Chicken, Bacon, and Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I love a good healthy recipe when I find one. That's why I LOVE Pinterest!! Anyways, as you know, I typically don't follow recipe instructions 'to a t." I found two different recipes and combined them to make my own. 

And let's just say, I hated every minute of making this side dish. It took TOOOOOOOOOO long to prep and cook (maybe it's because I was toggling between two different websites and trying to improvise). But I have decided, I will not be making dish again any time soon!! LOL. Maybe next time, I'll get Andrew to help me and cut it down to 2 hours. 

Anyways, scroll down to the good stuff! Enjoy! 

Chicken, Bacon, and Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Prep time: Too darn long

Cook time: Too darn long

Total time: TOO DARN LONNGGGGG

Ingredients:

·         5 small sweet potatoes (when I say small, I mean, small!!! The large ones did not cook all the way through for me)

·         2 cups of cooked chicken, cut into small pieces (I used rotisserie chicken and it still took too long to make this side dish!)

·         6 pieces of bacon, crumbled

·         1 10 oz. package of baby spinach

·         1/2 cup Golden sweet corn (I bought Kroger's corn)

·         3 heaping tablespoons of Greek yogurt (if you're not on a diet, use sour cream & butter)  

·         1/2 cup of shredded Colby jack cheese

·         1/2 sweet vidalia onion, chopped

·         1 stem of green onion, thinly sliced

·         sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1.    Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place your sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet and poke them with a fork multiple times. Place in oven for 60 mins or until they are tender.

[While the potatoes are cooking in the oven...]

2.    If you are cooking your chicken: add salt and pepper, cook the chicken, and cut the chicken in small pieces (or shred if you prefer).

If you are using rotisserie chicken: use both sides of the breast from the chicken and cut them into small pieces (or shred if you prefer).

3.    In a large pan, cook your bacon until crispy and set aside on a napkin to drain the grease. Crumble the bacon. (Save the bacon grease in the pan!).

4.    Add the chopped onion in the bacon grease. Saute until the onions are brown.

5.    Add the entire package of spinach (yes, the whole thing) to the pan and allow it to wilt. (Note: I added salt to the cooked spinach & onion at this point. You don't have to, but plain spinach isn't my favorite).

6.    Cook the corn according to the package.

7.    Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven and let it cool down. Once you are able to safely touch the potatoes, slice each potato length-way and spoon out the flesh into a large bowl, leaving a small lining to keep the skin from tearing.

(Note: I probably ended up using only 4 halves of potato flesh, because you will be stuffing them with chicken, spinach, corn and bacon. Use the potato flesh to your discretion)

8.    Mash the sweet potatoes until there are no more clumps. Add cooked chicken, bacon, spinach, onion, corn and Greek yogurt and mix with the mashed sweet potatoes and until it is fully mixed. Add Salt and pepper to taste. 

9.    Spoon the mixture into the sweet potato skin.

10.  Sprinkle the Colby Jack cheese on top of the potatoes. Then place them in the oven and broil for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.

11.  Remove from the oven and garnish with green onions.

12.  Let the potatoes cool and enjoy!! (Optional: I cut the potatoes in half, because it's a heavy side dish. If you plan to make it the main dish, you can skip this option).