Fried Chicken Po’ Boys with Spicy Remoulade Sauce

4.86 from 7 votes
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Fried Chicken Po’ Boys with Spicy Remoulade Sauce are a true New Orleans favorite, and the perfect way to celebrate Mardi Gras!

Two Cajun Fried Chicken Po'Boys on a cutting board with chips.
Featured with this recipe
  1. What is a Po’ Boy Sandwich?
  2. Ingredients in Fried Chicken Po Boys
  3. How to Make the Best Fried Chicken
  4. Po Boy Sauce
  5. Extra Seasoning
  6. Homemade Coleslaw
  7. Tips for the Best Po Boy Sandwich
  8. Frequently Asked Questions
  9. Storing Fried Chicken Po’Boy Sandwich
  10. More Southern Favorite Recipes
  11. How to Make Fried Chicken Po’ Boys
  12. Fried Chicken Po’ Boys Recipe

These Fried Chicken Po’ Boys are a real New Orleans treat! Tender chicken breasts are pan-fried in Cajun spices, placed on a French roll that is layered with spicy remoulade sauce, and topped with a delicious sweet slaw. Together it makes a complete meal! Perfect for picnics, family barbecues, or just a casual evening supper.

So easy to make and comes together quickly with a few steps. These po’ boys are famous and a favorite to serve around Mardi Gras time with these beignets. It is a fun celebration and dinner to share with your family. If you are not a fan of chicken or want another option, try our shrimp po’ boy too!

What is a Po’ Boy Sandwich?

The name is, of course, short for “poor boy” because they were considered to be a cheap way to eat a meal. The Louisiana sandwich is served on a french roll or baguette filled with meat or seafood and many times topped with lettuce, tomatoes, or my favorite, coleslaw! See the recipe card below for a simple slaw to add to your spicy po’ boy.

Two Cajun Fried Chicken Po'Boys on a board with chips.


Ingredients in Fried Chicken Po Boys

This po’ boy fried chicken is a simple meal that can be layered together or eaten separately. Sandwiches are perfect for adding the right ingredients to make a simple fried chicken come to life with all the flavors. Enjoy this sandwich with your family and friends!

  • Chicken – Skinless chicken breast works best for this recipe. Take your whole chicken and it will be soaked in a dredge to give it a tender chicken piece.
  • Milk – This will tenderize the chicken and give it moisture and juicy appeal once it is fried. You can use buttermilk for an extra golden brown finish on the fried chicken.
  • Egg – Gives a coating to the chicken which helps it
  • Wondra flour – You can find this Wondra flour next to the regular flour on the baking aisle. It comes in a blue canister. It is a finer flour and works great for frying. Use a shallow dish to coat the egg mixture on the chicken. This will crisp up the chicken in the frying pan.
  • Cajun seasoning – Add a little heat to the fried chicken using cajun seasoning. It is a zesty and enriching seasoning that is bursting with flavor!
  • Canola Oil – You will need a little more than usual for the frying of the chicken.
  • Bread – We love to make a sandwich with a thicker type of bread to hold the sauce, chicken, and coleslaw without having the bread become soggy.
Baguette pieces and fried chicken breasts on a cutting board. Bowl of coleslaw and dressing on the side.

How to Make the Best Fried Chicken

It is a simple fried chicken recipe that is full of flavor! This chicken is tender on the inside with a crispy outer layer. Layer your roll with remoulade sauce, and a fried chicken piece, and top it with a light and tasty coleslaw. Sink your teeth in this delicious sandwich with all the goods with it!

  1. Dredge chicken – Filet the two chicken breasts so you have four thin pieces of chicken. In one small bowl mix together the milk and egg. In another small bowl mix together the Wondra flour and Cajun seasoning.
  2. Fry the chicken – Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Dip each piece of chicken in the milk mix, then coat thoroughly in the flour mix. Fry for six to seven minutes or until lightly browned on each side.
  3. Layer sandwich – Spread Remoulade sauce inside the cut roll/baguette, then add chicken and top with coleslaw.
Ingredients to make fried cajun chicken including chicken, milk, wonder, creole seasoning, egg and oil.

Po Boy Sauce

Po’ boys are also traditionally served with remoulade sauce, a Louisiana-style French sauce that’s packed full of flavors and spices! This recipe is one the easiest things to make, even though it looks and sounds a bit complicated. You can find all the ingredients for this recipe right in your regular grocery store. The combination of sriracha sauce, Cajun seasonings, horseradish, garlic, mayo, and other ingredients will make your taste buds sing!

Bowl of remoulade dressing. Spatula on the side.

Extra Seasoning

Add any of the following ingredients to the sauce or seasoned flour:

  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Black pepper
  • Kosher salt
  • Dijon mustard
  • Lemon juice
  • Cayenne pepper

Homemade Coleslaw

Combine all the ingredients together to make a classic coleslaw recipe that you will love! It is a traditional recipe that is simple to make and still has all the flavor and deliciousness. Grab a large bowl and let’s start mixing!

  • Cabbage – Shredded cabbage in a bag is perfect or shred a cabbage head.
  • Carrots – Fresh is best! You will shred your carrots or buy already pre-shredded carrots to add in.
  • Mayo – A creamy base with a sweet and tangy flavor.
  • Sugar – Balance out all the ingredients as well as add sweetness to the slaw.
  • Cider vinegar – Tangy and tart liquid that gives it a light and tasty flavor.
Placing coleslaw on top of chicken breast in roll.

Tips for the Best Po Boy Sandwich

Frying chicken is a simple task, but adding extra bowls can make it seem more complicated. Prepare by setting up your chicken station and getting ready to fry your chicken in just a few steps.

  • Flour – If you don’t have Wonda flour, regular all-purpose flour will work too.
  • Oil – Use either vegetable, canola, or peanut oil to fry the chicken.
  • Cooling- Once the chicken is fried, set it on a baking sheet with a wire rack to let it cool all around the chicken while the drippings from the oil fall onto the baking sheet through the wire rack squares.
  • Soaking – Make sure to pat dry with paper towels to soak up excess grease or place it on a baking sheet.
  • Dutch oven – I like to use my dutch oven for frying the chicken. I make smaller batches and only cook two to three chicken pieces at a time. It can hold the oil and not splash out as easily as a shallow pan.
  • Bread – Try it with a homemade biscuit that is thick to hold the chicken. This gives another southern favorite taste!
Two Cajun Fried Chicken Po'Boys with coleslaw and chips.

“It was such a hit! I made this for snacks and it was gone right away. Will definitely be recommending this recipe.”

-Natasha

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called a po’boy?

When the strikers came by to purchase the sandwich, they would call out “here comes another poor boy.” That is how this New Orleans classic became knowns as a “poor boy” and now has been abridged to say po’boy for short.

What is a traditional po’boy sandwich?

Lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles fill a traditional po’ boy sandwich, which is layered with either roast beef, fried shrimp, or oysters, all in between French bread and lots of mayo!

Is a po boy served hot or cold?

There are so many different varieties of po-boy sandwiches that some may taste better cold while some taste better warm.

READ MORE:35+ Best Chicken Breast Recipes

Hand holding up a Cajun Fried Chicken Po'Boy.

Storing Fried Chicken Po’Boy Sandwich

You can store this chicken, coleslaw, and secret sauce separately in individual containers. When ready to reheat, place the chicken in the microwave, stove, or air fryer to reheat. Layer the sandwich back together and enjoy another delicious meal!

More Southern Favorite Recipes

We are big fans of the delicious flavors in New Orleans and have made a bunch of yummy copycat recipes from our visits there. Try a few of these insanely good recipes and give your family a true Mardi Gras meal!

How to Make Fried Chicken Po’ Boys

Cajun Fried Chicken Po'Boys with dressing and coleslaw.

Fried Chicken Po’ Boys

4.86 from 7 votes
Fried Chicken Po' Boys with Spicy Remoulade Sauce are a true New Orleans favorite, and the perfect way to celebrate Mardi Gras!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 16 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 French baguette or roll (long loaf)

For the Chicken:

For the Coleslaw:

For the Remoulade Dressing

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 Tablespoon ketchup
  • 1/2 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon pickle juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon horseradish
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
  • paprika to taste

Instructions

  • Slice the French baguette loaf, sliced into 4 sections, then sliced open on one side to fill.
    Cutting board with sliced French bread and knife.
  • Mix together the sauce ingredients for the coleslaw then toss with the cabbage and carrots. Refrigerate until ready to use.
    Bowl of mixed coleslaw. Wooden spoon on the side.
  • Mix together the ingredients for the Remoulade sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use.
    Bowl of remoulade dressing. Spatula on the side.
  • Filet the two chicken breasts so that you have four thin pieces of chicken. In one small bowl mix together the milk and egg. In another small bowl mix together the Wondra flour and Cajun seasoning.
    Bowl of egg wash and bowl of flour mix. Cutting board with chicken filets.
  • Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Dip each piece of chicken in the milk mix, then coat thoroughly in the flour mix.
    Chicken breast in bowl of flour mixture.
  • Fry for three to five minutes or until lightly browned on each side. Remove from hot oil and set on paper towels.
    Four fried chicken breasts. Tongs on the side.
  • Spread Remoulade sauce inside the bottom half of the the cut roll/baguette.
    Spreading dressing on the roll with spatula.
  • Add chicken and top with coleslaw. Serve immediately.
    Placing coleslaw on top of chicken breast in roll.

Notes

Tips for Best Fried Chicken
  • Flour – If you don’t have Wonda flour, regular all-purpose flour will work too.
  • Oil – Use either vegetable, canola, or peanut oil to fry the chicken.
  • Cooling- Once the chicken is fried, set it on a baking sheet with a wire rack to let it cool all around the chicken while the drippings from the oil fall onto the baking sheet through the wire rack squares.
  • Soaking – Make sure to pat dry with paper towels to soak up excess grease or place it on a baking sheet.
  • Dutch oven – I like to use my dutch oven for frying the chicken. I make smaller batches and only cook two to three chicken pieces at a time. It can hold the oil and not splash out as easily as a shallow pan.
  • Bread – Try it with a homemade biscuit that is thick to hold the chicken. This gives another southern favorite taste!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 1121kcalCarbohydrates: 120gProtein: 44gFat: 53gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 1027mgPotassium: 885mgFiber: 8gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 7368IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 169mgIron: 7mg

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About the author

Emily Walker

Emily lives in Meridian, Idaho, with her husband, Beau, a physician assistant, and her three incredible children: a son and two daughters. Travel is one of her favorite ways to experience new cultures and cuisines, and she has a love for all things Disney.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Absolutely loved these! Followed the recipe to the tee. That remoulade sauce is freaking amazing.

  2. 4 stars
    Your sandwich sounds delicious. And, frankly, I’m going to walk out of the house here in a minute and see if I can grab one like you describe. But, for the sake of accuracy, I have a couple of things to add.

    The poor boy (po’boy) has a -very- specific and traceable origin, which is not simply “a cheap way to eat a meal.” It was created by the Martin Brothers in their French Market stand for striking union streetcar workers in the twenties. These workers were the actual “poor boys” for whom the sandwich is named, and were given these sandwiches essentially free by the sympathetic Martin Brothers. As language goes, the sandwich for poor boys became the “poor boys’ sandwich”, and it was a short trip to just being called a poor boy. Then as Orleanian language evolves, basically anything that followed the same kind of pattern of construction (Protein with garnish vegetables and mayo on crispy French-style loaves) became known as a poor boy. (It’s that same kind of linguistic evolution that is the reason we call -all- medians in the city “neutral ground”.)

    And, to that altruistic end, the brothers themselves actually had specific bread created for the sandwich, based upon local French Baguette, but wider, blunter, and crispier. Around New Orleans, you will see bread for sale that is “french bread”, and also “poor boy loaf”, which is different. A great deal of the unique texture of a New Orleans po’boy is derived from bread made in our uniquely humid atmosphere, which affects the way the crust forms. If you want an authentic po’boy, you NEED to have bread made for the purpose. If your plate isn’t covered with shards of crust that look like they could cut you when you’re finished, it’s not the right bread.

    And finally, these wonderful sandwiches are -not- traditionally served with remoulade. There are several po’boys that -are- to be sure, especially in modern and less “joint” spots, and they are -delicious- (I -love- remoulade), but this is not the traditional way. Traditional is lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise (pronounced “MYnez” by older Orleanians), and, sometimes, pickles. This is so traditional, in fact, that there is a special term when ordering to indicate this: “Dressed,” as in, “Gimme a half shrimp, dressed.” This translates into a 6″-8″ fried shrimp po’boy with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and pickles.

    And again, while there is a world of protein that fills these sandwiches, my experience (which, if you could see my beltline, is obviously considerable 😉 ) is that, by far, the leaders in po’boys served in the city are 1) fried shrimp or roast beef with debris gravy ( a dead heat ) and 2) fried oyster. And, entertainingly, there are combinations of all three of these proteins that have specific names and are, frankly, awesome.

    I look forward to finding the “cajun fried chicken” version of my favorite sandwich style in the world…

    Happy eating!

  3. 5 stars
    It was such a hit! I made this for snacks and it was gone right away. Will definitely be recommending this recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    I always love a good po’ boy! I didn’t realize how easy it is to make. Also, also have never heard of wondra flour until now either!

  5. 5 stars
    Oh my goodness, I love this sandwich. It’s packed with flavor. My family really enjoyed it too.

  6. 5 stars
    This is one fabulous sandwich! My crew is already begging for me to make them again and I want to put the sauce everything!

  7. I have never had a Po’ Boy! I from the Pacific Northwest. However, this looks and sounds like something I need to try soon.

    1. It is right next to the regular flour on the baking aisle. It comes in a blue canister. It is a finer flour and works great for frying. Thank you for visiting our site!