This Tangy, Smoky Topping Turns Your Baked Potato Into A Whole Meal

Baked potatoes are a versatile dish to get creative with, and there are ways to turn this side into a filling meal. Adding extras like sour cream or veggies will upgrade a basic baked potato, but if you're looking to get more out of your dish, adding meat is the way to go. For a hearty meal that will keep you full, add pulled BBQ chicken to your baked potato. The result is a fluffy, soft potato with the perfect tang of barbecue from the chicken. Plus, your chicken can be prepared using a slow cooker, making it the ideal hands-off dinner. 

Ultra-loaded baked potatoes are no new phenomenon, and they're a great way to add protein to this carb-heavy dish. It's also a perfect way to use up leftover chicken in your fridge. BBQ chicken is one way to do it, but you also try a Tex-Mex version topped with ground beef and cheese. The base of the dish is of course the baked potato, which will need to be in the oven for an hour or so at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. And if you're going the slow cooker route with the chicken topping — just add the meat along with barbecue sauce and whatever seasonings of your choice to the pot on high for about three and a half hours. 

The pulled BBQ chicken baked potato is a relatively easy meal to prepare, but there are things you can do to go the extra mile with your flavor. There are many delicious barbecue sauce brands out there, but making the sauce at home will take your dish to the next level. Just add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and yellow mustard to a pan with seasonings like garlic, paprika, pepper, and onion powder, and simmer the mixture until it thickens into a sauce — it's that simple. From there, toppings like cheese, sour cream, or chives are classic baked potato additions, but you can get fancy and add crumbled blue cheese with crispy onions or even sauté some spinach and mushrooms to complete the chicken loaded spud. 

A baked potato is delicious on its own, but there are endless ways to enjoy this dish with tasty toppings. A pulled BBQ chicken version is not only a relatively effortless meal, but it's also great to meal prep with. Store the potatoes and BBQ chicken separately in the refrigerator and pop them in the microwave to heat when you're ready to assemble and eat. This will quickly get added to your weekly meal rotation.