I have only been cooking seriously for about a year now but I’ve been a fan of the Food Network for far longer. Some of my favorite Food Network shows are Chopped, Beat Bobby Flay and Master Chef. Now I am no master chef but I’ve picked a few things up along the way. For instance, what spices usually work well together or the core ingredients in a teriyaki sauce. Funny enough, I have found myself naturally trying to mix and match different flavors and textures trying to make something great. These chipotle chicken stuffed potatoes with an avocado lime salad are a perfect example of that.
I started with some ground chicken because I tend to overuse regular chicken breast and I wanted to switch things up. Ground chicken doesn’t naturally have as much flavor as ground beef or ground turkey so I chose heat to spice it up. Cayenne pepper, chili powder and paprika are what I call the three amigos of heat. Any time I want to add some spice to a dish this is my go to because it’s healthier than a sauce and it packs quite the punch. Now thinking of something different to do with the spiced chicken, I figured why not throw it in a potato. The problem I usually face with potatoes is that they typically take too long to make. So trying to find a way to cook everything in less than 30 minutes. So I microwaved the potatoes and scooped the insides out creating a shell to stuff the chicken with.
Now that I had the heat and the protein, I needed something to balance out the heat. So going back to my amateur cooking show knowledge I figured the dish could use some acidity. There’s nothing I love more than avocados so I mixed up a quick avocado salad with tomatoes and lime juice. Just like that I had a perfectly balanced gluten free and healthy gourmet dish cooked the lazy way.
- 1 large potato
- 1/2 lb ground chicken
- 1 haas avocado chopped
- 10-15 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1/4 red onion chopped into small strips
- 1 lime
- 3/4 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 3/4 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 green onion for garnish
- Sriracha (optional for plating)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Wrap the potato in a wet paper towel and microwave on high for 6 minutes.
- While the potato is in the microwave, cook the ground chicken in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the cayenne/paprika/chili powder/salt/pepper to the chicken and stir thoroughly.
- Take the potato out of the microwave and cut it in half. Then using a spoon, scoop out the center of the potato leaving a shell.
- Rub olive oil over the inside of the potato and stuff the shells with the ground chicken.
- Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are softened fully.
- While the potatoes are cooking, combine avocado, tomatoes and onion in a small mixing bowl. Then squeeze the juice from the lime over the avocado salad and mix together.
- Spread some Sriracha over the bottom of the plate and place the potato half and the avocado salad over the Sriracha.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Recent Comments