As our head of Culinary Innovation, Chef Amy Alarcon makes sure that every single Popeyes dish and flavor is inspired by our bold Louisiana heritage. And for the return of the Popeyes Crawfish Festival, she's upped the ante even more with her very own original Crawfish creation! Check out the recipe below, then head to Popeyes today for popable bites of Crawfish that are hand-breaded and battered with Louisiana seasonings only Popeyes can deliver.

Apple Brined Pork Chops with Popeyes Crawfish Stuffing and Cajun Gravy

Ingredients

For Crawfish Stuffing

  • 1 stick butter + 2 TBS
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups diced apple (Honey Crisp or Granny Smith)
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups Popeyes crawfish (fully cooked and breaded)
  • 1-14 ounce package bread stuffing mix (such as Pepperidge Farm)
  • 1 small side container of Popeyes Cajun Gravy

Melt butter in 4 QT Dutch oven on stove top. Add diced onion and celery and cook over medium heat until vegetables start to turn translucent, about 6-7 minutes. Add garlic and diced apple and continue to sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add crawfish to pan and mix thorough until crawfish is coated with butter and vegetable mix. Add chicken stock and cream to pan and bring to a boil. Pour in the stuffing mix and stir until it is thoroughly mixed in and moist.

Pre-heat oven to 375°. Drain pork chops and pat dry. Take the remaining 2 TBS butter and melt in a non-stick skillet. Sauté the pork chops until they are lightly browned on both sides. Use non-stick spray to coat a casserole dish. Take a ½ cup of stuffing and place inside of each butterflied pork chop and lay in pan. Loosely pack the remaining stuffing around the pork chops in the pan. Bake in oven for 45 minutes.

To serve, place stuffed pork chops on plate, add some additional stuffing, and top with heated Cajun Gravy just before serving.

For pork chop brine

  • 6 butterfly pork loin chops
  • 12 ounce apple juice
  • 2 TBS kosher salt
  • 2 TBS Magic Seasonings Blend Poultry Magic

Dissolve salt and Poultry Magic in the 12 ounces of apple juice. Place the pork chops in the brine and allow to sit for a minimum of 2 hours. Tip: use a gallon size Ziploc bag for brining, add pork chops and brine; squeeze out excess air, and allow to sit refrigerated. Chops can sit for a minimum of 2 hours up to 12 hours in the brine. Can be done in the morning if using for dinner in evening.

Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and storage!

  • Refrigerate or freeze Popeyes® Crawfish and Cajun gravy food items within 2 hours from time of purchase.
  • Refrigerate if these food items will be consumed within 3 to 5 days from date of purchase.
  • Freeze if these food items will be consumed after 5 days from date of purchase.
  • Be sure to cook all whole cuts of meat (i.e. Pork) to 145°F as measured with a food thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat.

Discard any of Popeyes® products that have been at room temperature for two hours or more. (When air temperature is 90°F or higher, discard products after one hour). Popeyes® encourages the use of proper food safety handling practices when preparing Popeyes® Crawfish Stuffing Recipe. For proper food safety handling practices reference the attached USDA web link, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FACTSheets/Keep_Food_Safe_Food_Safety_Basics/index.asp#2.