Coleslaw and barbecued chicken are grilling companions that need not be separated. Piling them together on a potato skin gives you a sweet and tangy barbecue bite.

What to buy: Look for potatoes in 5-pound bags, as they tend to be smaller in size than loose potatoes. Avoid green-spotted or sprouted potatoes—they contain the bitter toxin solanine.

Game plan: You’ll need to make the roasted chicken, barbecue sauce, and coleslaw before you begin.

Use the leftover scooped potatoes for mashed potato cakes, gnocchi, or potato-leek soup.

This recipe was featured as part of our Make Your Own Loaded Potato Skins project.

  • Yield: 16 potato skins
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients (7)

  • 8 (3-inch-long) russet potatoes (about 2 1/4 pounds), scrubbed and thoroughly dried
  • 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded into bite-size pieces (see Game Plan note)
  • 2/3 cup barbecue sauce (see Game Plan note)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick), melted
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup coleslaw (see Game Plan note)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
  2. Pierce each potato several times with a fork or sharp knife. Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake until the skins are crisp and a knife easily pierces the potatoes, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Set the oven to the broil setting.
  3. Place the chicken and 1/3 cup of the barbecue sauce in a medium bowl and stir to combine; set aside.
  4. Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch intact; reserve the flesh for another use. Brush the insides of the potatoes with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Flip the potatoes over, brush the skin sides with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Evenly space the potato halves skin-side up on a baking sheet and broil until the butter foams and the skins start to crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes (keep a close watch so they don’t burn). Flip the potato halves over and broil until the top edges just start to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
  5. Place a heaping tablespoon of the shredded barbecued chicken in each skin, then drizzle about 1 teaspoon of the remaining barbecue sauce over the chicken. Place the skins in the broiler and broil until the chicken is hot and the sauce has darkened slightly, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the broiler and top with coleslaw. Serve immediately.