime Fruit Salad or seasonal, fresh fruit
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Stuffed BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes + BBQ Chicken:
- 4-6 sweet potatoes
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (see note), shredded chicken
- 1 to 2 cups BBQ sauce (fave homemade recipe here)
Corn and Black Bean Salad:
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen)
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of black pepper
Toppings:
- Chopped tomatoes
- Shredded cheese
- Tortilla chips
- Cilantro Lime Dressing
Instructions
- Cook the sweet potatoes.
- Oven Method: prick each potato several times with a fork. Line a half sheet pan or other baking pan with parchment or foil. Place the potatoes on the prepared pan and bakeat 425 degrees F until tender, about 45-60 minutes.
- Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker Method: pour 1 cup water into the bottom of an electric pressure cooker. Add a metal trivet or steamer basket and add the potatoes (filling only 2/3 full). Secure the lid and cook on high pressure for 12-14 minutes (subtract 1-2 minutes if you are going to let the pressure naturally release). Quick release the pressure when done cooking.
- For the BBQ chicken, toss the cooked, shredded chicken with BBQ sauce until evenly combined and warm through (or it can be served at room temperature).
- For the corn and black bean salad, add all the ingredients together in a bowl and toss to combine.
- To serve, slice the potatoes open and top with BBQ chicken, corn and black bean salad, tomatoes, cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and cilantro lime dressing (or any combination of toppings you like!).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
This was delicious! My little ones loved it and we were all singing your praises tonight at dinner! I just wish I doubled everything so we had leftovers for tomorrow. ☺ Thanks Mel!
Wow! Mel this was insanely good! It was like an explosion of flavors in your mouth. My husband loved the dressing. I’ve been following you for about 10 years and want to just say thank you for all your incredible recipes.!
This is on regular dinner rotation for us! We made it with pork instead of chicken the other night and it was amazing.
So delicious! I can’t rave about this meal enough. I needed some fresh dinner ideas this week and this one was a huge hit!
This sounds so amazing (like all your recipes!), but the crazy COVID store situation + having 9 people to feed has left me completely out of chicken today. I have ground beef in the freezer … any chance that might taste okay instead??
I’d definitely try that, Allyson!
I made this tonight and the whole family LOVED it. It is so delicious!!
I made this tonight and had to comment. We all LOVED it. Rarely do I make anything without substitution and I did very little substituting tonight (only cabbage added to the corn/bean mix, which I doubled), and I was so glad! This recipe is worth being followed to a T. So delicious!
Well it’s been years since I’ve left a comment, but I haven’t stopped making your recipes! I had all the ingredients on hand for this tonight and it was a major hit with all of my family! I added green onion to the corn and bean salad and opted for store bought bbq sauce to speed up getting dinner on the table. Great recipe and I can’t wait for lunch leftovers tomorrow! Thanks Mel! I appreciate your restaurant quality meals even more so now that COVID-19 restaurant closures have us eating at home for the foreseeable future! Stay healthy!!
Thank you so much, Tai! Hope you’re staying safe and healthy!
We made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! Everyone loved it! My ten year old daughter guessed correctly that the recipe was from you, Mel, and she said, “all of her recipes are so good!” She’s a wise daughter!!
Thanks Mel!
Love this – thanks, Meg! 🙂
This is one of those meals that leave me counting down the hours to lunch the next day so I can eat the leftovers! Another winner Mel! Thanks!
Yay! Love hearing that! Thanks, Jackie!
Wow! This dinner was filling and was so good. It went beyond my expectations for a quick dinner recipe. I used the Instant Pot to make the chicken and microwave the sweet potatoes. 12 minutes later, I decided to forgo the tomatoes and use avocados. Dinner done under 30 minutes. You are my recipe rockstar.
You are amazing, Sheila!
I had some leftover cafe rio style shredded pork in the freezer so I used that instead of the BBQ chicken. Everything else we kept the same, right down to the crushed chips! SO delicious! And so colorful! And so easy! Love everything about it! Thank you!
We just had this for dinner and all I can say is . . . it was a hit all around. They looked at it a little skeptically at first, but after they tasted it – BOOM – they all loved it.
I loved that it was so.darn.simple to make for Sunday dinner. Piece o cake simple. (Definitely adding this one to the rotation.)
How in the heck did you come up with the idea of marrying all of these different flavors at once?!?
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, Susanne! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! I love the flavors of BBQ chicken salad type meals (with all that black bean, corn, tortilla chip, cilantro lime dressing goodness) and I also love sweet potatoes so I thought “hmm, why not try it??” 🙂
This recipe was SO good. Rave reviews all around and it was so easy to make. Healthy too. I made it exactly as written with all the fixings, except the crushed chips! This will definitely be on the regular rotation from now on as it’s easy, cheap and healthy.
Thanks, Christine!
Discovering your blog has me trying wonderful new recipes like this one! Now understand that I don’t eat sweet potatoes but the pictures looked so good that I had to try it. I’m so glad I did and so glad I cooked extra sweet potatoes for leftovers!
I didn’t top with cheese or the dressing but it was a delight in my mouth!!
I’m so happy to hear this, Tracy! Especially from a non-sweet potato lover! 🙂 Thank you!
Okay, so this is seriously delicious. Like, oh my gosh-level delicious. Like, email the recipe to your friends-level delicious (….I totally did this.) I made the recipe exactly as you say to except that I didn’t have tomatoes but I DID have avocados. I already want to make it again. YUM.
By the way, major props for making it look beautiful on a plate. Ours kind of looked like a pile of colorful mush. 😀
Haha, don’t worry, when we actually dish this up for family dinner, it’s a pretty jumbled mess of chaos. SO happy you liked it!
Made this a couple days after you posted and we loved them! I think next time I might try your smoky honey cilantro IP chicken. It’s more work than barbecue chicken, but I think it would be very tasty.
Oh yes, I think you are DEFINITELY right!
I enjoyed all of the flavors and textures in this meal. You were right on about the chips for crunch and the dressing for that creamy, zesty pop. I cooked 3 russet potatoes and 3 sweet potatoes together in my 8 qt instant pot (I preferred sweet potatoes) while I cooked frozen chicken breasts in my 6 qt IP. My three littlest kids didn’t like everything touching, so next time, I’ll do separate piles of food for them instead of combining everything. It was fun to try something a little different, and it was a success!
Thanks, Melissa!
Leftover hiding tactics, HA!! You are a hoot, Mel!! I have for sure been known to hoard leftovers. Empty yogurt containers, anyone?
Haha, YES!!!
Holy moly, that was delicious! I used a smoked chicken and that was a very good idea. I always keep your bbq sauce in the freezer and happened to have the “sauce to end all sauces” from your Korean beef tacos…that made the entire meal come together. I questioned the crushed tortilla chips but went with it, thinking of how many times I’ve trusted your advice and you haven’t let me down yet . Thanks for another stellar recipe!
Smoked chicken sounds phenomenal in this recipe!!
So I had to come back here just to tell you that your BBQ sauce is the secret ingredient! Although I have a feeling you already knew that . I always always have it stored in my freezer and use it on shredded meats. But I was remembering this recipe, so when I made tacos the other day I drizzled a bit on and it took them to the next level! This is what dreams are made of, Mel.
Great idea to use that magic BBQ sauce on tacos, Nancy! 🙂
I think you probably broke a few cooking school rules by combining so many different flavors—lime, cilantro, sweet potatoes, barbecue sauce, dill etc.—but it works! I tried it tonight and it was a hit. It came together very quickly considering the amount of ingredients.
Thanks for the quick review today, Cinda!
Challenge accepted for tonight’s dinner !…The best thing about this is that I have homemade barbecue sauce -your recipe – in my fridge so I just cooked up the chicken and potatoes and whipped up the bean and corn salad. I usually have the dressing in my fridge too, but used up the last of it last week. Just need to finish up with that and we’re good to go… like you said, all the best flavors right here in one….and can’t wait to eat.
I want to try making sweet potatoes in my instant pot. However I have not had a lot of luck. I always end up overcooking almost everything (your mashed potatoes). I want to try this with sweet potatoes because they are my favorite! Crossing my fingers. Would rotisserie chicken work in a pinch? I almost always have some in my freezer.
Yes, rotisserie chicken would work great!
This looks wonderful!! Your comment about your appallingly nasty avocados caught my attention! I have this horrible love/hate affair with avocados. If there anything looking remotely weird in my avocado I ended up throwing it away because I really can’t decide if it’s still good or not. I’ve read some places that it’s ok to have those gross brown streaks but in other places no. So then I waffle between am ,’I just throwing away perfectly good food?’ Or ‘better safe then sorry!’ So if you posted about avocados it would be most helpful!!
We use many of your recipes weekly. I love knowing that if, your pack of boys and 1 girl will eat it, my own pack and 1 will eat it too!! And this theory is almost always foolproof!! Thanks
I’m allergic to lime and cilantro, is there another spice I could mix into the corn and beans?
Hey Rebecca – you could try lemon juice and maybe a bit of parsley?
Thanks, Tanya! About the whole avocado debate – maybe it’s just in my mind but avocados with brown streaks/spots in them taste “off” to me. So ultimately that’s why I stick with the straight up pretty green insides. Avocados are so hit and miss thought – I’ll cut into them thinking they are for sure amazing and they’re terrible or vice versa!
Totally okay to have some brown in the avocados. Working at a restaurant I learned a lot of people actually cut them to early.
I cook both potato types together in the instant pot successfully
Thanks for the info!
Hey this looks so pretty and yummy!! I definitely wanna try it! Only problem is I have some in my family that won’t touch sweet potatoes… if I would do some russet or red potatoes could I do them together with the sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot or do they cook for different times? That seems so easy to quick cook them in there!
Yes, you can do both at the same time!