(Not Quite Healthy Eating) -- Popeyes Chicken Sandwich

[arch_8ngel 1,597]

Saw the news stories about this one coming back, nationally.

My local Popeyes brought it back a couple weeks early, without fanfare, as I happened to snag one for lunch last week, without knowing it was on the menu ahead of time.

 

I wouldn't wait in the crazy lines for it... but it is definitely the best chicken sandwich on the market, by far.

I enjoy Chik Fil A, but a spicy Popeyes sandwich with Cajun fries absolutely destroys the competition.

 

So if you're find the opportunity to get one "quickly" without the lines... take your shot.  You won't be disappointed.

But no food is worth the crazy wait times that went with the original release, and will likely accompany the re-release.

[Br81zad 627]

Might have to try one of these bad boys now that the hype has faded

[Bearcat-Doug 4,274]

I've never been to Popeyes, but I might have to give it a try the next time I pass one. I usually try to avoid fries, but Cajun fries do sound good.

[empire 106]

Think WATA would grade one of these for me?

[arch_8ngel 1,597]

31 minutes ago, Br81zad said:

Might have to try one of these bad boys now that the hype has faded

The hype still seems to be pretty strong.

 

I was picking up lunch to have with my wife last Tuesday and the drive-thru line was wrapped around the building.

I walked in, since there was no inside-line, and by the time I was leaving there were 10 people trailing out the door.

 

I just had very lucky timing on my visit, and the sandwich re-release hadn't even been announced yet.

(didn't even know it was available until I walked up to the counter and asked about the current specials)

 

 

People behind in me in line were ordering them by the half-dozen (as opposed to my fairly normal order), so they still have a ton of hype.

But I can't deny they are GOOD.  (and HUGE -- the meat equivalent of at least 3 of Popeyes spicy tenders -- so maybe 30%-50% larger than the Chick Fil A sandwich) 

[Boosted52405 178]

Interesting - I just read they were coming back on Sunday, permanently (and on Sunday to throw shade at Chick-Fil-A).

I really like Popeyes seasoning on their breading, so definitely look forward to trying this (and glad to see the reviews here are solid).

[trj22487 348]

I went to Popeyes once this year and took the food to an abandoned Friendly's across the road so I could eat in peace lol

[DoctorEncore 3,559]

I'm really looking forward to trying this. I don't eat much fast food, but I love Chick-fil-A sandwiches and regular Popeye's. What more could a man ask for?

[m308gunner 352]

What's the deal with these chicken sandwiches? I don't think I have a Popeye's near me, or a Chick-fil-a. Closest I can get is a Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich from Wendy's. How are these sandwiches better than that?

[a3quit4s 3,208]

Tried to get one on Saturday but Popeyes was sold out again. Got tenders instead. 

[Link 1,755]

1 hour ago, m308gunner said:

What's the deal with these chicken sandwiches? I don't think I have a Popeye's near me, or a Chick-fil-a. Closest I can get is a Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich from Wendy's. How are these sandwiches better than that?

It’s fried chicken with pickles and spicy mayo on a brioche bun.

I don’t get it either. 

[arch_8ngel 1,597]

39 minutes ago, Link said:

It’s fried chicken with pickles and spicy mayo on a brioche bun.

I don’t get it either. 

Have you had it yet?

Their spicy sandwich is the best chicken sandwich I have had, fast-food or otherwise.  It is surprisingly good, even going in with fairly high expectations based on their spicy tenders.

 

Wendy's sandwich isn't remotely in the same league.

 

 

Also, you really seem to be ignoring how different the breaded and battered chicken options turn out from different places, even when comparing all whole meat options.

The Popeyes sandwich is practically an entire chicken breast.  It is huge for a sandwich.

And it is battered with Popeyes batter which in my opinion is better tasting and better texture than any of the alternatives.

 

Couple that with a surprisingly good quality bun for a fast-food sandwich, and Cajun fries, which are only really rivaled by the seasoned fries from Rally's/Checkers, and it makes for a hell of a combination.

 

 

Like I said, I think it would be crazy to actually wait in the long lines for it.

But if you happen to find the opportunity to get one with a reasonable wait, it is well worth it.

Edited October 29, 2019 by arch_8ngel

[T3rra 18]

I never had either Popeye's or Chick Fil A growing up. At some point in my adult life Chick Fil A got hyped up.

But I'll pick Popeye's any day, and twice on Sunday.

[Link 1,755]

3 hours ago, arch_8ngel said:

Have you had it yet?

No. I eat fast food rarely. 

Popeye’s is good, sure. I like it better than Church’s or McDonald’s. Not as much as KFC. I refuse to go to Chick Fil A due to their homophobic actions. Not sure I’ve ever had chicken from Wendy’s. 

The fries aren’t exclusive to the sandwich. 

I can buy similar buns at the grocery store, and I do sometimes for my own sandwiches or burgers. Not that I fry chicken at home, just saying why I don’t see that as the big deal people make it out to be.

So it’s big? It’s a good deal for the price? OK

I’ll check it out next time I go to the strip mall if there’s not a line. I guess I just don’t understand why it’s such a big deal to put an item that they already have in a better than crap bun with minimal fixins. Good on the marketing team. 

[arch_8ngel 1,597]

6 hours ago, Link said:

No. I eat fast food rarely. 

Popeye’s is good, sure. I like it better than Church’s or McDonald’s. Not as much as KFC. I refuse to go to Chick Fil A due to their homophobic actions. Not sure I’ve ever had chicken from Wendy’s. 

The fries aren’t exclusive to the sandwich. 

I can buy similar buns at the grocery store, and I do sometimes for my own sandwiches or burgers. Not that I fry chicken at home, just saying why I don’t see that as the big deal people make it out to be.

So it’s big? It’s a good deal for the price? OK

I’ll check it out next time I go to the strip mall if there’s not a line. I guess I just don’t understand why it’s such a big deal to put an item that they already have in a better than crap bun with minimal fixins. Good on the marketing team. 

If you like KFC more than the spicy tenders from Popeyes then we apparently live in a different reality from each other and this sandwich isn't for you.

 

I will try KFC once every few years to see if they have gone back to what I remember from when I was a kid, but they disappoint me every time, and their prices are terrible on top of it all.

Maybe it varies by market, in terms of the quality of the franchisees, but KFCs in my area are just not that good anymore.  

 

 

And I definitely agree that you can get good quality buns from the store for better homemade burgers than any restaurant will serve.

But in my experience, fried chicken is an entirely different challenge to do at home at all, let alone to do "better" than other options, compared to burgers.  I have done fairly decent fried chicken sandwiches at home before, but it is extremely hard to do it with the consistency that a large chain can manage with a full-sized deep fryer.  (though at home it is easier to do a specialty side like sweet potato fries)

So part of specifically getting restaurant/fast-food fried chicken is the enormous convenience factor versus something much easier to do well like burgers.

 

 

So I will offer this caveat to my post:

If you like KFC more than the spicy tenders from Popeyes, just ignore this entire thread and move on with your life

Edited October 29, 2019 by arch_8ngel

[DoctorEncore 3,559]

1 hour ago, arch_8ngel said:

If you like KFC more than the spicy tenders from Popeyes then we apparently live in a different reality from each other and this sandwich isn't for you.

 

I will try KFC once every few years to see if they have gone back to what I remember from when I was a kid, but they disappoint me every time, and their prices are terrible on top of it all.

Maybe it varies by market, in terms of the quality of the franchisees, but KFCs in my area are just not that good anymore.  

 

 

So I will offer this caveat to my post:

If you like KFC more than the spicy tenders from Popeyes, just ignore this entire thread and move on with your life

I try KFC maybe once every ten years and always find it to be terrible. 

[Link 1,755]

OK... what I said is, the bun isn’t a big deal. Regardless of how easily we can or can’t cook different things to put on it. And you can get a breast with their great batter, without the sandwich. 

But I haven’t had Popeye’s in maybe ten years, and KFC probably longer. So yes I guess I do live in an alternate reality.

[arch_8ngel 1,597]

30 minutes ago, Link said:

OK... what I said is, the bun isn’t a big deal. Regardless of how easily we can or can’t cook different things to put on it. And you can get a breast with their great batter, without the sandwich. 

But I haven’t had Popeye’s in maybe ten years, and KFC probably longer. So yes I guess I do live in an alternate reality.

It isn't an unusual thing for a particular combination of food items to be noticeably better than those same items individually...

 

If you haven't had fried chicken or a fastfood chicken sandwich in 10 years, I don't quite understand why you're bothering to even post in the thread

This thread is for the people that eat this kind of food once in awhile and for if they were wondering whether the Popeyes sandwich lives up to the hype of being massively better than Chik Fil A.

It does.

[arnpoly 178]

I really wanna try the chicken sandwich.  Never been to Popeye's before, but there is one near me (and not too far from Chick-Fil-A!)

If I end up getting one soon I'll report back!

[doner24 1,068]

I’m gonna have to track this down soon....for science. 

[MrWunderful 2,580]

I like the “blackened” popeyes tenders, but they give me the hottest rhea so I dont eat it that often. 
 

only one or two in the bay area that I know of, and they have only been around for a few years. 

[Boosted52405 178]

Gotta say, this Chicken sandwich is pretty great, especially for the $3.99 price tag.

I was a bit bummed that the "spicy" apparently comes from the mayo they use, so being a plain kinda guy I went with a plain regular one (I like ketchup on em, don't hate!).

I was impressed walking in with high expectations, so thought I'd share.

Arch - you mentioned the cajun fries which peaked my interest.  I expected some spice to them, which oddly was there visually, but virtually none as I enjoyed them.  Decent fries tho.

[jonebone 1,252]

My experience with this sandwich is very unusual....

I rarely eat fast food for lunch, maybe once or twice a month if that.  I strolled into Popeyes one day several months ago before the hype, and saw a chicken sandwich on the menu.  I thought, what? When did they start selling these?  I got it, enjoyed it and it was a fabulous sandwich.

Then within a couple of days I see all of the ranting and raving on social media and think, wow, did I just randomly time that perfect?  Hadn't been to a Popeyes in several months so I guess I did.  I went back the next week when they were supposedly sold out everywhere and sure enough, they had signs on the door saying they didn't have the sandwich.

Would I wait in crazy lines, no.  Would I recommend the sandwich to anyone who likes a chicken sandwich?  Hell yes. 

[arch_8ngel 1,597]

Boosted and jonebone -- thanks for the additional field reports! 

I've seen some Facebook chatter from old college buddies that are still in Atlanta (peak Chik Fil A territory) that didn't quite have the Popeye's sandwich meet expectations, so it seemed like it was turning into a YMMV type of thing  (though, that said, quality DOES seem to vary from one Popeyes to the next, a lot more than a super-consistent place like Chik Fil A)

 

 

[RegularGuyGamer 1,764]

On 10/29/2019 at 6:16 AM, arch_8ngel said:

If you like KFC more than the spicy tenders from Popeyes then we apparently live in a different reality from each other and this sandwich isn't for you.

LOL we live in the same reality! No way KFC trumps Popeyes tenders.