Have you ever made a recipe with Cheetos? Neither have I. As it turns out, however, Cheetos recipes have “taken the internet by storm.”
You may scoff at the notion of junk food as an ingredient, but I’ve seen dishes including fish and chicken crusted with potato chips on menus of reputable restaurants. Emeril has a potato chip crusted fish taco recipe that uses barbecue-flavored potato chips, which I abhor. Why not Cheetos? If you search “cheetos recipes” you’ll learn about Cheetos waffles, Pineapple Cobbler with Hot Cheetos and coconut crumble, Cheetos quesadillas and tacos, … the list goes on and on and on, and does not stop short even of Flaming Hot Cheetos sushi.
I learned about the Cheetos phenomenon from Lady Bla Bla’s Foodentures blog, which is written by Afaf Jabir, of Dubai. I admit to a weakness for Cheetos, in which I indulge several times a year.
The Cheetos crusted chicken recipe, here, looks like an interesting combination of flavors and textures. I’m thinking of trying a variation with grilled chicken thighs instead of fried breasts. (I intentionally have avoided learning to fry food properly: I like it too much. And I much prefer dark meat to white meat.) Here’s the sandwich, with fries a la Cheetos.
Using Cheetos in the sandwich may seem unusual, but I find that foods that seem unusual can taste great. The guberburger is quite good, and the crown burger is delicious. Sure, now and then you try a pig ear sandwich, but the good far outweighs the bad. Many people can’t imagine ordering a bone-in chicken leg sandwich. Many won’t even try a boiled peanut or a raw oyster. Sigh. I respect their choice, but believe their lives are the poorer for it.
I should stress that Lady Bla Bla’s recipes normally don’t involve a touch of junk food. As I mentioned, the recipes are mainly Middle Eastern or South Asian. The Kabab Karhai looks especially good. And her recipes offer nice variations on familiar dishes. The halloumi cheese deviled eggs is an example, and the seasoning mix in her recipe for barbecued (grilled) quails could go on any poultry, and will go on my next grilled chicken. You really should follow her blog — and try some of the recipes.
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