Chicken Fajita Yam Boats

This is a recipe I saw in a video going down my news feed and knew instantly I just had to try. The original used sweet potatoes, but I am an orange yam aficionado so switched that out first. It is easy, BUT I want to add a rider to that. There were snags.

The suggested time to microwave the yams didn't make the centres soft enough to scoop like in the video.  The recipe said 3-5 minutes. At 5 minutes mine weren't scoop-able. Perhaps they used super small yams.  In the video they show all the peppers and onions in a small pile on the baking sheet, and the yams tucking in beautifully. I found I had way more of everything, even though I used the suggested amounts. Again - mine might have been bigger, but I guess they also used very small peppers.  

After reading the comments, I decided not to create the spice mix they suggested. I used the same spices, but sprinkled individually on the peppers, onions and chicken so I could control how much. I only used the salt and pepper on the yam boats, as yams naturally have lots of flavor already.  I used one large chicken breast and butterflied it first to help with the cooking time. If I hadn't done this, I don't think it would have been fully cooked in the time they suggest. 

Ingredients arranged on baking sheet before popping in the oven.

Despite all these small changes, I really enjoyed this dish and will absolutely make it again.  Great flavors, low carb and easy prep. I served it with corn on the cob and Caesar salad.  YUM!

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Chicken Fajita Yam Boats
2 servings. How to video HERE

Ingredients -

2             Orange Yams
½            Red bell pepper, sliced
½            Yellow bell pepper, sliced
½            Orange bell pepper, sliced (they used green here)
½            Sweet onion, sliced
1             Large chicken breast
3 T          Mozzarella cheese, divided (optional. I found it really didn't add anything to the recipe)
Olive Oil

Chili Powder, Cumin, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper (see note)

Note - they created a seasoning mix using 2 tsp of chili powder, and 1 tsp of the other 4 ingredients that they mixed and sprinkled on. Up to you. I preferred using them separately to get the taste I wanted. I can't speak to the flavor of using this much spice. I used just pinches of each, so very subtle.

Instructions - 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a fork, poke holes down one side of each yam. Microwave for 3-5 minutes until softened. Let them cool before handling, then cut the yams in half length-wise and carve our the centers leaving a small layer of yam in each "boat."  (One comment suggested cutting them in half before microwaving. I might try that next time to see if the cooking times work better).

Place yam boats on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Add the bell peppers and onion to the other side of the baking sheet. Drizzle the yams and veggies in olive oil, then season them. I used just salt and pepper on the yams, and then sprinkled all 5 seasonings on the veggies. Pretty sure I used less than suggested in the seasoning mix. Stir the veggies until evenly coated with oil and seasoning. 

Butterfly the chicken breast, lay open and drizzle with oil and then sprinkle on seasoings. Turn over and repeat on the other side. Lay the chicken breast on top of the veggies and bake for 25 minutes (be sure it is done as mine was only just cooked in that time (internal temp should be 165 F). Let cool for a few minutes, then shred the chicken with two forks and toss the shredded meat with the veggies until evenly combined. 

Place 1/4 of the mixture in each of the 4 yam "boats." If you like, you can top with the cheese and bake 5 more minutes to melt it.  I didn't find the cheese added a lot more flavor.  To serve, garnish with your favorite fajita toppings such as guacamole, cilantro, sour cream, etc.