Spicy Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl with Creamed Corn Gravy

     Since tomorrow is Independence Day, or as it is known in our neighborhood, "drink a bunch of Natural Light and blow up the whole goddamn town," I thought I'd post up a recipe that strikes me as distinctly 'Murican. What could be a better testament to the 4th of July then taking a fried chicken and mashed potato meal and jamming it all into one bowl? I know KFC did it first, but mine is better. How do I know this? I do. Don't question me. These were just delicious. There's even room for interpretation. You could swap the BBQ sauce for hot sauce and do more of a Buffalo chicken bowl. You can change up the cheese, or use different potatoes. This is a celebration of American Independence. Feel free to do exactly what you want while everyone else silently judges you. This recipe should yield 4 average sized bowls. 2 if you're a big eater. 1 if you need an intervention.  As always, notes are in blue.

Spicy Chicken Mashed Potato Bowl
with Creamed Corn Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 pound breaded chicken tenders, preferably around 1" pieces (you can make them yourself or do like we did and use store bought)
• 3 potatoes
• 1 can (14.5 ounce) creamed corn 
• 1/2 cup milk, divided
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning  (we used Slap Ya Mama)
• 1/2 cup spicy barbecue sauce (we used Two Fat Guys Lava Hot)
• Shredded pepper-jack cheese

Directions

1. Boil potatoes until soft enough that if you stick a fork in them, they won't stay on the fork.
2. Drain potatoes. Add 1/2 cup milk and butter. Mash, adding butter and milk as needed until potatoes are mashed to your preference (if you boiled the potatoes in a nonstick pot, I certainly hope you put them in a bowl or used a plastic masher, because if you didn't, you just wrecked your pot)
3. In a medium saucepan, add the cream corn and milk. Heat and bring to a very low simmer. Stir in flour and seasoning. Remove from heat.
4. Cook up your chicken tenders however you want. We just baked ours. Toss with your favorite barbecue sauce until chicken is evenly coated.
5. In a bowl, spoon in some mashed potatoes. Throw on some chicken. Sprinkle liberally with shredded cheese. Top with a healthy dollop of gravy.

Good times!