Whole30 Fried Chicken and Mashed Potato Bowl with Gravy
Posted: 12/21/20
Updated: 02/02/23
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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 Whole30 fried 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!
Key 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.
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)
Whole30 Fried Chicken and Mashed Potato Bowl with Gravy
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.
servings
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
This recipe has 4 elements, but uses only 1 skillet and 1 medium saucepan. Make the green beans first in the skillet, then the fried chicken. At the same time, make the mashed potatoes in the saucepan, then use the saucepan to make the gravy.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1bowl, Calories: 475kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 1150mg, Potassium: 877mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 465IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 3mg, Net Carbs: 38g
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.
White potatoes are not considered Paleo.
Per the Paleo Foundation:
https://paleofoundation.com/white-potatoes-paleo/?blog_tag=%27the+Paleo+Diet%27&blog_category=%27Blog%27%2C%27Eating%27%2C%27Paleo+Diet%27#:~:text=After%20careful%20consideration,Paleo%20Standards.
Isn’t ghee not Whole30 approved?
Ghee is allowed on Whole30, per the official Whole30 program rules: https://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/
From the section titled “No: Avoid for 30 days.” –
From the section titled “The Fine Print” –
*bolding mine
My family loved this recipe. I made it exactly has described and it turned out perfect. It was exactly what I needed half way through my round of Whole30
So glad y’all enjoyed this!
I liked the chicken, but I really loved the mashed potatoes. This will be my go-to method for mashed potatoes now.
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can you use Almond Flour in place of the Coconut Flour
Yep! Texture may be a bit different, but should still work.
So yummy! The chicken bites made the dish though! I’m a Whole30 follower and enjoy your recipes regularly!
We are thrilled to hear that, Bree! 🙂
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.
Glad you liked it!
Omg this was so good! Perfect Whole30 recipe when we needed comfort food. Thank you!