CHICKEN BACON SWEET POTATO RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°. Generously butter a 9-by-13-inch, or a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place a chicken breast on a work surface and, with a sharp knife held parallel to the surface, cut the breast in half horizontally. Repeat with the remaining breasts. In a small bowl, mix together thyme, sage, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Set aside 1 teaspoon of this seasoning. Season both sides of each of the 8 chicken pieces with the remaining mixture. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Stack several rounds on top of each other and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Peel onion, halve through the root end and slice into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil until hot in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and saute until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken to the prepared baking dish. Add chicken broth and wine to the pan and whisk to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Cook, stirring, until the liquid has reduced to 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour over the chicken breasts. In the same frying pan set over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and, when cool, chop coarsely. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Set the frying pan over medium heat, and when hot, add the sweet potatoes and onion and saute, stirring, until softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and spoon them over the chicken. Sprinkle with the bacon. (The casserole can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding.) Melt butter until hot in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and the reserved 1 teaspoon of seasoning. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, whisking constantly and cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt, if needed. (The sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead; cool, cover and refrigerate separately from the baking dish. Gently reheat over low temperature.) Drizzle the sauce over the ingredients in the casserole and sprinkle with the Gruyère. Cover the casserole loosely with a sheet of foil. Bake the casserole until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the casserole for 5 minutes. If desired, garnish the center of the dish with some sage and thyme sprigs before serving. Serves 4

Steps:

• Scrub the sweet potatoes and poke them all over with the prongs of a fork. Place them in a slow cooker and cook on low 8-10 hours.
• Heat your oven to 400F.
• Add the bacon to a cold skillet set over medium heat. Cook 8 minutes, until beginning to crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and let drain on paper towels.
• Add the onion and broccoli to the skillet and cook 4-5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the chicken, paprika, rosemary, salt, and pepper; cook 5-6 minutes, to until cooked through.
• Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and arrange on a greased baking sheet. Scoop out some of the flesh from each potato to form a shallow boat. Fill each potato with the chicken and broccoli mixture. Bake for 20 minutes, until the potato skins are crisp and the broccoli is lightly charred.