This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy.
These BBQ chicken bowls are loaded with so much goodness: shredded BBQ chicken, seasoned cubed sweet potatoes roasted until crisp, a simple coleslaw, and quick homemade dill pickles. They’re paleo and filling and surprisingly quick and easy. Whole30 and paleo, too.
Why This Recipe Is So Good
- These paleo and Whole30 BBQ bowls are incredibly flavorful with seasoned sweet potatoes, cool and crunchy coleslaw, and tangy dill pickles. So filling and an amazing flavor combo!
- The homemade dill pickles are surprisingly simple, fast, and absolutely elevate this bowl to the next level!
- These BBQ chicken bowls with sweet potatoes and coleslaw are super easy to make thanks to an Instant Pot or slow cooker, but can easily be made without either one.
How To Make It Without An Instant Pot
- To make your chicken in a Crockpot, combine all your BBQ chicken ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook covered on High for 3 hours or Low for 5 hours.
- To make BBQ chicken without a slow cooker or Instant Pot, shred the chicken breasts with two forks, then place in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover with 3/4 cup of BBQ sauce and stir until chicken is heated through and the sauce is absorbed. Add more sauce if desired.
Chef’s Tips
- Make sure to use Whole30-compliant barbecue sauce if you want true Whole30 BBQ bowls. My recipe is a great option if you want to make your own!
- When making the BBQ chicken, if you do not have Italian dressing, substitute 1 1/2 tablespoon oil, 1/2 tablespoon white or white wine vinegar, and a small pinch of Italian seasoning.
- You can substitute pickles bought from the store for the homemade ones (but I really, really recommend the homemade version). If you’re using store-bought pickles, use high-quality cold pickles, not the bright yellow sort from the aisles.
- You can store any leftover coleslaw mix to use in other dishes besides these Whole30 BBQ bowls. Drain excess liquid and save for another use in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Delish Recipes
- Mexican Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- How to Cook Nopales (Cactus Paddles)
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Instant Pot Carnitas
- Palmini Pasta
- Egg Roll in a Bowl with Creamy Chili Sauce
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Whole30 Marry Me Chicken (Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Paleo Lime Bars (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)
- Grilled Adobo Chicken
BBQ Chicken Bowls with Sweet Potatoes, Coleslaw, and Pickles
A filling bowl of BBQ chicken, sweet potatoes, coleslaw, and homemade dill pickles. Surprisingly simple and quick to make but packed full of flavor. Whole30 and paleo.
bowls
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
For the BBQ Chicken
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1 ¼ pounds
- ¾ cup Whole30 BBQ sauce
- 2 tablespoons Italian dressing see Notes
- salt to taste
- or about 2 1/2 cups shredded BBQ chicken or pork
For the Sweet Potatoes
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- dash of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon avocado or refined coconut oil
For the Quick Dill Pickles
- Sprig of fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ English cucumber sliced thin
- Pinch yellow mustard seeds
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup white or white wine vinegar
- ½ tablespoon salt
- OR use ¼ cup sliced cold dill pickles See Notes
For the Coleslaw
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 14-ounce bag shredded coleslaw mix see Notes
To Garnish
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Dry BBQ seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F. Make sweet potatoes: On a baking sheet, toss all ingredients and roast for 20 m. After 20 minutes, stir well, then return to oven. Bake another 10-15 minutes or until browning on edges but not too crunchy or crisp.
- Make the pickles: While sweet potatoes roast, combine all pickle ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Make BBQ chicken: Next, combine all ingredients in an Instant Pot. Seal and cook at High Pressure for 10 minutes. Quick release when time is up then shred chicken breasts with two forks or use a hand mixer on low speed. Turn on Sauté mode and heat for 5 minutes until chicken is coated in sauce. If you do not have an Instant Pot, see Note for regular shredded chicken or slow cooker directions.
- Make coleslaw: Mix all ingredients besides coleslaw mix in a small bowl. Place coleslaw mix in a medium bowl and pour dressing over. Combine well, using hands if desired.
- Assemble bowls: Divide sweet potatoes, BBQ chicken, and coleslaw evenly among 4 bowls. Top with a couple pickle slices. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired.
- Cooking chicken in a Crockpot: Combine all your BBQ chicken ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook covered on High for 3 hours or Low for 5 hours.
- To make without a slow cooker or Instant Pot: Shred 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts with two forks, then place in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover with 3/4 cup of BBQ sauce and stir until chicken is heated through and sauce is absorbed. Add more sauce if desired.
- Whole30: Make sure you are using Whole30-compliant BBQ sauce.
- If you don’t have Italian dressing for BBQ chicken: Substitute 1 1/2 tablespoon oil, 1/2 tablespoon white or white wine vinegar, and a small pinch of Italian seasoning.
- Using store-bought pickles instead of homemade: Use high-quality cold pickles, not the bright yellow sort from the aisles.
- To save extra coleslaw: Drain excess liquid and save for another use in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1bowlCalories: 503calProtein: 15gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 2500mgPotassium: 780mgTotal Carbs: 46gFiber: 6gSugar: 26gNet Carbs: 40gVitamin A: 9797IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
Never Miss A Meal!
New Recipes Straight To Your Inbox
A curated selection of our most recent recipes, delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
Leave A Review
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
These were out of this world. DO NOT SKIMP ON THE PICKLES. I normally like a tangier coleslaw, but this one really balanced out the acid in the other parts. We added a bag of baby carrots and a sliced onion to the potatoes to stretch the veggies a little further in our fam. All around hit and we will be making this again!
I made this for work lunch prep. SO delish. I ended up scrapping the coleslaw only because, honestly, it was too much food. I like just being able to pop it in the microwave and eat. The spice on those sweet potatoes was the BOMB. The cinnamon makes it. I’ll be making this again soon.
I’m so glad you loved it! Definitely great for meal prep.
Who is the magical woman creating these recipes? This meal came out perfect! I’ve tried the Italian sausage breakfast casserole and that came out so friggin’ good! I love the photos and can’t wait to try more recipes.
Oh my gosh, thank you so much! Definitely let me know what other recipes you love!
This was really delicious! I loved the spices on the sweet potatoes, I cut them small and they were done in 20 minutes! I really liked using the Instant Pot for the chicken. My coleslaw dressing was mayo, vinegar, lemon juice, a little sugar, salt and pepper. I didn’t make the pickles but they look delicious. Thanks for a great recipe, will make again for sure!
sounds great!
Made this tonight and it was amazing! My favorite whole30 recipe so far. I didn’t have time to make my own bbq sauce so I used Tessemae’s bbq sauce that’s compliant.
Thanks for the tip! I’m glad you loved it!
Would you recommend this for meal prep? I am an avid meal prepper but some meals just won’t keep well for the week. This looks soooo yummy so I hope it’s a yes!! 🙂
It will work for meal prep! Just make sure to keep the potatoes, chicken, slaw, and pickles separated while storing in the refrigerator.
This is definitely one of my favorite Whole 30 recipes! Everything was amazing! I made my own compliant smoky paprika BBQ sauce and MUCH better than store bought. I’m addicted to the pickles too now! I used my slow cooker the night before and then prepped the rest the next morning. Even my non compliant friend loved it all!
This recipe was DELICIOUS!! I am finishing up my first round of Whole30 and your recipes have been a staple for me! Everything I have tried had been absolutely wonderful and I will continue trying more of your recipes..I am beyond happy that I found your website!!
Wondering what I could have with this instead of sweet potatoes? We are not a sweet potato household ?
Roasted white potatoes would also be delish.
I made these last night. So delicious! I used The New Primal’s Noble BBQ sauce. It all came out great. Those crispy sweet potatoes were perfect. Everything went together so well.