BBQ Chicken Casserole w/Sweet Potatoes {paleo}

I have this amazing recipe for paleo BBQ that I discovered a few weeks ago. You know it has to be good because I’m honestly not even a fan of BBQ sauce. Weird, right? Isn’t everyone a BBQ sauce lover?

I am now that I found this tangy recipe for BBQ sauce. I would eat it even on non–paleo foods. It’s just that good. So what in the heck could I make with the awesome BBQ sauce? Let me rephrase that. What food item that’s already in my refrigerator or freezer could I make with the awesome BBQ sauce? Chicken. I could make BBQ chicken. I’d bought three pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast and thrown it into the freezer right before Thanksgiving.

So I found an interesting recipe at Carrots ‘n Cake and I decided to sub the regular potatoes for sweet potatoes inspired by the sweet potatoes I made a few weeks ago that involved honey and butter and chiles. Yum.

My version of the BBQ Chicken Potato Casserole recipe is below.

ingredients.

3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
1 ½ tsp. fine sea salt, divided
½ tsp. ground black pepper, divided
4 T. salted grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil, divided
3 lb. sweet potatoes
¼ c. raw honey
2 T. grass fed butter
1 tsp. dried red chili flakes
1 T. apple cider vinegar
2 c. BBQ sauce
2 T. apple cider vinegar
¼ c. diced purple onions, for garnish
¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

directions.

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
To sear the chicken, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saute pan over high heat. When the butter is melted, add the chicken. Sear for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until lightly browned.
Transfer the seared chicken to a slow cooker, add enough water to cover the chicken, and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the potatoes. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with coconut oil or ghee. Poke holes all over sweet potatoes and wrap each in foil. Place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast until potatoes are tender, 60 to 70 minutes. Unwrap and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, combine dried red chile flakes, honey, and butter in a small saucepan; season with salt. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar.
Smash sweet potatoes with your palm, then tear into bite-sized pieces (including skin), the more irregular, the better. Place pieces, skin side down, in a single layer in the prepared baking dish and season with salt. Drizzle with hot honey with chile. Set aside until chicken is ready; it’s OK to throw it in the fridge if your chicken still has a long time to cook.
When the chicken is cooked, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and shred the chicken using two forks. It should shred very easily. Toss the shredded chicken in one cup of BBQ sauce.
Layer the BBQ shredded chicken on top the sweet potatoes. Mix the remaining BBQ sauce with the vinegar and drizzle it over the top of the chicken.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the top just starts to brown. Garnish with red onion and cilantro.