Hearty BBQ Chicken & Roasted Sweet Potato Bowls
Build delicious and healthy BBQ Chicken & Roasted Sweet Potato Bowls! This recipe features seasoned BBQ chicken, caramelized sweet potatoes, quinoa or rice, corn, peppers, and avocado.
Ingredients
Scale
ngredients
(Based on 1x column, assumes about 4 servings)
For the BBQ Chicken:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup BBQ sauce (your favorite brand)
For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into ~1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Bowl Assembly:
- 1 cup dry quinoa or brown rice, cooked according to package (yields ~3 cups cooked)
- 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen, thawed)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 avocado, sliced
Garnish:
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Extra BBQ sauce for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
1. Prepare and Roast the Sweet Potatoes:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into roughly 1-inch cubes.
- In a large bowl, toss the diced sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ground cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper until evenly coated.
- Spread the seasoned sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through, until they are tender and lightly caramelized around the edges.
2. Prepare and Season the Chicken:
- While sweet potatoes roast, prepare the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry.
- Rub the chicken breasts all over with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle this seasoning mixture evenly over all sides of the chicken breasts.
3. Cook the Chicken:
- Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Place the seasoned chicken breasts on the hot pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature reaches 165°F/74°C).
- During the last minute of cooking, brush the chicken breasts generously with your favorite BBQ sauce, allowing it to heat up and caramelize slightly on the chicken.
4. Rest and Slice Chicken:
- Remove the cooked BBQ chicken from the pan and transfer it to a clean cutting board.
- Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it into strips or cubes. Resting helps keep it juicy!
5. Prepare Remaining Bowl Components:
- Cook quinoa or brown rice according to package directions if you haven’t already.
- Thaw frozen corn if using. Dice the red bell pepper. Slice the avocado just before assembling. Chop the cilantro.
6. Assemble the Bowls:
- Divide the cooked quinoa or brown rice evenly among your serving bowls to create the base.
- Top the grain base with portions of the roasted sweet potatoes, corn kernels, and diced red bell pepper.
- Arrange the sliced BBQ chicken attractively over the grains and vegetables.
- Add the fresh avocado slices to each bowl.
7. Garnish and Serve:
- Drizzle a little extra BBQ sauce over the bowls, if desired.
- Garnish generously with fresh chopped cilantro.
- Serve the bowls immediately while the chicken and sweet potatoes are warm.