Get ready for a mouthwatering adventure that’s equal parts comfort food and backyard BBQ vibes! Our BBQ Chicken Casserole with Sweet Potatoes is a delightful mashup of smoky, saucy goodness and the natural sweetness of roasted sweet potatoes, all baked to perfection for a cozy, flavor-packed meal that’ll have your taste buds doing a happy dance.
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This recipe is…
Picture succulent, tender chicken smothered in tangy barbecue sauce, mingling with the caramelized, melt-in-your-mouth sweetness of roasted sweet potatoes. The result? BBQ Chicken Casserole: a taste explosion that’s comforting, smoky, and satisfying all at once.
Whether you’re hosting friends for a laid-back get-together or simply craving a family dinner that’ll warm your heart, this casserole has you covered.
If you’re looking for more family-friendly casseroles, we’ve got you. Our King Ranch Chicken Casserole, Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole, and Chicken Divan Casserole are all reader favorites. Be sure to check them out!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s perfect for meal prep – prep each of the ingredients for this recipe on your meal prep day so that on the night you plan to enjoy this casserole, all you have to do is assemble and bake!
- It’s versatile – want to use regular potatoes? Go for it! Want to use a different shredded protein (think: shredded pork or beef)? That works too. This recipe is incredibly easy to adapt for the ingredients you have on hand.
- It’s nutritious – each of the ingredients in this recipe are nutritious. As a whole, this meal is a nutritional powerhouse.
BBQ Chicken Casserole Ingredients
The ingredients needed for this recipe are quite simple. You’ll, of course, need the three main components of the casserole (sweet potatoes, collard greens, and chicken breasts), plus a couple of seasonings and flavor boosters (BBQ sauce!). Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Collard greens – these should be an easy find at the grocery store, but if you can’t find them, feel free to grab kale instead. Nothing about the recipe will change!
- BBQ sauce – feel free to make your own (our easy homemade BBQ sauce recipe is dynamite) or go store-bought here.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Use rotisserie chicken – to make this recipe SUPER simple, use rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own.
- Use a different protein altogether – any shredded protein will work beautifully in this recipe, so feel free to swap the chicken out for shredded pork or beef.
- Use regular potatoes – if you’re not a fan of sweet potatoes, feel free to use regular potatoes instead. All recipe instructions will stay the same.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Casserole
This recipe is super simple to pull off. You’ll need to cook each component separately, then assemble and bake! Follow along below.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spread the sweet potatoes evenly over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the potatoes are soft when pinched (wear an oven mit!).
Step 2: While the potatoes bake, place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover the pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken pulls apart easily with a fork.
Step 3: Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a large bowl and shred the chicken. Then, pour ½ cup of BBQ sauce over the shredded chicken, and toss to combine.
Step 4: Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and set them aside to cool. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F. Once slightly cooled, peel the sweet potatoes and add them to a large bowl. Add the butter, salt, and pepper and mash well. Spread the sweet potatoes over the bottom of a 9-in square baking dish.
Step 5: In a 10-inch skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the collard greens and toss to coat. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the collards have wilted and reduced in size. Spoon over the mashed potatoes.
Step 6: Spread the BBQ chicken over the collards and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is browned.
Step 7: Drizzle the remaining BBQ sauce over the casserole, garnish with diced red onion and parsley, and enjoy!
Meal Prep Tip
To make dinner EVEN easier, consider meal prepping each of the components of this casserole (sweet potatoes, chicken, and collard greens) ahead of time (up to 2 days in advance) so that the dinnertime prep is just a matter of assembling and baking.
If you go this route, you can either store the ingredients separate from one another in airtight containers, OR, you can go ahead and fully assemble the casserole and cover it with foil (or a lid if your casserole dish has one). Either way, be sure to store the prepped ingredients in the refrigerator.
How to Serve
This BBQ chicken casserole is a complete meal loaded with healthy carbs, protein, and a nice dose of green veggies. It’s delicious topped with extra BBQ sauce, red onions, and parsley. Because this casserole is a complete meal, you don’t *need* to serve anything else with it, but if you’re looking for a side accompaniment, a simple lemon arugula salad would be a great choice.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover casserole covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To reheat, simply pop the entire casserole dish (if that’s what you saved it in) in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes until warmed through. If you’re just reheating one or two servings, feel free to put those on plates/bowls and heat them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can absolutely make your own BBQ sauce for this casserole. Our Paleo BBQ sauce, easy homemade BBQ sauce, keto-friendly BBQ sauce recipes are all great options.
Yes, you can definitely use a different potato variety in place of the sweet potatoes here. Yukon gold potatoes or russet would work great. The instructions would stay the same, but keep in mind that if you’re using Yukon gold potatoes, peeling the skin off of the baked potatoes really won’t be necessary (the skin is super thin and palatable, so leaving it in the mash will be just fine).
Yes! Meal prepping this BBQ chicken casserole in advance is a really smart idea. The sweet potatoes, chicken, collard greens, and BBQ sauce (if you’re making homemade BBQ sauce) can all be made up to 2 days in advance.
Absolutely. Any shredded protein (like shredded pork or shredded beef) will work GREAT in place of the shredded chicken in this recipe.
More BBQ Chicken Recipes
If you tried this BBQ Chicken Casserole or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
BBQ Chicken Casserole with Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce (store-bought or homemade BBQ sauce)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bunch collard greens, leaves stemmed and coarsely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped, for garnish
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Spread the sweet potatoes evenly over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the potatoes are soft when pinched (wear an oven mit!).
- While the potatoes are in the oven, place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken pulls apart easily with a fork. Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a large bowl and shred the chicken.
- Pour ½ cup BBQ sauce over the shredded chicken. Toss to combine.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven to 350℉.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and add them to a large bowl. Add the butter, salt, and pepper and mash well. Spread the sweet potatoes over the bottom of a 9-in square baking dish.
- In a 10-inch skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the collard greens and toss to coat. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the collards have wilted and reduced in size. Squeeze the lemon juice over the collard greens, toss them one more time, then spoon over the mashed potatoes.
- Spread the BBQ chicken over the collards and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is browned.
- Drizzle the remaining BBQ sauce over the casserole, garnish with diced red onion and parsley, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Can you freeze to bake later?
Hi Chery! Absolutely you can! You can opt to prep and store the ingredients separately or assembled! Just make sure they are covered and kept in the fridge… and for no more than 2 days 🙂
So tasty and so easy! I added kale peppers and onions to my middle layer. It was nice that I could be working on other things as the potatoes were baking, or chicken was boiling. It is so easy to customize and was loved by all eaters!
YUM! That sounds so so tasty! We are so happy y’all loved it!
This recipe may seem basic at first, but the pops of flavor and combination is an exciting new treat for the family. I did substitute the lemon juice for apple coder vinegar in the greens because thats how I’ve always cooked them, and added some cayenne and bacon bits for some punch!
The entire family loved this!
A question: are the sweet potatoes cubed before baking?
Could this recipe be converted to be a crockpot recipe?
How would I do that?
A video would be delightful!
Thank you!
This recipe may seem basic at first, but the pops of flavor and combination is an exciting new treat for the family. I did substitute the lemon juice for apple coder vinegar in the greens because thats how I’ve always cooked them, and added some cayenne and bacon bits for some punch!
The entire family loved this!
ooo great tips, Jenn! We are so glad the fam loved it!
HI Renee! No need to cube the sweet potatoes! Keeping them whole makes for or easier skin removal later! A crockpot recipe is a great idea! We have never done that but will get back to you if we do 🙂
Hey Fed and Fit!
Prepping for baby next month and hoping to make 2 casseroles- one to freeze for furture-sleep-deprived-me 😉
Can I store this in the freezer?
Congratulations Ashley! That’s so exciting! Absolutely! Store serving-sized portions in ziploc bags for up to 3 months in the freezer!
Where does the lemon juice get used? I am guessing in the collards but for the life of me I cannot find it in the directions.
Thanks for your time!
I had the same question and same guess!
Same! I was scrolling the comments for that answer
I’m so sorry, Jaclyn, Kat, and Dina! Yes, the lemon juice will be squeezed onto the collard greens. It’s in the directions now!