Nashville Unfried Hot Chicken with Sweet Potato Fritters & Garlic Cauliflower Mash

I've had this chicken recipe saved for a while now and finally made myself just try it already. When a recipe calls for chicken thighs I usually just swap it for chicken breasts, but not this time! I actually prepped chicken thighs for once and this recipe turned out so delicious that I think I'll even meal prep them again in the future ;-). I doubled the chicken recipe below and used 10 boneless chicken thighs (just under 2.5 lbs) to get 9 meals worth for the week. Now I am not a fan of real spicy food and I didn't think this chicken was anywhere near that level of spicy. Maybe I'm just getting a higher tolerance for spicy foods though. Either way, I really enjoyed this one! As for sides, I tried making this a true southern comfort healthy meal, so I opted for sweet potato fritters and a really easy garlic cauliflower mash. The sweet potato fritters made for a little more intense meal prep, so definitely no need to get so fancy if you don't have the patience or time to do so. I've made these fritters before though and love them! Since I prep sweet potatoes every week, it's nice to mix it up every once in a while with something other then a roasted or baked potato. Whatever you decide on, the chicken itself is amazing and 100% worth trying out! Every once in a while I just like to spend the extra time making a bomb meal to eat all week, so I went a little more all out on this one. If you ever feel like your meal preps are getting boring and old, and you need more motivation to stay on track, I recommend carving out an extra 20-30 minutes for yourself to spend on a more tasty meal to make for the week. You will never regret it and it will be just what your mind and body needs, all week long! 
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​Nashville Unfried Hot Chicken
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. Tabasco (I used Franks Original Red Hot Sauce)
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. coconut aminos
• 6 bone-in skin on chicken thighs (I used boneless)
• kosher salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. avocado oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Pat dry chicken thighs. Season them all over generously with kosher salt and pepper.
3. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot (but not smoking), place chicken, skin side down, and sear, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 8 minutes.
4. Transfer skillet to oven (chicken should still be skin side down) and cook 10 more minutes.
5. Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.
6. While chicken is resting, heat the ghee, tabasco, vinegar, coconut aminos, minced garlic, cayenne, paprika, and chili powder over medium heat. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes, you may need to reduce the heat a bit, until it is fragrant and flavors have combined.
7. Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl. Pour sauce over the top and toss to coat.
8. Serve immediately!

Original recipe found here

Paleo Sweet Potato Fritters
Ingredients:

• 3 cups grated sweet potato (about 1 large sweet potato)
• 1 cup cooked sweet potato (about 1 small sweet potato)
• 2 eggs whisked
• 2 tsp. paprika
• salt and pepper (I used 2 teaspoons sea salt)
• ghee or coconut oil for the pan

Directions:

1. Pierce the small sweet potatoes with a fork. Wrap it in a damp paper towel and place it in a small bowl with 1/2 inch of water. Microwave for 5-7 minutes, or until tender.
2. Let this sweet potato sit for 5 minutes. Then drain the water, peel the potato, and mash it with a fork.
3. Peel the other sweet potato and grate on a box grater using the large holes. (I cubed the sweet potato and threw it in the food processor to "grate" instead). In your bowl of grated sweet potatoes, add the previous mashed potato, eggs, paprika, salt and pepper and mix well.
4. In a fry pan on medium heat melt some ghee or coconut oil.
5. Use a 1/4 cup to scoop out fritter batter, carefully form in to a fritter with your hands and place in to the fry pan.
6. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, press down with a spatula, then cook for a further 5 minutes.
7. Continue to do this with all the fritter batter, it will make about 10-12 fritters.

​Inspired by this recipe ​​


Garlic Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients:

• 2 lb Cauliflower 
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp ghee or coconut oil 
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Chop cauliflower into large florets.
2. Steam the cauliflower in a large pot with boiling water and garlic cloves. Steam until fork tender.
3. Drain and transfer cauliflower and garlic cloves into a blender or food processor.
4. Add the ghee, salt, and black pepper (I always add at least 1 tsp salt). Blender until smooth. Adjust seasoning to your liking. (You can always add a couple tablespoons of Coconut Milk as well or in replace of the Fat if you want!)