A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (ok only about 3,300 km away and about 26 years ago) I lived in the United States and fell in love with a Canadian woman. I know sappy and what the heck does that have to do with Poutine?! Or Cajun Chicken?
The reality is my soon-to-be wife introduced me to Canada and one of my favourite Canadian dishes – the Poutine. Originating in Quebec in the late 1950s, the classic dish is french fries covered in a brown gravy and cheese curds. But seeing as I am a certified chilihead, I had to give my own twist. Having a love of chicken, cheese and chilis seemed to be a no-brainer to give it a Creole kick.
As a note, one of my fave fast food joints has a ton of different varieties – but we’ll talk about them in a review later!
Cajun Chicken Poutine
- Chicken – 2 thighs or 1 breast, cubed
- Half an onion – preferably red, cut into strips
- Cajun Seasoning
- French fries (or tater tots)
- Cheese Curds (if you can’t find cheese curds, use shredded white cheddar)
- 1 packet GF Poutine gravy (or a brown gravy – typically beef)
- Cook your fries or tots. Typically they are fried in oil, but you can just as easily bake or air fry them.
- While your fries are cooking, cook your chicken and onions in little bit of oil or butter to ensure they don’t stick. Add the Cajun Seasoning directly to the chicken as it cooks.
- As your fries near the finish line, start your gravy – I typically add Cajun to this as well because I like my life a bit on the spicy side!
- Timing is everything – season your fries plate them in a dish such as a pasta bowl. Pour your chicken over the top, add the curds and then pour the gravy over top of the whole dish.
Note: the amount from above could easily be a meal for someone on the larger side. It might be enough for two smaller appetites as well.
For those not worried about gluten, you could easily use regular gravy. Additionally you could substitute any meat concoction for the Cajun Chicken. One of my faves is Caribbean Jerk Chicken or Chicken Bacon Ranch.
As for my fellow travellers, I truly hope you enjoy this recipe and I wish you nothing but an amazing cruise – IYKYK!
