Chicken Po’ Boys with Remoulade Sauce

This New Orleans classic sandwich cannot be beat; chicken po’ boys with spicy creole remoulade sauce. Crispy fried buttermilk chicken pieces piled together with cool + crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and dill pickles on toasty bread. Big time cajun/creole flavors throughout. This is comfort food at its finest, y’all!

If one thing I love about having this website, it is the ability to share recipes that are rich in culture. I develop all sorts of delicious tings; but my love for both Caribbean and Southern cuisine will always reign supreme. There’s something about sharing culture through the lens of food. Learning about certain food ways and how recipes and ingredients came to be is always so fascinating to me.

The last time I had an authentic po’ boy sandwich was when I was in New Orleans a few years ago. And man, ain’t nothing like grubbing on one of those bad boys, sheesh. I made it a point to have one at every turn, the best ones often at little hole-in-the-wall corner stores. Dressed to the nines and piled high with that meaty goodness! Here is my homage to the po’ boy.

What Is A Po’ Boy?

The “poor boy” sandwich (later coined po’ boy, po-boy, or po boy) has a few different conflicting story variations. However, there is a more widely accepted story of origin for this famed sandwich. Two brothers by the name of Benjamin and Clovis Martin, left their jobs as streetcar conductors to open up their own restaurant and coffee stand in the city’s bustling French Market.

In 1929, when members of the railway transit system went on strike after issues, it left thousands of union streetcar workers without any income. The community never wavered in support of the union which included the Martin Brothers, Bennie and Clovis, former streetcar conductors themselves. To show support, the brothers made it known and offered to feed any worker affected by the strike. It is said that whenever one of the union members walked into the restaurant, one of the brothers would say- “here comes another poor boy!”

All About The Po’ Boy Sammich

Many of us know that New Orleans is one of the pillars of Cajun/Creole cuisine. I mean, there’s gumbo, beignets, étouffée, jambalaya, red beans and rice, bananas foster, so on and so forth. And, of course, the po’ boy. The one sandwich that takes the cake in the Bayou Country. Upon first look, it appears as though the po’ boy is a typical hoagie-like sandwich. Although, let’s break it down further because it is anything but that as there are a few distinctions.

This classic sandwich is authentically comprised of baguette-style bread, French bread. A type of long, loaf bread that has a soft inside texture with a thin, crispy outer crust. Additionally, po’ boys are filled with all kinds of meat like roast beef, chicken, and fried seafood (shrimp, oysters, crab, catfish, etc). Lastly, traditional po’ boys are “dressed” aka made complete with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise, or other sauce. This here is a hot sandwich and not a cold one.

Ingredients For These Chicken Po’ Boys

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

• for the remoulade sauce: mayonnaise, creole mustard, sweet relish, hot sauce, lemon juice, smoked paprika, horseradish, worcestershire, garlic, and creole seasoning >> y’all, this sauce tho, swoon!
• fried chicken: seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried thyme, onion powder, ground mustard), boneless/skinless chicken breasts, buttermilk, hot sauce, flour, cornmeal, and oil.
• dressing/assembling the chicken po’ boys: French bread loaves or hoagie rolls, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and the remoulade sauce.

⇢ The list of ingredients may seem like a long list of characters lol but this recipe is so easy to make and worth every step! Most of my Southern and/or fried chicken recipes entail the chicken being marinated and seasoned well.

The Best Chicken Po’ Boys, Ever.

Friends, this is where some of us differ from others, ha! Listen, you have to nicely season and marinate most meats. These chicken po’ boys feature the most delicious, juicy fried chicken pieces, ever. A good buttermilk soak is the plug for all tender and succulent fried chicken, mmkay. Plus, a flavorful dredge gives these po’ boy sandwiches all the tastiness you definitely want, yes indeed.

What Is A Remoulade Sauce?

A remoulade sauce is a French condiment or dipping sauce with a deeply flavored mayonnaise base. Remoulade sauce is the perfect companion to French fries, crab cakes, boiled shrimp, fried green tomatoes, salmon cakes, fried fish, and anything else that needs some saucy vibes! Louisiana-style remoulade features more bold creole flavors like creole mustard and creole seasoning.

How To Make A Po’ Boy Sandwich

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

1. Prep the remoulade sauce. Mix the ingredients together, cover, and let it sit in the fridge while you prepare the fried chicken.
2. Combine the fried chicken spices. In a small bowl, combine all of the spices together for making the fried chicken.
3. Marinate the chicken. Season the chicken with half of the spices and marinate together with the buttermilk and hot sauce for at least 2 hours.
4. Dredge the chicken. Bring together the flour, cornmeal, and remaining spices and coat the chicken pieces into the flour mixture.
5. Fry the chicken. In a large dutch oven, heat the oil and fry the chicken pieces, in batches. Repeat process until all of the chicken is fried.
6. Assemble the chicken po’ boys. Lightly toast and butter the bread, spread the remoulade sauce on the insides of the bread, fill with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles; and pile high with the fried chicken.

Why You’ll Love This Po’ Boy Recipe ♡

If you have a penchant for homemade, cozy, comfort foods…add these fried chicken po’ boys to your list, peeps! This sandwich is seriously one of my favorites to make for pure deliciousness right at home when I want a taste with some flair. Quin’s hot take ⇢ Marinated, well seasoned, cornmeal coated fried chicken pieces enveloped in toasty, soft bread accompanied with filling lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. Generous amounts of subtle heat with creamy, Creole remoulade sauce in each and every bite! It’s so damn good, lawd.

…& if you’re like me and love that southern goodness, don’t miss my collard greens, peach cobbler cinnamon rolls, buttermilk fried chicken, fried cabbage and sausage, and these chicken and waffles for good measure!

Can I Use Seafood For My Po’ Boy?

Absolutely! You sure can turn these chicken po’ boys into a seafood special. For a more common seafood po’ boy option; I’d use about 2 lbs of seafood like shrimp (peeled/deveined). The instructions would be relatively the same minus the need to marinate the shrimp for 2 hours and the frying time will be quicker, around 2-3 minutes. Additionally, feel free to use oysters, catfish, and soft shell crab.

How Do I Get Rid Of Cooking Oil?

This question comes up often, I get it. For starters, I always recommend saving the container that the oil came in. After frying or using, allow the oil to come back down to room temperature. Once achieved, you can pour the oil back into the same container using a funnel for ease. Then simply discard the closed container in the trash like normal. Badda bing, badda boom.

Ingredients Used For Po’ Boys

You may notice that a lot of the ingredients used for these chicken po’ boys call for specifics. For example, Duke’s mayonnaise is a famous Southerners choice for the best, tangy mayo. Louisiana-style hot sauce like Crystal is my go-to. Also, I use Zatarain’s for Creole mustard and Tony Chachere’s for Creole seasoning. However, I know that some of these products may not be widely accessible to you. Please review the notes for any quick substitutions you need.

Storing These Chicken Po’ Boys

Because I care about you, I gotta be honest. These po’ boy sandwiches are best eaten right away and not to be stored. The chicken just doesn’t have the same crispy, crunchy texture once you refrigerate fried chicken, ya know. For best results, enjoy this one same-day! However, the remoulade will keep for up to 1 week when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Y’all, I am so excited to hear what you think about this fried chicken po’ boy recipe, I have a feeling that you’ll love ’em, too! Until the next time 🤟🏾

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