Why the sauce you grab matters more than the chicken
I’ve lived in Austin long enough to have opinions about barbecue sauce. Mine is Stubb’s Original, made right here in Texas, and it’s the bottle I reach for every time I make these BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.
Here’s the thing nobody tells you: the sauce is doing almost all the work. There are seven ingredients in this recipe and three of them are oil, salt, and chili powder.
So the three things that actually matter are the sauce you pick, the oil and salt rub on the skins, and pulling the foil off at the end so those skins firm up instead of steaming. Get those right and a sweet potato turns into an actual dinner.
I usually pull the meat off a rotisserie chicken while the potatoes bake, or use a batch of slow cooker BBQ shredded chicken from earlier in the week. Then it’s a scoop of Mexican street corn salad and a handful of pickled red onions on top, and I’m done.
It’s not brisket. But when a barbecue craving hits on a Tuesday, this is what I make instead.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Four ways to cook the potato. Oven, air fryer, Instant Pot, or microwave. Pick the one that fits the night you’re having.
- Seven ingredients. You probably already have five of them.
- The oil-and-salt rub. It’s the reason the skins hold up under all that sauce instead of going soft.
The flavors are perfect! And I’m not a huge sweet potato fan… now I might be? The Mexican street corn salad is a must, and it made so much we can eat it a few more times. Yum!
– Bailey
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Sweet potatoes: Grab 5 medium ones and try to pick them all about the same size. Wildly different sizes means the small ones turn to mush while you’re still waiting on the big one.
- Olive oil and salt: Not optional here. Rubbing the skins with oil and salt before they bake is what keeps them from going soggy under the sauce.
- Barbecue sauce: A full cup goes in, so use one you actually like. Mine is Stubb’s Original, and Salt Lick is the other bottle in my fridge.
- Cooked shredded chicken: Three cups. A rotisserie chicken is the fastest route, or make a batch of slow cooker BBQ shredded chicken earlier in the week.
- Honey: Just a spoonful, to round out a sauce that’s heavy on vinegar or smoke.
- Chili powder: A little heat to cut all that sweetness. This is the one people don’t expect and then miss when it’s gone.
- Toppings: Mexican street corn salad and pickled red onions are what I use. Shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, green onions, pickled jalapeños, avocado, or a spoonful of sour cream all work too.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Rub and roast the sweet potatoes
Poke each potato all over with a fork, then rub them with olive oil and sprinkle each one with salt. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 425°F for 45 to 60 minutes, pulling the foil off for the last 10 to 15 minutes.
Poke the holes. Don’t skip it. Those fork holes let steam escape so the potatoes don’t split open or crack while they bake.
The Sheet Pan I L❤️VE!
Your veggies will end up steaming instead of roasting if you overcrowd the pan. So my tip… use the largest sheet pan you have and spread everything out!
The Air Fryer I Use and ❤️
I use a 6-quart air fryer for this recipe and it’s the perfect size for cooking everything in a single layer without overcrowding. Because remember, keeping it in one layer is key to all that crispy goodness!
Warm the BBQ chicken
Add the shredded chicken, barbecue sauce, honey, chili powder, and salt to a large skillet over medium heat. Stir it together and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until it’s heated all the way through.
Split them open and fluff
Slice each potato open lengthwise, then squeeze the ends toward each other with tongs to widen the split. Run a fork through the flesh to fluff it up so it grabs the sauce.
Warm chicken into a hot potato. If you’re adding cheese, this is the moment. A warm filling in a just-out-of-the-oven potato melts it in about 30 seconds with no trip back to the oven.
Stuff and top
Spoon the barbecue chicken into each potato. Finish with Mexican street corn salad, pickled red onions, and a little chopped cilantro.
FAQs
Yes, and it’s how I’d do it for a busy week. Bake the potatoes and mix up the chicken, then store them in separate containers in the fridge. Stuffed and stored together they get watery, so keep them apart until you’re eating.
The oven at 425°F for 45 to 60 minutes, if you want crisp skins. The Instant Pot and air fryer both cut that to 20 to 30 minutes and the microwave gets you there in under 10, but the skins won’t firm up the same way.
That’s what I use. A full cup goes into this, so pick one you’d happily eat off a spoon, then nudge the honey up if it’s vinegary or leave it out if the sauce is already sweet.
You can. Russets are the closest swap and they’ll take about the same time at 425°F, though you lose the sweet-and-smoky contrast that makes this combination work.
Tap stars to rate!
BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
email this recipe!
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 5 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ¾ teaspoons salt divided
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
Optional Toppings:
- Quick-pickled red onions
- Mexican street corn salad
- Fresh cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Poke holes all over sweet potatoes using a large fork. Drizzle potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Use your hands to rub the oil all over the potatoes and sprinkle each with ¼ teaspoon salt.5 medium sweet potatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange potatoes on the baking sheet so that they are evenly spaced and cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a knife easily pierces the thickest portion of the largest potato, removing the foil for the last 10-15 minutes so the skins dry out and firm up.
- Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, barbecue sauce, honey, ½ teaspoon chili powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mix well and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until chicken is heated through.3 cups shredded cooked chicken, 1 cup barbecue sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Serve baked sweet potatoes with barbecue chicken, and, if using, Mexican street corn salad, pickled red onions, and additional cilantro.Quick-pickled red onions, Mexican street corn salad, Fresh cilantro
Tap stars to rate!
Video
Notes
- Crisp skins: Pull the foil off for the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking. That’s what dries the skins out.
- Sweet potato size: Pick 5 that are about the same size so they all finish at the same time.
- Storage: Keep the potatoes and the barbecue chicken in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. Stored together they get watery.
- Reheating: Warm the potato in a 350°F oven or the air fryer for 10 to 15 minutes, then add the chicken.
- Freezing: Let the potatoes cool completely, wrap each one tightly, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat at 350°F. The skins won’t be crisp after freezing, so that’s the trade.
- Make ahead: Bake the potatoes and mix the chicken up to 3 days ahead. Store them separately and stuff them as you serve.
- Other methods: You can also microwave the sweet potatoes, cook them in an air fryer, or use an Instant Pot.
- Mexican street corn salad: You can find the recipe here.
- Quick-pickled red onions: You can find the recipe here.
- Nutrition: Facts are calculated without the optional toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to serve with BBQ chicken stuffed sweet potatoes
These are a full dinner on their own, so anything else on the plate is there for crunch or contrast.
Mexican street corn salad is the one I make almost every time. It’s tangy and cold against a hot, sweet potato, and it comes together while the potatoes are still in the oven.
For something green, a lemon arugula salad is about as fast as it gets, and the peppery bite is great next to all that sauce. Peach salad is the late-summer version.
Cooking for a crowd? Set out Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes next to these so people can pick a side.
And if you’d rather skip the stuffing altogether, one-pot honey BBQ chicken and sweet potatoes is the same flavors with half the assembly.
More ways to use barbecue sauce
Barbecue sauce earns its shelf space around here. These are the four we come back to.
The flavors are perfect! And I’m not a huge sweet potato fan… now I might be? The Mexican street corn salad is a must, and it made so much we can eat it a few more times. Yum!
Thanks, Bailey! Everything comes together perfectly in this recipe. Thank your for leaving a comment and a rating!
Phenomenal! Will totally make again! I did the chicken in the crockpot just by preference!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Ashley! Crockpot chicken is so good and easy! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I think this is going to be our lunch for our girls cookie baking day! Adding the potato prep info- time, temp etc would make this an even easier recipe. Can’t wait to try it
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Alissa! Let me know how you like it. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Any suggestions for healthy sides for this?
Hi Tara! You can always choose a healthy salad or fruit for the side!
This looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try it! What kind of cheese would you recommend topping it with?
The type of cheese is completely up to you! You can try cheddar, colby jack, or pepperjack if you like some spice!
Easy and delicious! Thanks for sharing!
You’re very welcome. Thanks for the comment!
Definitely a new family favorite 😍 So easy and tasty🥰
Yay, Lindsay!! So so happy you and the family enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for your comment and rating!
This looks like such an easy recipe for the school week. Will try this soon!
It’s a SUPER easy recipe, and SO yummy!! Thanks so much for your comment and rating!
You are amazing, thank you for the detailed info, can’t wait to try this!
You are so sweet, Alexa!! Can’t wait for you to try it, either 🙂