Chili Dusted Grilled Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Bacon

I've been eating a lot of Super Fast Instant Pot Sweet Potato Mash lately, okay more like every week, so I decided it was time to make my sweet potatoes more fun and with a little more flavor. Enter the bacon! I love making bacon in the oven, then placing vegetables (especially Brussels) or sweet potatoes in the remaining bacon fat, adding a little salt, then baking them. That is seriously the easiest way to make a delicious side. Since this part was my deciding factor in the meal, I found a chili dusted chicken to quickly grill up and pair with it. I have to be honest though, the chicken did not turn out flavorful enough for me, and I am someone who doesn't need a lot of flavor. I think next time I'd add a teaspoon of salt, add some olive oil, and make sure not to cook the chicken for so long. If you have some fun grilling spices then this would be the perfect time to try those out, or you can go ahead and try this chili dusted version to see if you enjoy it, or at least make it better then I did. Either way, the point of this meal was the sweet potatoes and bacon and that turned out more delicious then ever. I am looking forward to eating those all week long! 

​​Chili Dusted Grilled Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Bacon
Ingredients:

• 3 lb Chicken Breasts
• 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 4-6 Sweet Potatoes (Increase or decrease based on your needs)
• 8 Slices of Bacon
• Sea salt

Directions:
Chicken:

1. In a small bowl mix together the spices. Rub all over the chicken until covered. 
2. Preheat grill to medium high heat, about 375-400 degrees F. 
3. Grill over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side. 
4. Set aside and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. 

Sweet Potatoes and Bacon:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 1 to 2 rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil (this makes cleanup easier). Lay the bacon on the baking sheet(s) in a single layer. The bacon can be close together, but don't let it overlap or the bacon will stick during cooking. 
2. Bake the bacon for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden-brown and crispy. You can flip the bacon over half-way through if you prefer. Once bacon is done, remove and set aside.
3. While the bacon is baking, skin and dice the sweet potatoes into 1-2” cubes. 
4. Once cooked bacon is set aside, drain and set aside all but 1-2 Tbsp of bacon fat from the baking sheet. Place cubed sweet potatoes on baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt, and mix around in the bacon fat. Then, make sure to lay the sweet potato flat as best you can, so they are not in a big pile on top of one another.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and move them around or flip them over. Bake for another 20 minutes. 
6. Keep an eye on the sweet potatoes as they bake. If they are smaller bake for less time, and vice versa. Key is to move them around or flip them over half way through baking them. I usually bake them for at least a total of 40 minutes.
7. While the sweet potatoes are baking and once the bacon is cooled, slice the cooked bacon up. Once the sweet potatoes are done, add the bacon back to the sweet potatoes and mix around.
8. Serve with grilled chicken and enjoy!