Down & Dirty Weeknight Chicken Potato Bake

Healthy comfort food seems like it should be an oxymoron. Yet somehow, it’s possible. I know, I didn’t trust this recipe either the first time I tried it. But it is delicious!

I stumbled upon this recipe when I tried Whole 30 the first time. About halfway through my 30 days, I was CRAVING comfort food. I was searching high and low for a Whole 30-approved recipe that would hit the spot, and finally found one that would satisfy my cravings (with some tweaking, of course). 

I’ve made this recipe so many times now, and it is definitely one of my favorites to make for a busy week. It’s so simple and easy to throw together, but the flavors blend together so well. 

For this dish, you need a few key ingredients:

• Boneless chicken thighs: You can use breasts if you’d prefer. I think the dark meat holds up better against all the flavors. 
• Frank’s Red Hot Sauce: Frank’s red hot sauce is the real star in this dish. The heat of the sauce elevates an otherwise boring “casserole”.
• Broccoli: You can use fresh broccoli if you’d like. I use the frozen broccoli florets from the grocery store to reduce the cooking time
• Red Skin Potatoes: Any potato will do for this recipe, but I love buying the mini red skin potatoes. 
• Bacon: Who doesn’t love a “healthy” recipe with bacon? This is totally optional, as the bacon is really used for the topping.

Chicken Potato Bake

Servings: 4

Total cooking time: 1.5 hrs

• 1-2 lbs Boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3-4 oz Bacon (*if on Whole30, use nitrate free bacon)
• ½ red onion sliced thinly
• 16 oz Defrosted broccoli florets (*fresh if desired)
• 4 cups Red skin potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• ¼ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, divided
• ¼ cup Olive oil, divided
• 2 tbsp italian seasoning

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425^oF; and mix oil, hot sauce, and Italian season together.
2. Add sliced onions and potatoes to a 9×13 baking dish, pour half of the hot sauce mixture over the onions and potatoes. Coat evenly and place in oven for 30 mins.
3. While onions and potatoes are baking, cook bacon in a frying pan. Remove from pan, reserving the grease (If you don’t want bacon, skip this step). Once cooled, crumble the bacon for the topping.
4. Add the cubed chicken thighs to the frying pan with the bacon grease (or olive oil, if no bacon), and cook until almost cooked through. Remove from stove, and set aside. 
5. While chicken is cooking, defrost or cook your broccoli and set aside.
6. When onion and potato mixture is done, remove from oven and add chicken and broccoli florets to the baking dish. Pour in the remaining hot sauce mixture, and mix to combine.
7. Place back in oven for 30 mins. After 15 mins, remove and top with bacon. Baked for the remaining 15 mins. 
8. Serve immediately, and top with ranch if desired.