Healthy Chipotle Chicken Potato Skins

My favorite cooking challenges always seem to center around taking an unhealthy fan favorite recipe and making healthy substitutions while still maintaining the delicious flavor. Potato skins are usually deep fried and loaded with bacon and cheese and drowned in full fat sour cream.

My version of potato skins serve up a healthy portion of chicken to fulfill your protein quota (and to fill you up), and use sweet potatoes to provide more nutrients per bite. Sweet potatoes are orange in color and offer more fiber, vitamin A, and potassium (among other nutrients) than regular potatoes. And these potato skins are the perfect healthy snack to serve at your next tailgate or homegate!

Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes
3/4 lbs (about 2 small) boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 whole chipotle peppers, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
2 cups spinach, wilted*
5 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Greek yogurt (for serving — in place of sour cream)

*Feel free to wilt your spinach in the microwave.
Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Wash your sweet potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Placing the in a Pyrex dish or on a baking sheet, bake them for 50–60 minutes or until fork tender.

Place your chicken in a baking dish and rub with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with a small dash of salt and pepper. Add the chicken into the oven with the potatoes and cook for 25 minutes.

While the chicken and potatoes are cooking, combine the (1/4 cup) olive oil, lime juice, garlic, chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Once the chicken is cooked, allow it to cool to the point at which you can shred it with a fork or your fingers. Then combine it with the spinach, set it aside, and keep it warm.

When the sweet potatoes are done, cut them in half (the long way) and allow them to cool for 5–10 minutes.

Turn the oven up to 400°.

Using a sturdy spoon, scrape out the inside of the potatoes, leaving only the skin and a thin casing of potato. (Careful not to scrape out the insides too much. You can tear the skin of the potato, which will make it more difficult for the potato to hold the ingredients later).

Place skins back in a baking dish and brush the insides with the chipotle and herb mixture. Bake for 5–10 minutes or until nice and crisp.

While the skins bake, add the remaining chipotle and herb mix to the spinach and chicken.

Once the skins are done, stuff them with the chicken mixture, top with grated cheese, and bake for another 5–10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the skins are hot and crisp. Serve with freshly chopped cilantro and Greek yogurt.