The ultimate Whole30 comfort food dinner! Creamy mashed potatoes topped with tender and crispy fried chicken bites, all smothered in a savory gravy. With a side of garlicky green beans, Whole30 never tasted so good.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This is one of my favorite Whole30 chicken recipes because it’s a giant bowl of comfort! Creamy mashed potatoes, juicy chicken nuggets, crisp green beens, and thick, rich gravy? Eating this just makes you feel good!
- You only need one saucepan and one skillet to make this 4-part recipe, so clean up is a breeze!
- Pan-frying the chicken nuggets gives the “breading” a light crispiness that’s – dare I say it – better than the “real” thing.
- It’s a great Whole30 recipe for meal prepping. One dish gives you protein and sides for a week’s worth of lunches or dinners!
Whole30 Fried Chicken Mashed Potato and Gravy Bowl Ingredients
Fish Sauce – This is a totally optional ingredient for your gravy. It adds a great savory flavor (umami) but won’t make your gravy fishy. If you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, you can totally leave it out.
Coconut Milk – The magic ingredient for the creamiest mashed potatoes ever! Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk for the best results. Anything less than that will give you thin, watery potatoes.
How to Make a Whole30 Fried Chicken and Mashed Potato Bowl with Gravy
The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!
There are 4 components to this recipe, but you’ll only need one saucepan and one skillet for all your cooking!
Sauté your green beans in ghee until they’re browned and tender, then add in your seasonings and let everything meld for 30 seconds. Transfer your cooked green to a plate or bowl.
For the Whole30 fried chicken, you’ll use the same pan you used for the green beans. Start by coating the raw chicken bites in lightly beaten egg, then a layer of coconut flour and seasoning. Pan fry them in a little ghee or coconut oil, and there you go! Easiest Whole30 chicken recipe ever!
Boil the potatoes in a saucepan, then combine them with ghee, salt, and coconut milk. Mash until they’re the perfect consistency for you and then transfer them to a bowl.
Last step – the gravy! Heat ghee or coconut oil or lard in your saucepan with arrowroot powder and whisk until it’s smooth. Add chicken stock and seasoning and keep whisking until it’s thick and smooth.
Assemble everything in a bowl, using the mashed potatoes as your foundation. Top them with chicken nuggets and green beans, then ladle gravy on top of it all. Voila! An incredible, compliant KFC copycat meal with Whole30 fried chicken. Serve hot and enjoy!
Chef’s Tips
- Overcooked green beans will have a mushy texture, and undercooked green beans will be rubbery. The goal is to end up with a perfect tender-crisp texture, where you can bite through them with no resistance.
- Fresh green beans will give you the most flavor, but you can absolutely use frozen green beans in this recipe.
- Be careful not to overcook your chicken! The nugget-size chunks will cook quickly. Aim for an internal temperature of 165°.
- Russet potatoes have a lot of starch, so they will give you fluffy mashed potatoes. Red potatoes have less starch and more moisture, so they’ll make a creamier mashed potato.
- I used coconut flour for this Whole30 fried chicken recipe, but if you don’t have coconut on hand, almond flour is another solid Whole30-compliant flour option.
More Amazing Whole30 Recipes
- BBQ Chicken Bowls with Sweet Potatoes and Coleslaw (Whole30)
- Italian Breakfast Casserole (Whole30, Keto)
- Brussels Sprouts Salad (Whole30, Paleo)
- Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
- 65 Delicious Whole30 Recipes for the New Year
- Whole30 Chicken Lo Mein
- Paleo Chinese Chicken Salad (Whole30)
- Breakfast Egg Roll in a Bowl (Whole30, Paleo)
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Whole30 Fried Chicken and Mashed Potato Bowl with Gravy
Ingredients
For the Green Beans
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 10 ounces green beans trimmed, long beans cut in half
- 2 cloves cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pepper
For the Fried Chicken
- 1 cup coconut flour
- ½ cup arrowroot powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne optional
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 large chicken breasts about 1 ½ pounds, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
For the Mashed Potatoes
- water
- 2 pounds red or Russet potatoes peeled, cut into 1" chunks
- ¼ cup ghee
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
For the Gravy
- 3 tablespoons fat ghee, coconut oil, drippings, or lard
- ¼ cup arrowroot powder
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce optional
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
Instructions
For the Green Beans
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt ghee then add green beans and sauté one minute. Cover and cook 4 minutes. Remove cover and continue to sauté until browned in spots and quite tender, approximately 1-5 minutes.
- Add garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté 30 seconds. Transfer to plate. Wipe out skillet and return for fried chicken.
For the Fried Chicken
- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl or gallon bag. Beat egg and coat chicken.
- Toss egg-coated chicken in dry ingredients to fully coat.
- Heat coconut oil or ghee in skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry chicken nuggets in batches until golden brown and cooked through, approximately 5-6 minutes, flipping when necessary. Remove chicken from skillet and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
For the Mashed Potatoes
- Cover potatoes in medium saucepan with water. Bring to boil. Cook 10 minutes or until easily pierced with fork.
- Drain water and add ghee, salt, and coconut milk. Mash to desired consistency, add coconut milk as desired. Transfer mashed potatoes to bowl. Return saucepan to heat.
For the Gravy
- Heat fat in medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle arrowroot powder over fat and whisk vigorously until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Mixture should be golden and bubbling.
- Slowly pour in stock, whisking constantly. Mixture will become clumpy and grainy. Keep whisking until very smooth.
- Cook until thickened, whisking regularly. Add fish sauce and poultry seasoning. If necessary, season gravy with salt and pepper to taste.
For the Bowl
- Assemble bowl using mashed potatoes as base. Top with chicken nuggets and green beans, then ladle gravy over all.
Notes
Nutrition
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
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Bree L. says
So yummy! The chicken bites made the dish though! I’m a Whole30 follower and enjoy your recipes regularly!
Anna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says
We are thrilled to hear that, Bree! 🙂
Nina M says
This was fantastic! Saw it on your Instagram and HAD to try it out. So so delicious and comforting. Perfect for a busy Sunday night.
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Glad you liked it!
Chris says
Omg this was so good! Perfect Whole30 recipe when we needed comfort food. Thank you!