2cupscooked shredded chickenrotisserie works well, pulled in strands
⅓cupbuffalo wing sauceplus 1 tablespoon reserved for finishing
3tablespoonsunsalted butter
3ouncescream cheesesoftened
⅓cupplain whole milk Greek yogurtor sour cream
½teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoononion powder
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
For the Top
¾cupshredded Monterey Jackshredded from a block
⅓cupcrumbled blue cheeseoptional
2scallionsthinly sliced
1stalkcelerythinly sliced
Instructions
Bake and Scoop
Heat the oven to 400F. Scrub and dry the sweet potatoes, rub them with the olive oil and coarse salt, and pierce each one three or four times with a fork.
Bake on a foil-lined sheet pan for 45 to 55 minutes, until a knife slides into the center with no resistance. Do not microwave them, the flesh holds water and the filling will not set. Cool 10 minutes.
Halve each potato lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl, leaving a ¼ inch wall of flesh clinging to each skin so the shells hold their shape.
Mash, Fill and Bake Again
Add the butter, softened cream cheese and Greek yogurt to the hot flesh and mash until smooth. Mashing while the flesh is hot melts the dairy in evenly.
Stir in the buffalo sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, then fold in the shredded chicken with about five gentle turns so the strands stay whole.
Spoon the filling back into the eight shells, leveling it just below the edge of the skin without packing it down. Set them on the sheet pan.
Scatter the Monterey Jack and blue cheese over the tops and bake at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes, uncovered, until hot through and fully melted.
Broil 2 minutes, watching closely, until the tops are spotty gold. Finish with the sliced scallions, celery and the reserved tablespoon of buffalo sauce.
Notes
Twice-baked, not stuffed: the flesh is scooped out, mashed with the filling and returned to the skin, so the buffalo seasoning runs all the way through.
Leave a ¼ inch wall: thinner shells buckle when you refill them.
Mash while hot: cold flesh leaves white streaks of cream cheese in the filling.
Reserve a tablespoon of sauce: baked buffalo sauce goes soft and sweet, a cold drizzle at the end restores the vinegar bite.
Never cover them: foil traps steam and the top will not brown.
Freezing: freeze filled halves before the second bake, up to 3 months, then bake at 375F for 35 to 40 minutes from frozen.