Having criss-crossed the country as the host of The Amazing Race Canada for seven seasons, Jon Montgomery would easily ace a geography test. But when I quizzed him on lesser-known Canadian snack foods (we’re going beyond poutines and butter tarts), the only question he answered correctly was about the origins of the California sushi roll.

This isn’t surprising. The gold medal winning Olympian in the skeleton, who famously celebrated by chugging a pitcher of beer in front of fans at Vancouver’s Olympic village in 2010, maintains a healthy diet to keep up with the racers zipping across time zones. He stopped by the test kitchen to promote the new season and asked if I could come up with a recipe for gluten-free fried chicken that he and his wife, fellow skeleton athlete Darla Montgomery who has celiac disease, could enjoy at home.

“I’ve been seeking out fried chicken lately and trying to find out who has the best,” he says, adding that Twist, the Roger Mooking restaurant at Pearson Airport does a “really good chili-dusted fried chicken.”

(Mobile readers, click here to launch our Canadian food quiz.)

“I eat pretty much the same as I did when I was training,” he says while dredging drumsticks in a batter of buttermilk and a cornmeal-cornstarch. When he is at home, in Victoria, B.C. with his wife, and their children, Lennon, 7 months, and Jaxon, 3, meals consist of vegetable-heavy rice and soup bowls.

“I never went crazy in terms of only eating certain things but I am more aware of what I eat. I’m trying to cut down on sugar, which is the most addictive thing.”

Eating well on the road hasn’t been too difficult as breakfasts and lunches are taken care of by the production team, he says. There’s isn’t much time to explore every shooting location but when the contestants rest for the night at a pit stop, Montgomery makes his own dinner plans. He recalls meals at Tofino’s Wolf In The Fog, where the menu depends on the season and what can be foraged; Whistler’s acclaimed Bearfoot Bistro, and eating at the many fresh-caught fish spots in Yellowknife. The show has given him a new-found appreciation for Canada’s north, in particular Dawson City, Yukon, where he returned on his own time to ride horses and go canoeing after shooting season six there.

When asked hypothetically — I was thinking he would say his wife —who he would compete with on the show, Montgomery declares we should team up. Perhaps that is because we quickly found our rhythm and roles in the kitchen: he dredges and I fry the drumsticks.

“I think we both have a can-do attitude. You need to find someone with a positive attitude who can push themselves and this unwavering belief that they can accomplish anything,” says Montgomery, who is originally from Russell, Man.

“I would struggle with the dancing and language challenges,” he says. “Everyone still shakes their head at me whenever I have to say something in French, it’s something that I need to improve on.”

But Montgomery has had some practice: His hosting duties include demonstrating some of the physical challenges for the camera. It’s not something every Amazing Race host does, but the producers figured that if Montgomery could plunge head-first at 140km/hr down an icy chute, he could zip line a thousand feet above an abandoned pit mine or leap off the occasional bridge.

“Jumping off a cargo net with nothing but dead air below in Squamish (British Columbia) was a bit overwhelming but I enjoy scaring myself on a daily basis,” Montgomery says, referring to a challenge in last season’s first episode. “I was terrified of heights and addressing them on a regular basis helped with that. That was the reason I did the job, it was to separate us from some of the other hosts.

“The show wanted some flavour, and they went with ginger.”

Gluten-Free Fried Chicken

This recipe is a mash-up using a modified spice blend from fast-food copycat recipe developer Todd Wilbur and a gluten-free fried chicken recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. While there are many kinds of gluten-free flours, including potato and bean starches and various rice flours, I find that this simple 50-50 mix of cornmeal and cornstarch does the trick. Both ingredients are easy to find no matter where you’re racing in Canada. To up the heat, increase the amount of cayenne in the blend or dust some on top of the fried chicken before serving.

8 cups (2 L) water

1/3 cups (80 mL) table salt

3 1/2 lbs chicken drumsticks, wings and breasts

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2 large eggs

2 cups (500 mL) buttermilk

1 cup (250 mL) each cornstarch and cornmeal

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp (20 mL) table salt

2 tsp (10 mL) each granulated sugar, ground black pepper, sweet paprika, cayenne

1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) ground white pepper

1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) each onion powder, garlic powder, dried summer savoury, sage and marjoram

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

For the brine. In a large bowl or pot, whisk together water and salt. Submerge chicken in mixture and refrigerate for 3 1/2 hours. Drain and lightly rinse chicken. Dry completely with paper towel. Set aside.

Prepare dredge. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and buttermilk. In another bowl, whisk remaining dry ingredients.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, pour enough oil to reach at least 3-inches deep. Bring oil to 300 F (150 C).

In small batches, dip chicken into buttermilk mixture. Then toss in dry mixture, ensuring chicken is evenly coated. Shake off excess. Let chicken sit for 5 minutes before frying. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Fry chicken in small batches, making sure not to overcrowd pot. Keep oil between 300 F to 325 F. Fry for 6 to 8 minutes, or until skin is golden brown and internal temperature of chicken reaches 175 F and juices run clear.

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels or a wire rack. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Let remaining oil cool to room temperature before straining and pouring into a container to reuse again. Do not pour down drain as it clogs the pipes.

Makes 6-8 servings.