Sometimes coming up with something for dinner is just a pain in the butt.  Hubby on call or working late, kids in different directions, a logistical nightmare. It doesn’t mean we can’t plan ahead and have everything ready to go so that all they have to do is heat it up!  This dish of spiced, tender chicken and caramelised sweet potatoes is a busy Mum/Dad triumph that ticks all the boxes…….healthy, quick, tastes awesome and doesn’t pull too hard on the purse strings.  I like it!

*  To make this dish even easier, toss all the ingredients (except the rice, coriander and yoghurt) in your slow cooker before you head off to work and mix well to combine.  Cook for 6 hours on low…..

Prep time:  20 minutes                Cooking time:  45 Minutes                       $ Low Budget

Serves 4

1kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed of fat and left whole

2 tbs of olive oil

1/2 tsp of dried chilli flakes

2 tsp of sweet paprika

2 tsp of ground cumin

2 tsp of ground coriander

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 brown onion, peeled and cut into wedges

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup of chicken stock

1 x 400gm tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tbs of tomato paste

400gm of sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes

1/2 tsp of sugar

Sea salt and Pepper

1 cup of chopped coriander leaves

Greek yoghurt to serve

Toasted flaked almonds to serve (optional)

I served this dish with a mixture of brown rice & quinoa

Preheat the oven to 180°C.  In a large bowl place the chicken, chilli, garlic, half the olive oil, paprika, cumin, coriander and lemon juice.  Toss well to coat the chicken and set aside.

Heat a large oven proof casserole and lightly fry the onion until soft in the remaining oil.  Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste,  sugar and sweet potatoes, season with salt and pepper and mix well to combine.  Pop the spiced chicken pieces in the pan and coat with the mixture then place in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the sweet potato is cooked through.  Serve with steamed rice and top with the yoghurt and coriander leaves.

For a hit of veggies add some peas to your rice or serve with steamed greens or a garden salad.