Chicken and Sweet Potato Recipe

This chicken and sweet potato recipe proves that the proper cooking technique can turn simple ingredients into a delectable feast.

We pan-sear the chicken thighs skin-side down on medium heat to seal in the moisture and create a crispy exterior before baking them with the well-seasoned vegetables.

With most of the cooking time being hands-off, you can focus on other tasks while waiting for the dish to get perfectly cooked in the oven.

How Healthy Is Chicken and Sweet Potato?

Today’s chicken and sweet potato provide a host of nutrients for your diet—protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Our chefs opt for skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs as the primary protein source for this baked creation. This dark meat cut has a reputation for being a good source of complete protein. Hence, you will gain 26.4 g of high-quality protein per serving, up to 53% of the recommended daily value.

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Since keeping the chicken skin will add a few calories to the dish, we’ve adjusted the amount of olive oil used during the cooking process (1 1/2 tbsp for four servings).

The addition of sweet potatoes, red onions, spices, and herbs also contributes a bulk of antioxidants to the meal.

Nutritionally, each serving contains 507 calories with 7.2 g of saturated fat and around 574 mg of sodium—considered a diet-compatible main course.

Ingredients You'll Need

This restaurant-worthy dish only calls for some pantry-ready items that will hardly go out of stock at your local grocery store. Also, if your favorite vegetables are in season, feel free to use them as alternatives.

Here’s what you will need to add to your shopping cart.

• Chicken: For baking at high temperatures, we choose skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs over chicken breasts as their higher fat content helps lower the risk of overcooked, rubbery chicken. Since the oven may take quite some time to crisp up the chicken skin, we suggest having an extra pan-searing step.
• Sweet potatoes: With a palatable flavor profile—a caramel-like taste followed by earthy undertones, sweet potatoes pair excellently with various savory dishes.
• Red onion: The flavor of raw red onion leans more on the assertive side—sharp and slightly spicy. However, once cooked, its pungency starts to mellow, becoming sweeter with a smoky aftertaste.
• Cajun seasoning: Consisting of paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and black pepper, this Louisiana-originated spice blend adds a pleasing heat to the bed of vegetables.
• Other spices and herbs: To further intensify the flavor, we call for an extra sprinkle of paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper.

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How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers

1. How to Store

Once removed from the oven, the chicken and sweet potato should be consumed within 2 hours for the best quality.

If you end up with some leftovers, you can place them in an airtight freezer-safe container and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

2. How to Reheat

To reheat, add the leftover chicken and sweet potato on a baking tray, drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil, and bake them in a preheated oven at 350 °F for 10 minutes.

Reheating frozen leftovers is not advisable since the food tends to reheat unevenly. To prevent this, you should thaw them in the fridge beforehand.

What to Serve With

• Orange Salad recipe
• Watermelon Salad recipe
• Salad Mix recipe
• Cauliflower Salad recipe
• Romaine Salad recipe

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Other Chicken Recipes for Special Occasions

This ground chicken patties recipe will give you a bunch of savory goodness that is the patties, dipped in mayo and ketchup. Thanks to the chicken thighs, there’s a slight chewiness to every bite.

These chicken cordon bleu rolls are packed with proteins and flavors. They're super crispy on the outside and melty gooey on the inside. They’re served with pasta, but we all know they’re best enjoyed as-is, which is perfectly fine, too.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Old but gold, our chicken and sweet potato recipe will show you how to pull together an ultimately satisfying dinner: savory and juicy chicken thighs served with baked vegetables on the side.

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• cook TIME 43 mins
• prep TIME 7 mins
• total TIME 50 mins

• COURSE Main Dish
• CUISINE American, Global
• SERVINGS
  4

  servings
• CALORIES 507 kcal

INGREDIENTS

1x2x3x

• 20 oz skin-on, bone-in chicken thigh
• 22 oz sweet potato (cut into small cubes)
• 4 oz red onion (cut into small chunks)
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS

Image instructions

Prep:

1

Place the chicken thigh skin-side down on a cutting board. Make a few cuts into the flesh of the chicken thigh so the seasonings can absorb better.

2

Use a vegetable peeler to peel away the skin of the sweet potato. Discard the skin. Cut the peeled sweet potato crosswise into 1-inch thick slices, then quarter those slices into small cubes.

3

Slice off the stem end and the root end, then peel away the skin of the red onion. Halve the peeled red onion lengthwise, then quarter each half into small chunks.

4

Finely mince the fresh parsley.

Cook:

1

Marinate the chicken thigh: On a large platter, add 20 oz skin-on, boneless chicken thigh, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp salt. With your hands, massage the seasonings evenly onto both sides of the chicken thigh.

2

Pan-sear the well-seasoned chicken thigh: Place a large cast-iron pan over medium heat, and add 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil. When the oil is ready, add chicken. Pan-sear the skin side of the chicken thighs for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken thigh from the heat.

3

Season the vegetables: Turn off the heat. In the same pan, add 22 oz cubed sweet potato, 4 oz red onion, 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix well. Preheat the oven to 425°F to prepare for the next step.

4

Bake all the ingredients: Arrange the pan-seared chicken thighs on top of the vegetables. Place the cast-iron pan with chicken and vegetables in the preheated oven and bake at 425°F for 35 minutes.

5

Garnish and serve: Remove the cast-iron pan from the oven, then sprinkle 2 tbsp chopped parsley onto the chicken and vegetables. Transfer your desired portion onto a serving plate. Enjoy!

NUTRITION

Nutrition Facts

Chicken and Sweet Potato Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 507

% Daily Value*

Fat 29g

45%

Saturated Fat 7.2g

45%

Trans Fat 0.1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 5.5g

Monounsaturated Fat 13.5g

Cholesterol 138.9mg

46%

Sodium 574mg

25%

Potassium 884.8mg

25%

Carbohydrate 35.3g

12%

Fiber 5.5g

23%

Sugar 7.8g

9%

Protein 26.4g

53%

Vitamin A 22539.3IU

451%

Vitamin C 8.4mg

10%

Calcium 72.3mg

7%

Iron 2.3mg

13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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