Butter Chicken Poutine
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Just when you thought poutine couldn’t get any better, in walks this butter chicken poutine! The creamy butter chicken sauce poured over a hot plate of fries checks all the boxes for flavor + it’s weeknight and kid-approved!
Crisp french fries and melted cheese is an undeniable combo any day of the week. Then, add Indian-spiced, creamy, tomato-y butter chicken sauce to your poutine and now it’s over the top!
This will quickly become a go-to quick and easy meal at your house. It’s delish!
What is butter chicken poutine?
Let’s break this down a little bit:
Butter chicken is an Indian dish; it’s a rich curry made of up tomatoes and butter with pieces of chicken mixed in. The tomato-butter sauce is what you’ll add overtop of the poutine.
If you’ve never dabbled in poutine before, it’s a Canadian dish usually served with cheese curds (a.k.a. squeaky cheese) and gravy.
Butter chicken poutine uses the creamy curry-tomato gravy from the butter chicken and pours it over a pile of fries — and don’t forget the cheese!
Is butter chicken spicy?
It is a curry-based sauce; however, it is one of the mildest-tasting curries. It is loaded with flavor and spices but as far as heat goes, it isn’t overly spicy. If you’re looking to serve this to kids, there’s a great chance they’ll love it! Check out these words of encouragement from fellow butter chicken poutine recipe testers:
key ingredients you’ll need
- Yellow onion: Use a whole yellow onion, roughly chopped.
- Fresh ginger and garlic: These add a fresh zest to the sauce.
- Spices: You’ll need garam masala, ground turmeric, coriander, and cumin, as well as chili powder, and sea salt for this butter chicken gravy.
- Crushed tomatoes: The base of this Indian-spiced gravy is a tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes will give you that bright, acidic flavor.
- Whipping cream or coconut milk: Adding either of these ingredients is how you make sure your sauce is nice and creamy.
- Almond butter: Ground nuts are commonly used in traditional butter chicken recipes as a thickener. In this recipe, we use almond butter instead of ground almonds, however, you could use ground almonds if you have them on hand.
What to serve with butter chicken poutine
You’re serving butter chicken poutine, which means the meal’s already going to be – chef’s kiss – divine. But, what can you serve with it to make a full meal? Here are some ideas to get started:
- Make a poutine bar: Poutine can be a full meal on its own, especially if you offer lots of ways to jazz it up and make it (even more) fun. Serve the fries with options for gravy and sauces, like the butter chicken gravy with a drizzle of cucumber yogurt over top. Also offer lots of topping options, like sauteed mushrooms, cauliflower or broccoli bites, crispy onions, and herbs, such as fresh cilantro.
- Serve with other bites you can eat with your hands: Make a whole spread serving appies only, like honey garlic chicken wings, sriracha cauliflower popcorn, and steak lettuce wraps. This is a great way to have a potluck with friends, or if you’re hosting game night.
- Serve as a full meal: If you’re having butter chicken poutine during the week with your family, consider serving it with a fresh avocado and cucumber salad and some baked chicken thighs.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use store-bought fries?
Absolutely! If you’re short on time, you can pick up a bag of frozen french fries and cook as directed on the package. Then, add your homemade butter chicken gravy on top. Easy and delish!
Can I use leftover butter chicken?
Sure! If you have leftover butter chicken in your fridge, this butter chicken poutine is a great way to repurpose it as a fresh new take on leftovers!
I can’t find cheese curds, what other type of cheese can I use instead?
You can alternatively use chunks of mozzarella cheese or even some crumbled feta.
How long will butter chicken poutine last?
It’s best to serve over fresh fries, but the butter chicken sauce will last on its own in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 days.
Butter Chicken Poutine Recipe
Ingredients
The Poutine
- 4 medium russet potatoes (scrubbed and cut into ¼-inch strips (no need to peel them))
- 1 tablespoon oil (any neutral-flavored cooking oil)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup cheese curds
Butter Chicken Gravy
- 1 tablespoon oil (any neutral-flavored cooking oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
- ½ teaspoon EACH: ground turmeric, coriander, and cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup whipping cream (or coconut milk)
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Cilantro (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 – 11×13 baking sheets with parchment paper. Rinse the fries well under cold running water. Dry them with a clean dish towel. Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Add the oil and salt and mix them together using your hands. Add the cornstarch and toss so that each of the fries are coated.4 medium russet potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Lay the fries on the prepared baking sheets in a single layer. Make sure there is a little room between each fry so they crisp well. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, turning halfway through.
- Make the butter chicken gravy while the fries cook. Add the oil to a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they are quite brown, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 more minute.1 tablespoon oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and chili powder to the pan and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and water and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any brown bits. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.1 ½ teaspoons garam masala, ½ teaspoon EACH: ground turmeric, coriander, and cumin, ¼ teaspoon chili powder, 14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, ½ cup water
- Let the sauce cool a little and then pour the sauce into your blender and blend on high until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and stir in the whipping cream, brown sugar, and almond butter. Season to taste with salt.1 tablespoon almond butter, ¼ cup whipping cream, 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar, Sea salt
- Keep the sauce warm on low heat until the fries are ready. Once the fries are crispy, transfer them to a serving dish. Top them with the cheese curds and pour the butter chicken gravy over top. Serve immediately with a little cilantro on top.1 cup cheese curds, Cilantro
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
More butter chicken recipes
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Made this last night and it was incredible. I added some leftover chicken to the sauce and it made it hearty enough for a meal. The kids asked me to make it again so that’s a win in my books.
My son is vegetarian and loves Indian food and he went crazy for this recipe! So glad I found it!
I hope he likes it as much as I do!!
My daughter thought she had died and gone to heaven, two of her favorite things in one! This really was amazing!!
That’s how I felt when I was eating it, too!
OMG You’ve never had butter chicken or poutine?! Girl, you need to change that stat!!