Chicken, Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Potatoes

I had never thought about making stuffed potatoes for dinner until we visited Hot Spud in San Francisco last summer.  We liked it so much, we went back twice.  At Hot Spud, almost the entire menu is gluten free, including desserts.  

This is a picture of the first spud I ordered at Hot Spud.  It was topped with butter, cheese, salt, chicken, bacon, and peas.  I love peas, but the second time around, I left them off.  

At home, I have been making stuffed potatoes with butter, kosher salt, cheese, chicken, and bacon.  If you are looking for stuffed potato ideas, check out 50 Stuffed Potatoes on the Food Network's website here.

Chicken, Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Potatoes

Ingredients

4 large organic russet potatoes
Canola oil to coat -- I use Spectrum Organic
Kosher salt
2 chicken breasts -- cooked and cut into bite size pieces
8 pieces of bacon -- cooked and cut into small pieces
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
Grated cheese -- I use Organic Valley Mexican Blend

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Wash and scrub the potatoes well.  Dry them off, then poke each one with a fork 8 times.  Put them in a bowl and lightly coat them with canola oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt.  Place them directly on a rack in the middle of the oven.  Place a large piece of aluminum foil on a shelf beneath them to catch any drippings.  Bake for one hour, until the skin is crispy and the potatoes are easy to pierce with a knife.

Cut each potato in half lengthwise, and add 1 tablespoon of butter to each side.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and cheese, then mash the potato until these ingredients are melted and well combined.  Garnish with chicken and bacon.

Recipe Notes

I keep my stuffed potatoes super easy by using the chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken.  

Kirkland Signature Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken from Costco is free of preservatives, msg, gluten, artificial flavors & colors, and has no added hormones or steroids.  

Another way I keep this dinner simple is by buying Organic Valley Fancy Shredded Mexican Blend.  It's a blend of sharp cheddar, colby & Monterey Jack cheeses. 

Hormel Microwave Bacon is another way I keep this recipe easy, and there is no messy clean up.   

I started buying organic potatoes after reading that the huge majority of conventionally grown potatoes, even after being washed and peeled, contain pesticides.  You can read more about it here and here.

What do you like to put in your stuffed potatoes?