A delicious and nutrient-dense recipe for roasted chicken and sweet potato rice bowls topped with roasted chicken breast, roasted sweet potatoes, massaged kale, crumbled feta cheese, avocado, and a creamy chipotle sauce. This is a small batch recipe that makes two chicken and sweet potato rice bowls.

I’m really leaning into healthier recipes this time of year, but I refuse to compromise on flavor for any meal. This dish has been in my head for a while, and I am so excited to finally bring it to life for you! These chicken and sweet potato bowls not only deliver on a wealth of nutrients, but they are absolutely packed with flavor, too.

I make small batch recipes for two, and this bowl recipe makes exactly two servings. Feel free to double or triple it if needed, as leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, and it would be an ideal leftover lunch situation during the week.

A ceramic bowl full of roasted sweet potatoes, chicken, brown rice, kale, and sliced avocado. A fork rests in the bowl and a drizzle of chipotle sauce lies on top of hte bowl. Another bowl and a textured linen are in the background.

Ingredients

For the Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potatoes:

2 tbsp. Avocado Oil
1 medium Sweet Potato, (about 10 oz.) – peeled and cut into 1/2″ – 1″ pieces
8 oz. Chicken Breast, cut into bite-size pieces
Homemade Seasoning Blend:
- ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp. Onion Powder
- ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp. Chili Powder
- ¼ tsp. Cumin
- ¼ tsp. Cayenne
- ⅛ tsp. Ground Cinnamon

For the Kale:

2 packed cups Kale Leaves
2 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tsp. fresh Lemon Juice (or Lime Juice)
pinch of Salt

For the Bowl / Toppings:

2 cups cooked Brown Rice
1/4 cup crumbled Feta Cheese
1 medium Avocado, sliced or diced
chopped Green Onions, for garnish (optional)

Ingredients used to make a roasted chicken and sweet potato bowl with kale and rice, all laid out on a flat surface and labeled.

For the Creamy Chipotle Drizzle:

1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp. Mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Chipotle Sauce
1 tsp. Lemon Juice (or Lime Juice)
1/2 tsp. Agave Syrup (or Honey)
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, plus more to taste

Ingredients needed to make a creamy chipotle sauce are laid out on a flat surface and labeled.

Ingredient Notes and FAQs

Sweet Potato

An average sized sweet potato is perfect for this recipe. The one I used for these photos was about 10 oz. before I peeled it, and came to about 8.5 ounces once it was cubed. Don’t be too obsessive about getting these amounts exact; any sweet potato between 8-12 ounces will be perfect for this recipe.

Homemade Seasoning Blend

I feel like you may think the cinnamon in this seasoning blend seems odd, but it adds such an incredibly warm, cozy element to these bowls. These spices play so well together, and are particularly wonderful with sweet potatoes! I usually have a store-bought seasoning recommendation in case you don’t feel like making your own, but this one is unique to this recipe.

Kale

I grabbed one bunch of curly kale because it’s pretty inexpensive where I live (about $1.99), and one bunch can go pretty far. I remove any thick parts of the stem, and primarily just use the kale leaves. If you’d rather not waste any part of the kale, you can very thinly slice the stems and use them, too! You can also use Tuscan kale if you prefer, or grab a bag of baby kale. Your choice! Whichever you use, chop it into bite-size pieces to make it easier to eat. 🙂

Chipotle Sauce

Chipotle sauce is actually new to me. It’s located very close to the canned chipotles in adobo, and seems to carry less heat than whole chipotles. I recommend tasting a little to start and adjusting the amount in your sauce to fit your taste preference. If you can only find canned chipotles in adobo, just use a little of the sauce from that can or finely chop a chipotle and mix it into the sauce for this recipe instead.

Brown Rice

Brown rice carries more nutrients and fiber than white rice, but it will not make or break this recipe. You can use Jasmine rice, long-grain white rice, quinoa, or barley if you prefer. Your choice!

We’ve really enjoyed this sweet potato rice bowl recipe a lot this month, and I sincerely hope you love it, too! The flavors are freaking awesome – the warm baking spice notes are the perfection companion to the roasted sweet potatoes and chicken. I mentioned it before, but white or brown rice is great for this recipe. And of course, use whatever toppings you love!

Recipe Tips

TO MAKE THIS BOWL VEGETARIAN: Black beans are a great source of protein (instead of chicken) if you would rather make this a vegetarian meal! Omit the chicken, but roast the sweet potatoes as the recipe calls for. When building these bowls, divide one can of drained and rinsed black beans between the bowls before serving.
Cut the sweet potatoes into similar sizes. You don’t have to be obsessive and make them all exactly the same, but the closer in size the sweet potato pieces are, the more evenly they will roast! The same goes for the chicken. Just cut the sweet potatoes into about 1/2″ pieces, and the chicken into bite-sized pieces, and you’re set.
Use your favorite toppings to make this bowl yours. Some great ideas are: pickled red onions, cilantro, green onions, Everything Bagel Seasoning, crispy chickpeas, roasted pepitas, or even fresh guacamole!

Feel free to replace the brown rice with cauliflower rice to reduce the carbs in this recipe, or replace the rice with more massaged kale to make it into a salad.

If you’re into meal prep, I would totally encourage you to make double the amount of roasted chicken and sweet potatoes and rice, and have them on hand for a couple of meals throughout the week. Keep the kale fresh and crisp until you’re about ready to eat it, then massage it with olive oil, salt, and lemon juice until it’s tender. Then build the bowls and enjoy them!

Directions

How to Make these Roasted Sweet Potato + Chicken Bowls

Season and roast the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the diced sweet potatoes into a large mixing bowl, and toss them with half of the avocado oil (1 tbsp.) and seasoning blend. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, leaving a little room between each one (without being obsessive). Roast for 10 minutes at 400 F.
Season and roast the chicken with the sweet potatoes. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, place the chicken pieces in the same mixing bowl, and toss with remaining oil and seasoning blend and another 1 tbsp. Avocado oil. Set aside (let the seasoning soak into the chicken while the sweet potatoes roast). Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, and carefully toss them so they’ll roast evenly. Nestle the seasoned chicken pieces onto the baking sheet. Bake for another 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through to 165 F.
Massage the kale. While the sweet potatoes and chicken roast, massage the kale with the olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt for about one minute until the kale is tender. Set aside.
Make the sauce. Combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, chipotle sauce, lemon juice, agave, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix until blended.
Build the bowls: Divide the rice, kale, sweet potatoes, and chicken between two warm bowls. Top with avocado, feta cheese, and green onions, then drizzle the sauce over the tops. Enjoy!

Step-By-Step Recipe Guide

See below for step-by-step instructions on how to make this Sweet Potato, Kale, and Brown Rice Bowl.

A rimmed baking sheet with cubed sweet potatoes resting on it.

1. Season and roast the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the diced sweet potatoes into a large mixing bowl, and toss them with half of the avocado oil (1 tbsp.) and seasoning blend. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, leaving a little room between each one (without being obsessive). Roast for 10 minutes at 400 F.

A bowl full of cubed, seasoned chicken breast meat.

A rimmed baking sheet with cubed sweet potatoes and seasoned chicken breast scattered on it.

2. Season and roast the chicken with the sweet potatoes. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, place the chicken pieces in the same mixing bowl, and toss with remaining oil and seasoning blend and another 1 tbsp. Avocado oil. Set aside (let the seasoning soak into the chicken while the sweet potatoes roast). Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, and carefully toss them so they’ll roast evenly. Nestle the seasoned chicken pieces onto the baking sheet. Bake for another 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through to 165 F.

3. Massage the kale. While the sweet potatoes and chicken roast, massage the kale with the olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt for about one minute until the kale is tender. (The kale will shrink slightly). Set aside.

4. Make the sauce. Combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, chipotle sauce, lemon juice, agave, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix until blended.

5. Build the bowls: Divide the rice, kale, sweet potatoes, and chicken between two warm bowls. Top with avocado, feta cheese, then drizzle the sauce over the tops. Enjoy!

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Store leftover roasted sweet potatoes, chicken, and rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Massaged kale will keep for a day or two, but I recommend making that right before serving if possible!

More Healthy Small Batch Recipes

A ceramic bowl with a few remnants of a sweet potato and rice dish with a fork sitting in it. A linen and bowl of sauce sit in the background.

If you ever need to increase the amount you want to make in the recipe card, there is a little slider bar near the “servings” portion on the recipe card if you’re on desktop, or if you’re on your phone, touch the number of servings on the recipe card (it will be a number and colored dark red). You can adjust the slider bar that way instead of doing the calculations on your own! 🙂

If you make these Roasted Chicken and Sweet Potato Bowls and love them, please leave a comment and / or star rating below! You can also share it on Instagram and tag me, or use the hashtag #aflavorjournal so I can see it! If you have any questions about the ingredients or how to make it, send me an email so I can help out.

xx Sara