These loaded mashed potato bowls combine fresh shredded chicken and roasted vegetables with a creamy tahini dressing. Made with simple affordable ingredients, they're a fun comfort food dinner idea for kids and adults alike!
Is there anything more cozy than dinner ideas with mashed potatoes? Such a comfort food to me (and the family) on a cold day. So why not make the most of them by topping with juicy chicken and colorful roasted veggies for loaded mashed potatoes bowls!
I've put a mashed potato recipe in the card below, but you can of course use your favorite homemade version. Or for something a little lighter, swap out for my mashed potato and cauliflower. Use the veggies you enjoy most too!
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Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Chicken breasts - I suggest to slice lengthways and then sear and cook in your skillet or, alternatively, you can use my air fryer shredded chicken recipe. Love a bit of spice? Make my paprika chicken thighs recipe and shred those to make this bowl!
- Potatoes - I tend to use russet potatoes, but Yukon Gold potatoes make for a delicious mashed potato too! Personally I leave skins on, but you can peel if you prefer.
- Veggies - these can be adapted, but I like cauliflower, broccoli, red bell peppers and baby corn for a range of flavors and colors.
- Tahini - to make a tahini dressing. I suggest to use light tahini for a creamier taste and texture.
A Note for Low Histamine Readers
Tahini (sesame) scores 1 on the SIGHI list with a note that it 'is often well tolerated'. It is a top ten allergen. While many are fine with it, please only use if you know you tolerate well. A freshly made herb oil could be used as a swap.
How to Make Homemade Mashed Potatoes Bowls
Making these loaded mashed potato bowls is quite easy, but has a few steps, so I suggest to prep your veggies and potatoes just before you start cooking. That way, the mashed potatoes and toppings should all come together at the same time for a hot dinner!
All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these step by step photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Roast the vegetables
Scatter the vegetables on a lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over the thyme and salt. Toss to coat the vegetables, and roast until lightly browned at the edges (image 1).
Step 2: Cook the potatoes
Add the cubed potatoes to a large pot and cover with water (so there are good few inches of water above the potatoes). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until soft and fork tender (image 2).
Step 3: Mash the potatoes
Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander and add back to the pot. Pour in the milk, add the butter, herbs and salt. Mash with a potato masher, to the texture you like best (image 3).
Step 4: Cook the chicken
Slice the chicken breasts lengthways into two pieces, and season with salt, black pepper (if using) and garlic powder. Cook in an oiled skillet until white meat throughout and at an internal temperature of 165F using a meat thermometer. Shred with two forks (image 4).
Step 5: Make the tahini dressing
Stir together tahini, warm water and maple syrup. It will first look grainy, but keep stirring (or whisking). It will turn into a creamy sauce (image 5).
Step 6: Assemble the potato bowls
Spoon the mashed potatoes into your serving bowls and top with the shredded chicken and vegetables. Drizzle over the tahini dressing, and garnish with fresh parsley (image 6).
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Prep the ingredients. I suggest to prep your potatoes and veggies just before you start cooking. There are a few different recipe steps happening at once, so it's good to have everything ready to cook.
- Make sure the potatoes are very soft! They need to be fork tender so you can mash them. Cook for a few more minutes, if required.
- Use veggies of choice. It's a very adaptable recipe, so use your favorites! Sweet potato or butternut squash cubes or zucchini rounds would also be delicious.
- Tahini dressing tip: to thin the tahini add more water, and to thicken add more tahini to get the consistency you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Russet potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes are both good options for making creamy mashed potato bowls.
Yes, it's easy to use chicken thighs instead. They take a little longer to cook, so be sure to check they are cooked through to a safe temperature (165F) at their deepest point before shredding.
More Dinner Recipes
You'll find dozens of tasty dinner ideas here, including my chicken thighs and sweet potatoes recipe, and these recent meals:
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📖 Recipe
Loaded Mashed Potato Bowls
Ingredients
For the mashed potatoes
- 1 lb potatoes russet potatoes or Yukon gold, peeled, diced into cubes
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup milk dairy or plant milk
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon salt + more for cooking
For the bowls
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1 red bell pepper membrane and seeds removed, diced
- 2 baby corn
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- pinch salt
For the chicken
- 2 small chicken breasts sliced lengthways
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
For the tahini dressing
- 3 tablespoon tahini
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360F / 180C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scatter the cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, red bell pepper pieces and baby corn onto the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle over the thyme and salt. Toss to coat the veggies. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until you have the level of browning you like.
- While the vegetables are roasting, add the cubed potatoes to a large pot and cover with water so there is a few inches of water above them. Add a good pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook at a light simmer for about 20 minutes. They should be soft and fork tender. Cook for a few more minutes, if required.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander and tip them back into the pot. Pour in the milk, and add the butter, thyme and salt. Use a potato masher to mash to the texture of mashed potatoes you like.
- Slice your chicken breasts into two pieces of an equal thickness, lengthways. Pat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle over salt, black pepper and garlic powder (you can also add herbs or spice, to preference). Heat the oil in your skillet and, once hot, cook the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes each side. Check for an internal temperature of 165F using a meat thermometer at their deepest point.
- Shred the chicken using two forks or in a stand mixer with the appropriate attachment.
- Make the tahini dressing by combining tahini, water and maple syrup in a small bowl. Whisk or stir to a sauce consistency, adding more tahini to thicken and more water to thin, to preference.
- Spoon the mashed potatoes into your bowls, then top with the shredded chicken and roasted vegetables. Drizzle over the tahini sauce, if using, and scatter over some fresh parsley. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste preference.
Notes
- We are cooking the potatoes, chicken and vegetables at the same time, so I suggest to prep the ingredients just before you start cooking for less stress!
- Personally I keep the skin on the potatoes. If you prefer, you can peel the potatoes before boiling and mashing them.
- Tahini (sesame) should only be used if you know you tolerate well. As a swap, a herb oil could also be used.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- milks (whether dairy or plant milks) have different scores. Use the type that suits you best.
- garlic and tahini (sesame), which both score 1.
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