Butter Chicken Poutine is tender chunks of chicken in a savory, spiced tomato sauce, generously ladled onto crisp, baked french fries. This delicious Indian-inspired spin on the classic poutine recipe is all kinds of savory and bursting with flavor.
Have you heard of Poutine? lt's a popular dish in Canada made of crispy french fries, squeaky cheese curds, and a rich gravy. The city I live celebrates La Poutine Week (it's actually two weeks long though?) every year in February along with other Canadian cities, so I look forward to trying some fun poutine variations!
I'm all about topping fries with delicious ingredients, whether it's poutine gravy, a spinach sauce in my Palak Paneer-inspired poutine, my Greek fast food-inspired chili fries, or this almost butter chicken sauce.
Call it poutine, call it loaded fries, call it whatever you want but this variation on the classic poutine has all the right ingredients to level up your french fries.
Jump to:
Now, of course, I'm from Canada, not India, so my butter chicken isn't authentic - I know that. I actually call this 'almost butter chicken sauce' because we're cooking onion and chicken in butter and then a creamy tomato sauce with some of my favorite Indian-inspired spices.
We're taking inspiration and making a quick weeknight meal. So you can call it almost butter chicken, cheats butter chicken, or simply chicken in tomato sauce if you want to - either way this is fantastic on fries.
Ingredients for Butter Chicken Poutine
See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- the sauce: for the sauce, you'll start everything off with butter. I have no substitute and you can use less if you want to but butter chicken starts with onions cooked in butter. We'll use chili powder, cumin, coriander, and cayenne for the spices. The saucy part is made with crushed tomato and coconut milk. You can use heavy cream instead of coconut milk if you prefer.
- the fries: use any fries you prefer, just cook them until they are pretty crispy - they will be smothered in sauce.
- the chicken: I use chicken breast for this recipe because it's what my family prefers and this is not a sauce that takes long to cook so the chicken isn't sitting around getting tough and dry. Feel free to use chicken thighs for a more tender outcome and a bit more flavor.
- the garnishes: I think it's important to garnish this sauce with yogurt because it helps cut through some of the richness but if you don't like it, skip it. Also, I love cilantro so I use a bunch. You can skip that too if you want.
Substitutions
✔ To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the chicken and use chickpeas, tofu, or your favorite meat replacement product.
> Prefer other spices? Feel free to add in your own favorite blend of Indian-inspired spices. As I've said, this recipe is just delicious, not authentic.
> Don't like coconut milk? Use heavy cream instead.
How to Make Butter Chicken Fries
Prep Tips
- cube chicken
- dice onion and mince garlic
Start the sauce, bake the fries, and prep the garnishes while the sauce simmers.
1. Saute the onion in butter, add the chicken and salt and cook it through. Add the lime and spices, and cook for about a minute.
2. Add the tomato and stir to combine.
3. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add a lid and let the sauce simmer for about 20-30 minutes. The longer the better for this sauce. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Add the cream and heat through.
4. While the sauce is simmering, bake the fries. I like to make sure my fries are super crispy when making a poutine recipe or loaded fries recipe with a sauce so that my fries don't get too soft.
5. Add the butter chicken sauce to the fries.
6. Mix yogurt with a splash of water and then add it to a ziptop bag, pushing it all to one corner. Snip a small corner off.
7. Use the bag like a piping bag and drizzle the yogurt on top of the butter chicken sauce.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.
How to serve butter chicken poutine
I like my butter chicken fries with yogurt and cilantro on top. You can skip the cilantro if you don't like it or try chopped fresh parsley instead.
RECIPE TIP: Try to plate and serve the fries quickly so they don't start getting soggy.
What to serve with butter chicken poutine
To serve these fries for dinner I'd pair them with a side salad like my chickpea salad with tomato and cucumber, or an easy vegetable side dish like roasted broccoli and carrots. You've already got a carb and protein so you don't need too much more!
If you're into going all out for a takeout feel for your dinner you could serve these with breaded cauliflower bites, portobello fries, avocado fries, a braided samosa puff pastry, or even add a sandwich like my crispy chicken burgers, crispy chicken wraps, or oyster mushroom po'boys.
Equipment
No special equipment is needed for this recipe. You'll need a skillet or pot with a lid to make the sauce and a baking sheet (or air fryer) for the fries.
I use a half-sheet pan for baking fries, sometimes I use my Cuisinart Airfryer Toaster Oven. For the butter chicken sauce, I use either my enameled cast iron pot by Cuisinart or my enameled cast iron braiser from Superstore.
Storage
Make the fries to order. The sauce can be made a few days ahead of time if needed. Refrigerate leftover sauce in a container with a lid for up to 5 days.
To heat the sauce, warm it over medium heat in a pan on the stovetop. Add extra water if the sauce is thicker.
More poutine recipes
Loaded fries are my one true love and here are all the different ways I've made them:
- Palak Paneer Poutine: Fries covered in a delicious Indian Inspired Spinach Sauce.
- Parmesan Garlic Fries: Parmesan, garlic, and fries. Simple and fantastic.
- Loaded chili fries: Cheesy chili fries like your favorite Greek burger restaurant!
- Loaded taco fries: Tex Mex taco fillings but on fries
- Greek Poutine with Tzatziki sauce: Fries with Greek-style fresh salsa and homemade Greek Tzatziki sauce!
- Chips and curry sauce: British pub-style curry sauce on top of fries
- Pizza Poutine: Your favorite pizza, but fries.
Tips + FAQs
Butter chicken poutine is made with french fries topped with a butter chicken sauce instead of beef gravy.
Poutine sauce is essentially a gravy, made with rich and peppery beef stock.
Poutine is a Canadian dish made with french fries, gravy, and cheese curds.
Yep, it sure is. Poutine originated in the province of Quebec which is located within the country of Canada.
Recipe
Butter Chicken Fries
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts cubed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons butter ¼ cup, half stick
- 1 red onion diced (yellow is fine also)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice from about 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons ground chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 28 fl oz can crushed tomatoes
- ¾ cup canned coconut milk just the thick cream at the top of the can
- 1 kg frozen fries
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt optional
- Fresh cilantro leaves to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Make the butter chicken: Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 6-8 minutes to soften. Add the chicken and the salt and cook for another 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. Add the lime juice and spices. Saute for a minute to bring out the flavor in the spices. Add the tomato juice and stir. Add a lid and let simmer for 20-30 minutes so the flavors combine well together. In the meantime bake the fries.
- Add the cream: After simmering remove the lid and add the coconut cream – the thick part from the top of the can. Stir well and heat through for a minute or two.
- Plate: Plate fries. Spoon sauce and chicken over the fries.
- Serve: To garnish, mix the yogurt with a teaspoon of water and add to a ziptop bag. Snip a small corner off and pipe the yogurt over the fries. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
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