If you’re in need of a super simple dinner, look no further. These comforting and surprisingly nutritious buffalo chicken stuffed sweet potatoes are the perfect weeknight staple the whole family will enjoy.
This is a set-it-and-forget-it kind of dinner that requires next to no energy. Your slow cooker will handle the insanely easy (but perfectly creamy) shredded buffalo chicken – and you’ll roast and caramelize the sweet potato boats in the oven. The result is an incredibly satisfying dinner you can lean on, even when life gets busy.
Need more easy weeknight dinners? Try my taco stuffed peppers or sloppy joe sweet potato boats.
Recipe Highlights
- Creamy and delicious: Roasted sweet potato pairs perfectly with saucy buffalo chicken for a tasty dinner that will have you licking your plate.
- Set it and forget it: This is a dinner that basically makes itself with few ingredients, minimal chopping, and about 5-minutes of standing prep required.
- Dietitian-designed: This easy dinner is crafted by a nutrition expert to maximize nutrition without sacrificing flavor, with 46 grams of protein per serving.
- Only 7 ingredients: This meal will keep you super full and extra satisfied, but you only need seven simple ingredients to make it.
Prefer a quick one-pot dinner? Try my easy philly cheesesteak skillet, homemade hamburger helper, and one-pot chicken sausage orzo.
Key Ingredients And Swaps
- Sweet potatoes: I love the balance of sweet potatoes with tangy buffalo sauce, but you’re welcome to swap for russet or yukon gold if preferred.
- Chicken breast: You can use boneless and skinless chicken thighs instead, but they’ll have a little more fat and calories.
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese melts into your shredded buffalo chicken to cut the intensity and make it perfectly creamy. For a lighter (and slightly lower calorie) option, swap some or all of the cream cheese for Greek yogurt.
- Ranch powder: This gets stirred into your shredded buffalo chicken. We don’t use a lot, so skip it if needed. I recommend Hidden valley brand.
- Buffalo sauce: Frank’s Buffalo Wing’s Sauce is a great budget-friendly option, but I also love the Primal Kitchen buffalo sauce.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and detailed instructions.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Boats
Step 1: Add chicken and buffalo sauce to your slow cooker and set to high.
Step 2: After a few hours, coat sweet potato halves in oil and seasoning, and bake for about 45-minutes.
Step 3: When your chicken is super easy to pull apart, shred with a fork. Stir in cream cheese and ranch powder.
Step 4: Serve sweet potato halves with sharp cheddar, lots of shredded chicken, and diced chives. Enjoy!
Miranda’s Tips
Tips From My Test Kitchen
- No slow cooker? No problem! Melt your buffalo sauce with cream cheese and ranch powder in the microwave, then stir in shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Try more toppings: Make these buffalo chicken sweet potatoes your own with other toppings like yogurt ranch, crumbled blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, diced tomato, or sliced avocado.
- Use big sweet potatoes: The recipe asks you to slice your sweet potatoes in half before roasting because this helps the flat side caramelize and get extra delicious. But that also means each person only gets half a potato – so make sure the potatoes you’re using are extra large. If preferred, you can use smaller potatoes and serve two halves per person.
Love sweet potatoes? Enjoy my sweet potato turkey chili, sweet potato burger bowls, or chicken sausage sheet pan dinner.
Storing and Re-Heating Leftovers
This recipe is perfect for meal prep because it’s easy to store and re-heat. Simply assemble your sweet potato boats in microwave-safe containers, but leave the chives on the side. Re-heat in the microwave before eating, sprinkle with chives, and enjoy!
They’ll stay good in the fridge for up to four days.
More Healthy And Comforting Dinners
Healthy Philly Cheesesteak Pasta Recipe
Healthy Bell Pepper Nachos
Slow Cooker Thai-Inspired Red Curry With Chicken
Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
Shredded Buffalo Chicken
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¾ cup buffalo wing’s sauce, I use Frank’s
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp ranch seasoning powder, I use Hidden Valley
Sweet Potato Boats
- 2 very large sweet potatoes, sliced in half lengthwise (or 4 small)
- 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil, or cooking spray
- salt and pepper
To Serve
- shredded sharp cheddar, I use white cheddar but any color works
- diced chives
- extra drizzle of buffalo sauce
Instructions
- Place chicken in slow cooker: Place chicken and buffalo sauce in the slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook on high for 2-4 hours or until chicken can easily be shredded with a fork.
- Prep for sweet potatoes: About an hour before your chicken is done (or before you want to eat), position the oven rack to the middle and pre-heat to 400 F. Line a baking tray with tin foil.
- Bake potatoes: Coat potato halves with a thin and even layer of oil or cooking spray. Place on the lined baking sheet flat-side down, and season the top with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are very easy to pierce with a fork.
- Shred chicken: Shred your chicken right in the slow cooker with two forks. If it’s tough and difficult to shred, that’s your sign to keep it cooking!
- Finish chicken: Add cream cheese and ranch seasoning to the slow cooker, and stir until melted and combined.
- Serve: Place each sweet potato half on a plate, flat side up. Top with a handful of shredded cheddar, then a quarter of the shredded chicken. Garnish with a drizzle of buffalo sauce and a generous sprinkle of diced chives. Enjoy!
Notes
- 1 serving = 1/4 of the recipe. That means half a large sweet potato per person!
- Nutrition facts calculated with toppings, including 1/4 cup shredded cheddar per person.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
