Maple Chicken with Sweet Potatoes is a perfect Autumn recipe. Sweet potatoes are sautéed in olive oil on the stovetop. The chicken is seared to a beautiful golden-brown color and then glazed with just the right amount of real Maple syrup. Lots of fresh thyme is sprinkled on top. This skillet dinner is pure comfort food for a cold Autumn or Winter night.
Chicken with sweet potatoes
This easy rustic dinner is perfect to make on a busy weeknight and is something a whole family will love! A colorful Autumn recipe, maple chicken with sweet potatoes will bring warmth and wonderful smells to your house. It's a gluten-free main course that features both protein (chicken) and carbs & veggies (sweet potatoes). What can be better than enjoying this well-balanced, vibrant meal on a cold night while the wind is blowing outside or the snow is falling?
Flavorful ingredients
Chicken and sweet potatoes are, of course, the star ingredients in this recipe. However, what really makes this skillet dinner special are these 3 simple yet flavorful ingredients:
- Maple syrup. The use of just a small amount of maple syrup provides subtle sweetness to savory chicken. When just 1 tablespoon of maple syrup is mixed with cooked chicken juices and butter, it creates an interesting sweet and savory flavor profile.
- Freshly ground black pepper. Make sure to grind your own black pepper from peppercorns. Freshly ground black pepper has a much better flavor than regular black pepper and that flavor difference matters in this recipe.
- Fresh thyme. I use lots of fresh thyme in this recipe. It adds a ton of flavor and even more savory notes to contrast the sweetness of the maple syrup.
Variations
- Skinless, boneless chicken. I use chicken tenderloins in this recipe. They are already pre-cut to the desired size and shape. You can also use sliced chicken breasts or sliced chicken thighs. Chicken should be skinless and boneless.
- Veggies. You can use regular potatoes or even butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes.
Helpful tips
- Use skinless boneless chicken tenderloins. They are a perfect size for searing and serving with sauteed sweet potatoes.
- Use only 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. No more than 1 tablespoon is needed. Maple syrup is sweet, to begin with, and adding 1 tablespoon is enough to provide a subtle sweetness to the chicken and keep other flavors savory at the same time.
- Add more butter, if desired. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of butter. Feel free to increase this amount for a more buttery flavor.
How to store and reheat it
The beautiful thing about this chicken and sweet potatoes is that it stores incredibly well. There is no cream sauce involved, so reheating this dish is a breeze!
- Fridge. Store it refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer. Freeze this in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- How to reheat. Reheat it briefly in the microwave oven. To reheat on the stovetop, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over low-medium heat, add the chicken and sweet potatoes, and reheat, occasionally stirring, for about 5 minutes or until everything is heated through.
How to make maple chicken with sweet potatoes
Start by preparing sweet potatoes. Use 3 medium-size sweet potatoes. Peel and wash them.
Slice the potatoes into thin, round-shaped slices.
Sauté the potatoes (seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Towards the end, add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir to melt and coat the potatoes.
Next, sear the chicken tenderloins (seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper) in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
Next, add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet with the chicken and stir to combine.
Finally, combine the maple chicken with cooked sweet potatoes in the same skillet and top with fresh thyme.
What to serve with it
This dish is perfect to be served with some kind of Autumn salad. Here are my favorites:
- Cranberry Spinach Salad with Cashews and Goat Cheese
- Arugula Salad with Pears
- Arugula Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Pecans
Other chicken and veggie skillet recipes
If you enjoyed maple chicken with sweet potatoes made in a skillet, you might like other recipes where the chicken is cooked in the skillet and combined together with veggies. Try these recipes next:
- Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken with Brussels Sprouts
- One-Pan Basil Pesto Chicken and Veggies (Asparagus and Tomatoes)
Maple Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Sautéed Sweet Potatoes
- 3 sweet potatoes medium size
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
Maple Chicken
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ oz fresh thyme
Instructions
How to Sauté Sweet Potatoes
- Peel the sweet potatoes. Slice each potato into thin round-shaped slices, about ½ inches thick.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
- Add sliced potatoes in a single layer in the skillet. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and black pepper (freshly ground).
- Cook the potatoes on medium heat for about 5 minutes, then flip them over, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir to melt and coat the potatoes. Remove the skillet from the heat. The potatoes will continue cooking in the hot skillet.
How to Make Maple Chicken
- Generously season chicken tenderloins with salt and black pepper (freshly ground).
- Heat the empty cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. This allows the skillet to heat up before we add the chicken. After 3 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add chicken and cook it over medium heat for 5 minutes, without moving the chicken. This allows the chicken to sear to a nice golden-brown color.
- Flip the chicken over to the other side and cook over medium-low heat, without moving the chicken, for 5 more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the skillet from heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet with chicken. Stir to coat the chicken with the chicken juices, maple syrup, and butter.
- Combine the maple chicken with cooked sweet potatoes in the same skillet and top with fresh thyme.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was absolutely delicious, but I had trouble putting three, thinly sliced sweet potatoes in a single layer and had to cook them in batches. Any suggestions?
Tracey, I am so glad you tried this recipe and loved it! 🙂 Yes, sweet potatoes can run quite large. Just cook them in batches in that case!
I made this recipe Sunday 10/8/23
Had to make 3 skillets have a big family try to do Sunday Dinners
Well there wasn't anything food left
So THANK YOU JULIA
IT WAS DELICIOUS MY FAMILY REALLY LOVED IT.
Linda, thank you for your rave review! ❤️ Wow, 3 skillets for a big family - so glad everyone loved it! ❤️
I made the chicken and sweet potatoes and it was a a Rave I had to make 3 skillets with cornbread on the side and it was no leftovers so THANK YOU JULIA FOR RECIPE
Linda, you are very welcome! And, THANK YOU for taking the time to share this wonderful feedback! ❤️
First recipe from this site and it was a hit with the hubby! He isn’t even the biggest fan of sweet potatoes or maple flavored things but he declared multiple times that the dish was delicious. I’m looking forward to trying your other recipes. I love your cooking style of simple, healthy, and flavorful. Thank you!
Lucy, Thank you for taking the time to write this kind and thoughtful message - it means a lot to me! ❤️ Glad both of you loved this dish!
It was my first recipe from this site and I loved it!
Thanks a lot!
Khrystyna, I am so glad you tried this recipe and loved it! Thank you for such a positive comment! 🙂
Wonderful-I deglazed chicken pan with a bit of white wine since I was afraid it would be too sweet for my taste.
Emily, glad you loved this recipe! Deglazing the pan with white wine is a nice touch!
Thank you for a wonderful dinner. It was easy to follow & I had all the ingredients at home. We love real maple syrup.
Deb, I am glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Thank you for the comment and the 5-star review! 🙂
Can you do this in a crockpot?
I have never tried this in a slow cooker, unfortunately.
Can you make this in a regular skillet if you don't have a cast iron?
Yes, absolutely!
Hi
Would love to try this ..
Does it matter what kind of maple syrup?
I have mrs butterworth ..
I used real maple syrup - it tastes so good with chicken!
Nice simple dinner for a single guy.
Glad you liked it!
This is so o good! I saw this on Facebook and had to make it. Sweet potatoes are my favorite, so naturally I had to try this recipe. I tripled the amount of maple syrup but that’s just because we like our chicken on a sweeter side.
Kelly, I am happy you tried this recipe and liked it! Yes, you can definitely increase the amount of maple syrup for the chicken for a sweeter flavor!