These Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes are a favorite dinner recipe! Stuffed with tender chicken and topped with a quick guacamole, they’re so healthy and insanely full of flavor. Whole30 and paleo, these stuffed sweet potatoes are filling, full of protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
These Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes have become an all-time reader favorite since they’ve been published, for every reason imaginable. Filling, super healthy sweet potatoes are stuffed with an easy Mexican shredded chicken made easily in the Instant Pot, and the whole thing is topped with a really exceptional guacamole. Here’s how it goes:
Blend up an avocado with some cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, and a couple other simple ingredients to make a positively delicious, potentially life-changing green sauce. Easy, right? Then, instead of chopping red onions, squeezing just the right amount of lime juice, dicing tomatoes, and all the other hands-on tasks for a traditional guacamole, you simply stir that green sauce into more avocados to make my favorite guac of all time. Spoon it generously over these Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes and ding. dong.
Why These Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Are So Good
- They come together easily, using the Instant Pot to quickly and perfectly cook the chicken. You can use the Instant Pot for the sweet potatoes, too! Or just bake them in the oven.
- The combination of flavors is just right: sweet and spicy and creamy and rich and bright, thanks to the stuffed sweet potatoes, salsa-cooked chicken, easy guacamole, and extra salsa.
- These stuffed sweet potatoes are super healthy, full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Macros √
- They’re totally Whole30 and will become a staple on any Whole30 you do. Pinky promise!
My relationship with the Instant Pot didn’t get off to a running start, not exactly.
I started slowly, making terrible, watery curries and hating it. But then, all of a sudden, it kind of clicked. The weather was getting warmer, and I stopped obsessing over how long it took to get to manual pressure. I improvised a garlic-rosemary pork tenderloin in the IP, and what resulted was better than any filet I’d ever had. The kitchen didn’t heat up, there was one dish to clean, and best of all… I could quite literally set it and forget it.
Consider me fully converted, join the cult, sign me up, where’s the Kool-Aid, DONE.
But, of course, you all already know this, right? Because I’m always late to the party, always showing up in 2001 wearing jelly sandals asking, “What? Just me?” Always “discovering” sweet potato toast like 300,000 pins late. That’s just my style, and I’m trying to embrace it.
Chicken + taco seasoning + a can of tomatoes and green chiles + Instant Pot = perfection.
Variations
- Stir together some mayonnaise and adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers and drizzle your chipotle mayo on top of the stuffed sweet potatoes. If you’re on a Whole30, you might have to use chipotle pepper powder instead; it can be hard to find Whole30 compliant chipotle peppers.
- Swap sweet potatoes for Russet potatoes for a stuffed potato taco!
- Make the Mexican shredded chicken in the slow cooker: combine all ingredients and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Proceed with the recipe as written.
- Use pico de gallo from the prepared foods section (Or make it yourself!) for a super fresh topping on these stuffed sweet potatoes.
How to make stuffed sweet potatoes
Of course, stuffed sweet potatoes always start with super tender sweet potatoes. Make sure they’re really soft and totally cooked through.
Combine chicken breasts with a can of tomatoes and green chiles plus a bit of taco seasoning. Seal your Instant Pot and cook Manual High Pressure 20 minutes. Quick Release, then remove chicken breasts from Instant Pot and shred. Return shredded chicken to Instant Pot and cook on Sauté mode, stirring, until sauce is absorbed, a few minutes.
Make avocado-jalapeño green sauce: blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Make your quick guacamole: mash together a bit of the green sauce with a couple avocados and salt.
Assemble everything: slice the sweet potatoes down the middle and press ends in to open. Top with shredded chicken, lots of guacamole, a little extra green sauce (It’s spicy!), and more garnishes, like more tomatoes with green chiles or other salsa, fresh chopped cilantro, and jalapeños.
Other Whole30 recipes you’ll love:
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup
- Chilaquiles with Sweet Potatoes
- Loaded Sweet Potato Fries
- Chipotle Beef and Avocado Bowls
Whole30 Instant Pot Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
These Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes are a favorite dinner recipe! Stuffed with tender chicken and topped with a quick guacamole, they're so healthy and insanely full of flavor. Whole30 and paleo.
Ingredients
SWEET POTATOES
- 4 medium sweet potatoes , scrubbed
- 1 1/2 cups water
CHICKEN
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 10-oz. can tomatoes with green chiles , undrained, any variety
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/46653/taco-seasoning-i/
AVOCADO-JALAPEÑO SAUCE
- 1 avocado , peeled and seeded
- 1 jalapeño , stemmed
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
QUICK GUACAMOLE
- 2 avocados
- 1/4 cup avocado-jalapeño sauce
- salt
GARNISHES
- jalapeños , sliced thin
- fresh cilantro
- salsa or more tomatoes with green chiles , drained, or
- red onion , chopped
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Instructions
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See Notes for sweet potato and chicken cooking instructions if you do not have an Instant Pot. You can also bake your sweet potatoes in the oven while you cook the chicken in the Instant Pot to save time, if you like.
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Cook your sweet potatoes: Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Place steaming trivet in bottom of Instant Pot pot then pour 1 1/2 cups water in pot. Place sweet potatoes on trivet then secure lid and cook on Manual, high pressure for 16 minutes. Quick release pressure and remove sweet potatoes from trivet. Set aside. Discard steaming water and rinse cooking pot, making sure outside is very dry.
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Make your shredded chicken: combine chicken breasts, taco seasoning, and can of tomatoes with green chiles (undrained) in the pot of an Instant Pot. Do not add water. Secure lid and cook on Manual, high pressure for 20 minutes. Quick release pressure and remove chicken breasts from pot. Shred with two forks then return to pot. Stir on Sauté mode a few minutes until sauce is absorbed.
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Meanwhile, make your sauce: combine all avocado-jalapeño sauce ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
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To make guacamole, mash avocados and stir in avocado-jalapeño sauce.
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To serve: with a knife, make a slit down the top of each sweet potato and press sweet potatoes ends toward center to push open. Top with shredded chicken, guacamole, avocado-jalapeño sauce, salsa or more tomatoes with green chiles, and garnishes. Serve immediately.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
If you don't have an Instant Pot, follow these instructions to bake your sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400º F. Prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork then place directly on oven rack in middle position. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Remove sweet potatoes from oven and set aside.
To make chicken in a slow cooker instead of an Instant Pot: In the pot of a slow-cooker, combine all ingredients. Do not add water. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or cook on high for 4 to 6 hours. After about 3/4 of the time, shred the chicken breasts with two forks and leave in the slow-cooker for the rest of the time.
This recipe was originally published May 2017 but was updated with video, step by step photos, and tips July 2018.
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Do you dump out the water used to cook the sweet potatoes before putting the chicken in? Or does the chicken cook in the sweet potato water?
Oh, good catch! Yes, you do dump out the water used to steam the sweet potatoes before cooking the chicken.
Could you possibly cook the sweet potatoes on a trivet above the chicken? So they can cook at the same time? I’m new to instant pot, so not sure if 20mins might be too long for the potatoes.
I think that could work, Melany! My only concern would be making sure the sweet potatoes are very, very well scrubbed first. And they might taste a bit like RO*TEL after, but since you’re covering them with chicken anyway, I don’t think it’ll matter much! Let me know if you try it and how it goes 🙂
Made these tonight as my first instapot recipe. Delicious!!! Not only did my husband keep saying “so good” after every bite, but my kids also ate them. Win!
Yay! Husband AND kid approved? That’s near miracle status, Randi! I’m so, so glad you liked them, and thank you so much for coming back to let me know 🙂 Enjoy your Instant Pot – I’m positively obsessed with mine!
Hi, what size is the RO*TEL can?
Hi Mary, the standard 10-ounce RO*TEL can is great!
My husband is sensitive to red tomatoes, although he’s usually ok with yellow tomatoes. I’d like to make this, so thinking of just using fresh yellow tomatoes in place of the Ro-Tel. Do you think they would produce enough liquid for the insta pot (I actually have a Breville slow/fast cooker)?
I made mine with rabbit. I went out back, butchered a rabbit, threw it in the instant pot on high pressure for 45 minutes. I opened it, picked out the bones, stirred in seasoning and then put the steamer over the meat and put the sweet potatoes in and did another 16 minutes. Everything else I did according to the recipe. Rabbit is healthier than chicken and easier to digest. Took a healthy recipe and made it healthier.
Wow! That’s very interesting, Hannah. I’m so glad it worked for you! <3
I think I love you! This dish was AMAZ-A-LICIOUS! My new word…it totally fits here. I didn’t use my IP as I had leftover Sam’s chicken. Nuked the potatoes, made the avocado jalapeno sauce. Didnt have fresh cilantro. Tray of frozen worked perfectly! How did you come up with this? And then made the guac. Then I combined the chicken, rotel and taco seasoning and nuked it for 5 minutes. So, so, so good. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you SO much Terri! I think I love you too! I’m loving hearing about all your awesome shortcuts that still came out beautifully. I’m so glad you liked it, and thank you for coming back to let me know! 😀
I made these the other night with slow cooker and oven since I didn’t have an instant pot and they were amazing! I got an instant pot today and tried it. The potatoes didn’t cook all the way through though. I’m new to instant-potting, how do you gauge how much longer to throw them in for?
Yay! Try adding 2 minutes on to the cooking time of your sweet potatoes – they vary so widely in size but 18 minutes has worked for even my largest sweet potatoes. I’m so glad you liked it, and congrats on the Instant Pot, ha!
I made these and I have to say it’s filling, tasty, and quick to make. I don’t have an instapot (yet) but the crockpot is just as good for times like these.
I’m so glad you liked them! And great to know it worked well in the slow cooker for you 🙂
So good!! Thanks for the recipe! One question though.. what do you do with the leftover sauce since you are only using 1/4 cup for the guacamole? Can you freeze it?
Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked it! Drizzle the rest of the sauce on top of the sweet potatoes 🙂 It’s amazing!
Just wondering what kind of taco seasoning you use. I haven’t seen any commercially available that would be Whole 30 compliant.
I always make my own and love this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/46653/taco-seasoning-i/
Awesome. I have everything on hand to make the taco seasoning and plan to make the stuffed sweet potato recipe tomorrow. Thank you for your swift reply!
Happy to help! I hope you like them!
My wife and I have been on Whole30 using the Instapot a lot. This was the most delicious recipe we’ve tried so far. Thank you!
I am SO glad to hear that!!
I’ve included your rockin recipe in some links on additional ways to use sweet potatoes in my sweet potato fries post! Thanks!
Thank you Tessa!