Recipes

Spiced Cornmeal Chicken with Sweet Potato Chips

This incredibly tasty meal can be grilled or baked and makes the perfect summer supper with a colourful garden salad, yummy sweet potato "chips" and moist chicken with a kickin' crunchy coating

By Catherine RBarr /

Credit: Catherine Roscoe Barr

Whether grilled or baked this kickin’ chicken is an easy and delicious choice for dinner

Tender chicken with a crunchy coating, delicious sweet potato “chips”, and a great big garden salad make for a quick and delicious summer supper

My in-laws gave me a great grilling cookbook a few years ago and even though I don’t currently have a BBQ I’ve modified some of the recipes so that I can make them with what I’ve got on hand. This chicken recipe comes from that cookbook, and was absolutely delicious.

I’m always a little too cautious when it comes to cooking chicken and sometimes overdo it, but this time it turned out perfectly, beautifully moist and tender. The sweet potato was a great accompaniment to the spiced chicken, and I started the meal off with a tomato, cucumber, avocado and iceburg lettuce salad with peppercorn ranch dressing. It was just so darn tasty, you’ve got to try it!

Based on Canada’s Food Guide recommendations, this meal serves 6.

Spiced Cornmeal Chicken

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Combine all ingredients except chicken and oil in shallow dish.
  3. Cut each breast into 3 pieces, making sure that each piece is approximately the same thickness.
  4. Start by cutting each breast in half width-wise. You should be left with one thicker piece and one thinner piece. Cut the thicker piece in half like you were going to butterfly it but cut all the way through.
  5. Put oil in a small bowl next to the dish with coating mix.
  6. Dip each piece of chicken in oil, then drop into dish with coating mix. 
  7. Gently shake to make coating stick to bottom and sides of chicken and then flip over and repeat on the other side. 
  8. Transfer coated chicken to large, greased roasting pan and repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
  9. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes, turning chicken over halfway through.

Sweet Potato “Chips”

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. In large bowl, toss sweet potato slices with oil, making sure to coat each piece.
  2. Place slices in single layer on two baking sheets so they aren’t crowded.
  3. Cook at 350F for 30 minutes, turning each slice over half way through.