Maple Chicken with Sweet Potatoes is a perfect Autumn recipe. Sweet potatoes are sautéed in olive oil on the stovetop. The chicken is seared to a beautiful golden-brown color and then glazed with just the right amount of real Maple syrup. Lots of fresh thyme is sprinkled on top. This skillet dinner is pure comfort food for a cold Autumn or Winter night.
Chicken with sweet potatoes
This easy rustic dinner is perfect to make on a busy weeknight and is something a whole family will love! A colorful Autumn recipe, maple chicken with sweet potatoes will bring warmth and wonderful smells to your house. It’s a gluten-free main course that features both protein (chicken) and carbs & veggies (sweet potatoes). What can be better than enjoying this well-balanced, vibrant meal on a cold night while the wind is blowing outside or the snow is falling?
Flavorful ingredients
Chicken and sweet potatoes are, of course, the star ingredients in this recipe. However, what really makes this skillet dinner special are these 3 simple yet flavorful ingredients:
- Maple syrup. The use of just a small amount of maple syrup provides subtle sweetness to savory chicken. When just 1 tablespoon of maple syrup is mixed with cooked chicken juices and butter, it creates an interesting sweet and savory flavor profile.
- Freshly ground black pepper. Make sure to grind your own black pepper from peppercorns. Freshly ground black pepper has a much better flavor than regular black pepper and that flavor difference matters in this recipe.
- Fresh thyme. I use lots of fresh thyme in this recipe. It adds a ton of flavor and even more savory notes to contrast the sweetness of the maple syrup.
Variations
- Skinless, boneless chicken. I use chicken tenderloins in this recipe. They are already pre-cut to the desired size and shape. You can also use sliced chicken breasts or sliced chicken thighs. Chicken should be skinless and boneless.
- Veggies. You can use regular potatoes or even butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes.
Helpful tips
- Use skinless boneless chicken tenderloins. They are a perfect size for searing and serving with sauteed sweet potatoes.
- Use only 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. No more than 1 tablespoon is needed. Maple syrup is sweet, to begin with, and adding 1 tablespoon is enough to provide a subtle sweetness to the chicken and keep other flavors savory at the same time.
- Add more butter, if desired. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of butter. Feel free to increase this amount for a more buttery flavor.
How to store and reheat it
The beautiful thing about this chicken and sweet potatoes is that it stores incredibly well. There is no cream sauce involved, so reheating this dish is a breeze!
- Fridge. Store it refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer. Freeze this in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- How to reheat. Reheat it briefly in the microwave oven. To reheat on the stovetop, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over low-medium heat, add the chicken and sweet potatoes, and reheat, occasionally stirring, for about 5 minutes or until everything is heated through.
How to make maple chicken with sweet potatoes
Start by preparing sweet potatoes. Use 3 medium-size sweet potatoes. Peel and wash them.
Slice the potatoes into thin, round-shaped slices.
Sauté the potatoes (seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Towards the end, add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir to melt and coat the potatoes.
Next, sear the chicken tenderloins (seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper) in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
Next, add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet with the chicken and stir to combine.
Finally, combine the maple chicken with cooked sweet potatoes in the same skillet and top with fresh thyme.
Ingredients
Sautéed Sweet Potatoes
- 3 sweet potatoes medium size
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
Maple Chicken
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- 1 lb chicken tenderloins
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ oz fresh thyme
Instructions
How to Sauté Sweet Potatoes
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Peel the sweet potatoes. Slice each potato into thin round-shaped slices, about ½ inches thick.
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Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
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Add sliced potatoes in a single layer in the skillet. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and black pepper (freshly ground).
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Cook the potatoes on medium heat for about 5 minutes, then flip them over, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir to melt and coat the potatoes. Remove the skillet from the heat. The potatoes will continue cooking in the hot skillet.
How to Make Maple Chicken
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Generously season chicken tenderloins with salt and black pepper (freshly ground).
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Heat the empty cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. This allows the skillet to heat up before we add the chicken. After 3 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
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Add chicken and cook it over medium heat for 5 minutes, without moving the chicken. This allows the chicken to sear to a nice golden-brown color.
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Flip the chicken over to the other side and cook over medium-low heat, without moving the chicken, for 5 more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the skillet from heat.
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Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet with chicken. Stir to coat the chicken with the chicken juices, maple syrup, and butter.
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Combine the maple chicken with cooked sweet potatoes in the same skillet and top with fresh thyme.