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Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls with Avocado Sauce

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Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls with Avocado Sauce

Meals in bowls are the best. Wouldn’t you agree?! Especially meals like this Moroccan chicken with all of the spices with the best sweet potato fries and rice to add. It’s all I need on a night like tonight when it’s like 15 degrees outside. This is the best easy weeknight dinner lately.

The weather has been all over the place lately which is the usual for Nebraska but for some reason it still hits be by surprise. After a few milder days, I woke up to 2 degree temps and found myself scooping our driveway. It works well to do it before I’m even fully awake so I don’t realize exactly how bad it stinks to be out in the cold so early. As much as my husband hates me to scoop our driveway I do it anyway. I can’t help myself. There is something so gratifying about scooping our driveway and our neighbors sidewalks when I feel up to it and can still feel my fingers. It also helped that we didn’t get that much snow! 😉

Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls with Avocado Sauce

You may be asking what snow has to do with this post and why you should even care. Well, it’s super cold in Nebraska lately and these Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls are super comforting. There’s something about homemade sweet potato fries that I can’t get over. They may be hard to get right but I keep improving them every time I make them and these ones are delicious.

Honestly, I thought about just putting the chicken and the fries together but the rice does complement all the ingredients really well and I just had to find a spot for it too.

Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls with Avocado Sauce

Times these Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls are perfect:

  • Weekday Evenings– this is no boring chicken recipe. It has tons of flavor and a lot of different textures and is the perfect easy weeknight meal.
  • Saturday afternoons– when you want something a little different and don’t want take-out this is the go-to recipe for you. You won’t be spending hours getting it together and it makes enough for two so you can share it with a friend or spouse.

I wouldn’t recommend making it as a meal prep due to reheating. Sweet potato fries don’t reheat well in the microwave and they lose their crispiness so the sooner you can eat this after preparing it the better.

Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls with Avocado Sauce

Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls with Avocado Sauce

Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls with Avocado Sauce

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dinner
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

Moroccan Seasoning

  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/8 tsp cloves

Moroccan Chicken

  • 3/4 lb chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Sweet Potato Fries

  • 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into 1/4" strips
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

White Rice

  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • knob of unsalted butter
  • 1 pinch kosher salt

Avocado Sauce

  • 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lime juice about 1 lime
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 avocado peeled, pitted

Instructions
 

Moroccan Seasoning

  • Add all ingredients to a small bowl and combine well. Set aside.

Moroccan Chicken

  • Preheat oven to 375℉. Brush chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of Moroccan seasoning over chicken on both sides to coat. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until juices run clear. Slice chicken prior to serving.

Sweet Potato Fries*

  • Increase oven temp to 425℉. Prep sweet potato and place on rimmed baking sheet. Add drizzle of olive oil, salt, and cornstarch. Coat sweet potato strips evenly with olive oil and cornstarch using your clean hands. Bake for 20-22 minutes flipping halfway through.

White Rice

  • Meanwhile while the sweet potato fries are cooking, start cooking the rice. Bring the pot of water to a boil. Add the rice, butter, and salt and cook according to package instructions.

Avocado Sauce

  • Add all ingredients to a mini food processor and blend until smooth.

Putting it All Together

  • Start with adding a spoonful or two of rice to a bowl. Add the chicken and sweet potato fries and finish it off with a scoop of the avocado sauce and some chopped cilantro if desired. Time to dig in!

Notes

*Arrange sweet potato fries so they do not touch to ensure they crisp up properly. If the pan is too crowded, this doesn't happen. 

Moroccan Chicken and Rice Bowls with Avocado Sauce

 

More Delicious Chicken Recipes

 

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

 

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken

 

Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice

Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice

Skinny Onion Rings and Sweet Potato Fries

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Enjoy some game-day favorites and spare the guilt with these healthier baked onion rings and sweet potato fries with barbecue ranch sauce. 

skinny onion rings and sweet potato fries


 

Healthy food on point!

It’s not a secret that I enjoy sweet potato fries more than the regular kind, baked and all. So it is time to wrap your head around how tasty they are with these skinny onion rings as well.

Let’s get to it!

Do not get discouraged by the fact that you will need to chop up your sweet potatoes into fry-looking things. It’s not that bad I promise. First, wash and peel the potatoes. Start by holding the potato with one hand and slicing vertically into half inch sections with the other. Once you have sliced the potato up, then start cutting the sections one fourth inch thick. You can always cut them thinner if you like but that’s a nice place to start. And they don’t all need to be perfectly cut cuz we want to finish them before the sun goes down.

skinny onion rings and sweet potato fries



 

I really love the flavor that these sweet potatoes have and let’s give it up to the seasoning blend I used! 👏 Read on for the deets on that! So much flavor and a little bit of a kick but not much which is just how I like them. Is your mouth watering yet?

 

skinny onion rings and sweet potato fries

 

Just pop these little guys into the oven for about 15 minutes, stir ’em around, and give them another 20 minutes and you have got yourself some amazing sweet potato fries.

You guys gotta try these!

skinny onion rings and sweet potato fries

 

Who says onion rings have to be deep fried to taste good? I am here to let you know that this skinny version is not going to let you down. Quite frankly, you may just decide to let go of the overrated and calorie-busting fried versions. Can I just say your body will thank you. You won’t get that bloated feeling either.

 

skinny onion rings and sweet potato fries

 

I have big plans for both these little guys. I am envisioning they will take part in many game-day parties, backyard BBQs, burger nights, younameit I am going to enjoy handing these healthy little guys out to my family.

 

skinny onion rings and sweet potato fries

 

skinny onion rings and sweet potato fries

 

skinny onion rings and sweet potato fries

Skinny Onion Rings and Sweet Potato Fries

Megan
Enjoy some game-day favorites and spare the guilt with these healthier baked onion rings and sweet potato fries with barbecue ranch sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Sides

Ingredients
  

Sweet Potato Fries

  • 3 sweet potatoes
  • 1-1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground Ancho chile powder or chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • pinch of black pepper

Onion Rings

  • 2 large sweet onions such as Vidalia, cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 1 quart buttermilk
  • 4 egg whites
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
  • 3/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground Ancho chile powder or chile powder
  • nonstick cooking spray or olive oil spray

Dipping Sauce

  • 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 cup light Ranch

Instructions
 

Sweet Potato Fries

  • Wash sweet potatoes and peel.
  • Slice potatoes into 1/2 inch sections. Then julienne into about 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch fries. Try to cut them the same size but is definitely okay if some are bigger than others.
  • Soak sweet potatoes in cold water for one hour.
  • Preheat oven to 425℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Rinse and drain sweet potatoes. Pat dry with paper towels.
  • Place in a large sealable plastic bag and add corn starch. Shake bag until sweet potatoes are evenly coated with the corn starch, breaking up any clumps that may form.
  • Transfer to a large bowl and add olive oil. With hands evenly coat all of the sweet potatoes with the oil.
  • In a small bowl, combine chile powder, paprika, salt, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. Pour over the sweet potatoes and stirring frequently to get them evenly coated.
  • Place sweet potatoes onto baking sheets in a single layer, trying not to let them touch each other. Bake for 15-18 minutes, stir up with spatula and spreading back into a single layer.
  • Bake for another 18-20 minutes.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes.

Onion Rings

  • Place onion ring slices into a baking dish and pour buttermilk over rings to allow them to soak 2-4 hours. Cover tightly with saran wrap and refrigerate.
  • After onions have soaked, remove them from the fridge.
  • Preheat oven to 425℉.
  • Spray two baking sheets with nonstick or olive oil spray. Here's a spritzer if you're looking.
  • In a medium bowl, add lightly beaten egg whites. In a baking dish, add bread crumbs, cornmeal, panko and next four seasonings from ingredient list and combine well.
  • Dip onions into egg whites making sure to coat both sides.
  • Then press onions into bread crumb mixture and coat both sides evenly. If it does not adhere to onions, try dipping into egg whites again and then coating with bread crumb mixture a second time.
  • Place onions onto prepared baking sheets. Smaller onions can be placed inside larger onions as long as they aren't touching.
  • Spray coated onion rings with nonstick spray or olive oil spray to seal the crumb mixture on to the onions.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, carefully flip onions with tongs, and then return to oven to bake another 15 minutes.
  • Let cool 5 minutes and then serve.

BBQ Ranch Dipping Sauce

  • In a smal bowl, mix bbq sauce and ranch and stir. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

Active Prep Time is about 25 minutes for each recipe. Onion Rings need to soak in buttermilk for 2-4 hours and Fries will soak in water for 1 hour so need to plan ahead to allow for that time as well.
Calories are overestimated on onion rings as you will have waste from the bread crumb mixture.

 

skinny onion rings and sweet potato fries

 

More Delicious Snacks

 

Coconut & Cashew Granola

coconut cashew granola with chocolate chips

 

Easy Chip N Dip Platter

easy summer gathering chip n dip platter

Healthy Sweet Potato Fries

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Healthy Sweet Potato Fries…I love you! Weird, I totally know so you can think it too. What is it about sweet potato fries?! For some reason, I can always find a way to say no to the greasy, caked in salt fries that you get from restaurants, fast food, the works. Bottom line is I can say no. Homemade sweet potato fries on the other hand…there will not be one left over at the end of our meal. Not even one! What is even better? The result is a perfectly crispy sweet potato fry! Stinkin good!!

healthy sweet potato fries

Once you try these sweet potato fries, you won’t even need to look back. They are the best fries evaaa!! Healthy sweet potato fries will satisfy you from here on out. No need for greasy, fried, salt-overloaded fries from elsewhere.

These little guys are packed with flavor and nutrition. An interesting point about sweet potatoes is that baking them makes them more nutritious for you because it doubles the amount of antioxidants. Cool huh! I think you just saw the dietitian nerd side of me come out! It gets even better. Sweet potatoes are better for you than traditional potatoes and they have a lower glycemic index which is good if you are at all concerned about your blood sugar level. A lower glycemic index food reduces how fast your blood sugar increases after consumption. So go eat more sweet potatoes!!

Here is a snapshot of all of the flavor that goes into these amazing sweet potato fries! 🙂

healthy sweet potato fries

The prep for these sweet potato fries makes them turn out crispy in the oven. To give credit where credit is due the process for these sweet potato fries was adapted from Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny. She has totally nailed these fries. The first step involves cutting up the sweet potatoes into fries. That is probably the most challenging part of it all because sweet potatoes are not so easy to cup up. Once that step is done, you need to soak the sweet potatoes in cold water for one hour. Rinse and drain them and place them in a Ziploc back with corn starch. Shake them around a bit so they are all coated with the corn starch. These two steps will give you amazingly good and crispy sweet potato fries!

 

healthy sweet potato fries

Little secret from muah- I had two cookie sheets of sweet potato fries in the oven cooking at the same time. The top cookie sheet turned out perfect, but the bottom sheet fries were burnt to a crisp. So if you can fit both cookie sheets of fries near the top of your oven, I would suggest doing that! Also, if you have a double oven that would be ideal to use for these. Second little secret-they were so delicious I was still eating the burnt ones!! HAHA!

For the perfectly done sweet potato fries…umm…so this is a little embarrassing but I was totally being a 12-year-old. My husband and I sat down to dinner and I took a reasonable portion of fries and started eating. But as I realized how amazing these fries turned out my hand was continually making it back to the pan of fries and stealing more. I couldn’t help myself. I do not consider myself a fry lover but sweet potato fries are the bomb people! You have got to try these!! YOU WILL BE SORRY YOU HAVE NOT MADE THEM SOONER!!

healthy sweet potato fries

healthy sweet potato fries

Healthy Sweet Potato Fries

Megan
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Sides
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Peel sweet potatoes and cut into fries. I would recommend checking out youtube on how to cut sweet potatoes into fries because this was very helpful! Soak sweet potatoes in cold water for one hour.
  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Rinse/Drain sweet potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Place in large Ziploc bag and add corn starch. Shake bag around until all the sweet potatoes are coated with corn starch. Smooth out any clumps that have formed.
  • Transfer sweet potatoes to a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss sweet potatoes around with your hands to ensure all of them are well coated with the oil. In a separate small bowl, combine chili powder, paprika, salt, coriander, cumin and black pepper. Sprinkle seasonings over sweet potatoes slowly and make sure all of the sweet potatoes are seasoned evenly.
  • Place sweet potatoes on baking sheets in a single layer. Do not let them touch each other. To prevent fries from burning, place sheets near the top of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Toss sweet potatoes around using a spatula and spread back into a single layer. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes.