I wrote last year about transitioning my diet to be more paleo-is than junk food centric. (Yesterday I failed miserably at this feat, by the way). As such, I have been on the look out for hearty, filling meals for one that are packed with protein, healthy fats and FLAVOR.
I have to say there are some Paleo recipes I try that simply don’t have enough flavor. I generally double whatever the spice measurements are from the get go. Maybe it’s a Texan thing, but my food has GOT to taste good.
Enter in stuffed avocados. Our friends had me and the kids over last year when Jeff was traveling and he made an entire casserole dish full of stuffed avocados. I had never eaten a ‘cooked’ avocado before and let me tell you that it was absolutely delish. He had stuffed it with taco-seasoned chicken, quinoa, onions and peppers and cheese.
Absolutely delicious. But not paleo.
So I came home and started brainstorming what I could stuff my avocado with that didn’t include breadcrumbs, rice or cheese! There really are a million variations of these little suckers and what’s fabulous for me is that it is also a great dinner for one!
BBQ Chicken Stuffed Avocados
(Serves 2)
INGREDIENTS
2 semi-ripe avocados*
2 cups shredded chicken breast
1/2 cup smashed pork rinds**
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
cilantro
Sriracha sauce (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400.
Carefully slice just a touch off the sides of each whole avocado, creating a flat surface to each half. Cut avocado in half, removing the pit. Now you should have four halves, each with a flat surface.
In a bowl, whisk together the bbq sauce, chopped red onions, chili powder and red pepper flakes. Add the shredded chicken breast and half of the smashed pork rinds, mixing well.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop a generous amount of the avocado halves out into the bowl, but leaving enough to create a shell. (The mashed avocado in the stuffing will act as a sort of binder.) Stir and smash avocado into the chicken mixture, adding in the salt and pepper to taste.
Scoop the mixture into the avocado halves - it should be heaping. Top with remaining pork rinds. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until heated through. Top with cilantro and a drizzle of Sriracha sauce if you like to get spicy!
*You want to get an avocado that is ripe enough you can cut through, but not soft enough to make guacamole! It takes a bit of practice, but I believe in you!
**I discovered the use of pork rinds in place of bread crumbs through The Whole Smiths. My favorite are the Epic Sea Salt + Pepper. They add a little spice, so be careful!
