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Sweet Potato Chicken (or Turkey) Poppers
Yield: approximately 24 poppers or 4 entrée servings (or 8 as an appetizer)
For added convenience, the poppers can be prepped in advance, covered, and stored in the fridge until ready to bake.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound uncooked ground chicken or turkey*
  • 2 cups uncooked, peeled and finely grated sweet potato (one 8-ounce potato will be enough with some to spare)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil**
  • 2 tablespoons flour (I’ve used all-purpose, gluten-free, and garbanzo bean flour with great results.)
  • 2-3 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or chili powder (or half and half)
  • Optional for serving: barbecue sauce, sriracha mayo***, guacamole, and ranch dressing, ketchup, or fry sauce (recipe follows).

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a large baking sheet.
  2. Squeeze the excess moisture from the shredded sweet potato using a clean tea towel or between a few layers of paper towels. (Note: I recently forgot this step and the poppers turned out fine. Unless the shredded potato seems to be quite moist, I’d say you could safely skip this step.)
  3. Add all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix to thoroughly combine.  (Tip: To thoroughly combine the ingredients in this and other ground meat-based recipes like meatballs and meatloaf, I like to mix all of the ingredients except the meat first. Then this homogenous mixture can easily be blended into the meat without over-mixing, which can toughen the meat and lead to a denser finished product.)
  4. Roll the mixture into balls or slightly flattened poppers about one inch in diameter (aim for 20-25 poppers) and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes or until just cooked through (internal temperature should read 165 degrees F on a quick-read thermometer). If desired, you may lightly brown under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching closely.
  6. Serve as is or with your favorite sauce for dipping.

NOTES

*My personal preference in these poppers is leaner breast meat, but dark meat may be used.

** The original recipe used coconut oil.  Feel free to use in place of olive oil, if preferred.

***To make your own sriracha mayo, simply stir sriracha sauce into plain mayonnaise.  Start with 1 teaspoon of sriracha per 1/4 cup mayo, adding more sriracha to taste.

  • For the fry sauce:
    Yield: 1/3+ cup
  • 1/4 cup (52 grams) mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce

Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

More recipes at FountainAvenueKitchen.com