Stuffed BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes

Labor Day weekend. The daycare was closed Monday, which meant a three-day weekend, which meant I didn't know what to do with myself for a full extra day. I'm not used to free time. Free time in foster care was just time nobody was watching you, and you learned to fill it quietly — reading, walking, staying out of the way. Free time now is different. Free time now is mine. I still don't quite know what to do with it, but I'm learning that doing nothing is an option, and doing nothing in a place where you're safe is not the same as doing nothing in a place where you're invisible.

Monday I went to Gloria and James's because where else would I go. Half the county was having cookouts and I could smell charcoal smoke from three streets over. James was in the backyard with his small charcoal grill — the kind you get at the hardware store for thirty dollars, the kind that looks like it couldn't cook a meal for two but somehow feeds everyone. He was grilling chicken — leg quarters, rubbed with salt and pepper and garlic powder and a little brown sugar, cooked slow over indirect heat with the lid down. James doesn't talk much while he grills. He stands there with his tongs and his spray bottle of apple cider vinegar for flare-ups and he watches the coals like a man tending something holy. I stood next to him and didn't say anything either. We are two people who are comfortable being quiet together, and I didn't know that was possible until I met James Martin at fourteen.

Gloria made coleslaw inside — cabbage and carrots shredded fine, dressed with mayonnaise, a little sugar, vinegar, celery seed, salt. She doesn't make the vinegar kind. She says the vinegar kind is for people who don't understand that coleslaw is supposed to be a comfort and not a punishment. I helped her shred the cabbage and she let me, even though my shreds were uneven and hers are always perfect. She didn't correct me. She just said, "That's fine, baby. It all goes to the same place."

We ate on the back porch — the chicken smoky and tender, falling off the bone where James had let it go just long enough, the coleslaw cool against the heat, sweet tea in glasses with so much ice the condensation ran down our hands. September in Alabama doesn't know it's supposed to be fall. It was ninety degrees and the cicadas were screaming and the sky was that deep Southern blue that looks painted on. I sat on Gloria's porch steps with a plate in my lap and grease on my fingers and thought: this is what a holiday feels like. Not the Hallmark kind. The real kind. Food and quiet and people who are glad you showed up. I showed up. They were glad. That's enough. That's everything.

That afternoon on Gloria’s porch stayed with me — the smoky chicken, the easy quiet, the feeling of being somewhere I belonged without having to earn it. When I got home I wanted to hold onto that without trying to recreate it exactly, so I made something that carries the same spirit: BBQ chicken, sweet and a little smoky, but in a form that’s mine. Stuffed sweet potatoes felt right — humble, filling, the kind of thing you eat with a fork on the couch and feel taken care of. Here’s how I put it together.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3/4 cup BBQ sauce, divided (store-bought or homemade)
For the Quick Creamy Coleslaw:
2 cups green cabbage, finely shredded
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Sliced green onions, for topping

Instructions

Bake the sweet potatoes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork, rub with olive oil, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 40–45 minutes, until tender all the way through when pierced with a knife.
Season and cook the chicken. Pat chicken thighs dry. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and brown sugar. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 5–6 minutes per side until cooked through (internal temp 165°F).
Sauce and shred. Brush chicken with 1/2 cup BBQ sauce during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a cutting board, rest 5 minutes, then shred with two forks. Toss shredded chicken with the remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce.
Make the coleslaw. While the chicken rests, combine cabbage and carrots in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and salt. Pour dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let sit at least 5 minutes before serving — the slaw softens slightly and gets better as it sits.
Assemble. Split each sweet potato lengthwise and press open. Load with a generous portion of BBQ chicken, then top with a scoop of coleslaw and sliced green onions. Serve immediately while the potato is still hot and the coleslaw is still cool.

Nutrition (per serving)

Stuffed BBQ Chicken Sweet Potatoes — James’s Back Porch, Labor Day