Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Paleo & Whole30)

Tuck into these healthy, savory stuffed potatoes baked to perfection and filled with protein-rich chicken tossed with homemade dairy-free basil pesto.  A Paleo & Whole30 approved chicken recipe perfect for meal prep. 

Make these Paleo Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes for an easy healthy weeknight meal!

When it comes to eating well, no complicated algorithms are necessary: Simple is sustainable and this easy recipe for Paleo Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes is as simple as it gets. And yes, that even though we are making everything from scratch - down to the dairy-free pesto!

You can make the entire filling plus basil pesto within 20 minutes while the sweet potatoes are baking - with plenty of time to spare. You can even make both the sweet potatoes and chicken pesto mixture ahead of time and simply reheat and serve for a super quick paleo weeknight dinner! How awesome is that?

Let's talk about pesto for a second! My love for basil pesto knows no limit and ever since I discovered how simple it is to make at home, there's no more store-bought pesto to be found in my pantry!

As a total pesto addict, I obviously already have a pretty dang good basil pesto recipe on the blog. However, as we are keeping this baked sweet potato recipe paleo and whole30 approved, we are making a dairy-free pesto from scratch.

We add some nutritional yeast to our pesto to mimic that “cheesy” flavor of parmesan cheese while keeping the pesto completely dairy-free. I do not recommend skipping the nutritional yeast - it's a key ingredient for making dairy-free pesto. Apart from making pesto, you can use it to amp up the umami of all your favorite sauces, dressings, etc. So get some, you won't regret it!

How to make Dairy-free Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes:

Prepare the sweet potatoes:

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, place sweet potatoes on it and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until flesh is very tender (test with a knife – exact timing will depend on your oven and sweet potatoes size). While the sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the pesto.

How to make dairy-free basil pesto:

Step 2 & 3 - Add basil, almonds, nutritional yeast, garlic and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse a few times until ingredients are combined and look like a rough paste.

Step 4- Pour olive oil slowly in the food processor while it's running (or add a little at a time, mix, add a little more and mix again). Pulse until it's mixed and somewhat smooth (I like it not perfectly smooth!), scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed. Set aside.

How to make Pesto Chicken:

Step 5 -  When the pesto is ready, prepare chicken. Place chicken breasts in a large pot, cover with water and cook on medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Drain and transfer breasts in a large bowl. Shred thinly using two forks.

Step 6  & 7-  Spoon pesto into the chicken’s bowl and using the same two forks, mix until chicken is evenly coated with pesto.

Assemble:

Step 8 & 9 -  When the sweet potatoes are done, take them out of the oven, cut them in half lengthwise (without cutting them all the way down so that the two parts stay attached together) and stuff them with pesto chicken. Serve and enjoy!

Can you freeze stuffed sweet potatoes? 

I do not recommend freezing the stuffed potatoes but you can freeze the baked sweet potatoes.

Wash and pat the potatoes dry. Individually wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil to prevent leakage and bake at 400F/200C until fork tender, for about 50 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely. Do not unwrap! Bag them up in freezer bags and place them in the back of your freezer.

To thaw, remove the number of potatoes you need from the freezer. If you are eating them the same day just let them thaw on the counter. But do make sure to put them in a bowl or pan because juices will most likely seep out.

Once thawed, remove the foil and re-wrap in new aluminum foil. Place in oven or toaster oven and reheat at 400F/200C degrees for about 25 minutes.

Can I make this recipe using leftover rotisserie chicken?

Yes, I can't see why not! Just shred the chicken meat using two forks and coat it with the pesto.

How long does dairy-free pesto last in the fridge?

It should last 5-7 days in the refrigerator or 3-4 months in the freezer.

How can you tell if sweet potatoes are bad?

Worried about bad sweet potatoes? Some tell-tale signs are discoloration and growths through the skin. Very old potatoes will begin to get soft and wet (water will start to leak out) and then they will turn brown and/or black. Even if only a part of the sweet potato goes bad, the whole potato should be thrown out as the flavor of the whole tater will be affected.

If you’d like to extend the shelf life of your uncooked sweet potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark place, away from direct sunlight.

Tips and variations:

• Prepare the chicken last to make sure it’s still warm when the sweet potatoes are ready.
• If you don't have quite enough basil, you can add in some parsley, or even spinach or kale.
• Want to use this recipe for meal prep? The chicken pesto mixture should be fine kept in the fridge in a container for up to 4 days.
• Make a double batch of pesto and use up leftovers for making pesto zucchini pasta, or use it as a topping for my gluten-free quinoa pizza. 

5 from 4 votes

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Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Whole30/ Paleo )

Tuck into these healthy, savory stuffed potatoes baked to perfection and filled with protein-rich chicken tossed with homemade dairy-free basil pesto.  A paleo & Whole30 approved chicken recipe perfect for meal prep. 

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked sweet potato, easy stuffed sweet potato, savory stuffed potatoes

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 530 kcal

Author Marie

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes - the ones with the orange flesh, skin on
• 1 lb chicken breasts - 450 g, – about 2 small breasts

Dairy Free Pesto

• 2  cups  fresh basil leaves packed
• ⅓  cup roasted almonds roughly chopped (or pine nuts, for a more traditional pesto)
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast for the cheesy flavor
• 1  tablespoon  garlic minced - about 2 small cloves
• ⅓  cup  extra virgin olive oil
• ¼  teaspoon  salt or more to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare the sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, place sweet potatoes on it and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until flesh is very tender (test with a knife – exact timing will depend on your oven and sweet potatoes size).
2. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the pesto. Add basil, almonds, nutritional yeast, garlic and salt in the bowl of your food processor.
3. Pulse a few times until ingredients are combined and look like a rough paste.
4. Pour olive oil slowly in the food processor while it's running (or add a little at a time, mix, add a little more and mix again). Pulse until it's mixed and somewhat smooth (I like it not perfectly smooth!), scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed. Set aside.
5. When the pesto is ready, prepare chicken. Place chicken breasts in a large pot, cover with water and cook on medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Drain and transfer breasts in a large bowl. Shred thinly using two forks.
6. Spoon pesto into the chicken’s bowl, and using the same two forks, mix until chicken is evenly coated with pesto.
7. When they are done, take the sweet potatoes out of the oven, cut them in half lengthwise (without cutting them all the way down so that the two parts stay attached together) and stuff them with pesto chicken. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• Prepare the chicken last to make sure it’s still warm when the sweet potatoes are ready.
• If you don't have quite enough basil, you can add in some parsley, or even spinach or kale. 
• Want to use this recipe for meal prep? The chicken pesto mixture should be fine kept in the fridge in a container for up to 4 days.
• Make a double batch of pesto and use up leftovers for making pesto zucchini pasta, or use it as a topping for my gluten-free quinoa pizza. 

Nutrition Facts

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Whole30/ Paleo )

Amount Per Serving (1 potato)

Calories 530 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Fat 29g45%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 72mg24%

Sodium 328mg14%

Potassium 1380mg39%

Carbohydrates 34g11%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 34g68%

Vitamin A 24715IU494%

Vitamin C 26.9mg33%

Calcium 292mg29%

Iron 5.8mg32%

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

If you tried this Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More delicious recipes with sweet potatoes you will love:

• Turkey Sweet Potato Chili with Quinoa
• Turkey Taco Loaded Sweet Potato Fries
• Warm Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes & Kale
• Turkey & Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie