Tag: Popeyes

It’s almost Halloween, so it’s the most appropriate time for fast food chains to spook our taste buds with ghost pepper products. We’ve seen Burger King and Dunkin’ get into the Halloween mood over the past few years, and this year, Carl’s Jr.’s Ghost Burger appeared.

Popeyes, which always looks like it’s celebrating Halloween, is getting into the holiday spirit with its new Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich. It features the chain’s buttermilk-battered, all-white meat chicken breast fillet, barrel-cured pickles, and a new Ghost Pepper Sauce on a butter-toasted brioche bun. So it’s basically a regular Popeyes Chicken Sandwich, but with the mayo swapped out for the spicy sauce. There’s also a Bacon & Cheese version that also includes three half slices of hickory smoked bacon and a slice of white Havarti cheese.

The ghost pepper was once the hottest in the world. Of course, that was many years ago, and it’s been surpassed by many much spicier peppers. So, the once proud pepper has been relegated to an ingredient for fast food condiments. However, from what I’ve experienced, the heat that fast food ghost pepper products have had is a far cry from the actual pepper, and that’s what we have here with Popeyes’ Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich.

The first thing I did after opening the sleeve the sandwich came in was to try the sauce on its own, which was applied to both buns. My quick taste test resulted in me coughing from the peppers. Its flavor kind of reminded me of taco seasoning, and its heat was at a level that I’d consider surprisingly mild. But that was when I tasted it by itself. That heat and flavor were even less noticeable when chewed with the other sandwich components. So, I guess the new Ghost Pepper Sauce isn’t as scary as it seems. After finishing the sandwich, I felt a lingering peppery heat in my mouth and on my lips. But it wasn’t anything that made me want to order a Popeyes iced tea or lemonade.

As for the rest of the sandwich, it was everything that I’ve experienced with the dozen or so other Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches I’ve eaten over the past few years. It’s still great. Poultry is still juicy; breading is still pleasantly crunchy; the pickles still bring a tasty tang, and the lightly sweet brioche bun still holds everything together.

With that said, Popeyes’ Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich is my least favorite Popeyes Chicken Sandwich variation. The sauce didn’t wow me with its flavor, and it has a level of heat that’s disappointing for a ghost pepper product.

Purchased Price: $7.49*
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 631 calories, 35 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1990 milligrams of sodium, 50 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 7 grams of sugar, and 29 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Biscuits might be the unsung hero of the fast food world. Sure, they’re empty calories, they’re excessively buttery while somehow still being dry as a bone, and oftentimes they’re as stale as the “jokes” I’m assuredly gonna attempt in this review… but I don’t care because I’m a fan of everyone’s.

While biscuits have thrived as breakfast breads and chicken sides, I can’t recall many instances of them being utilized in a fast food dessert. That is until now with Popeyes’ new Chocolate Chip Biscuits.

This is big news, because I love those biscuits from Popeyes!

When I saw that these new biscuits were about to drop, I was burning with anticipation. Unfortunately, so was my local Popeyes, because it literally burned down. Yeah. It’s gone. Kinda felt like a bad omen.

Thankfully, it happened overnight, and there were no injuries, but driving by the charred husk of the restaurant really made me lose my appetite.

… for a couple days. I found the next closest Popeyes and snagged one. The dough must go on.

Chocolate Chip Biscuits are basically what you think they are. Well, not what our British readers think they are. They’re thinking of cookies, and these aren’t cookies. Popeyes’ Chocolate Chip Biscuits are standard biscuits dotted with chocolate chips and topped with sweet icing. I think our friends in England might call these “scones?”

It’s funny because I was fully expecting this to taste like a scone. An American scone, I guess? Ya know, those hard, misshapen muffin… things. They’re fine. I would’ve been ok with that, but Popeyes did something pretty unique here by just plussing up its standard biscuits.

Mine was warm, sweet, and salty. Incredibly salty. I think it may have been pulled from the saltiest bin in the joint, and as a sodium addict, I kinda loved that. It tasted like a mistake, if I’m being honest.

The crispy salted base of the biscuit was counterbalanced by the sweet generic icing on top almost perfectly. “Salty-sweet” fans should definitely be satisfied, even if theirs isn’t as seasoned as mine.

Now, I say that, but you’ll notice how I didn’t highlight the chocolate. The chips are supposed to be the stars of the show, and they kinda get lost. These aren’t bursting with chocolate flavor. It’s there, but I think the dry biscuit batter dehydrated the chocolate, and the icing was so sweet it didn’t give the chips room to really shine.

I guess I was ultimately disappointed in how light the chocolate was. Honestly, it wasn’t premium chocolate anyway, so maybe it was for the best. I kinda wish mine was a bit softer as well, but it probably worked out better structurally. A softer biscuit would’ve been a crumbly, sticky mess.

Popeyes’ Chocolate Chip Biscuit is imperfect, but I still enjoyed the balance, and I think it’s unique and tasty enough to chase your chicken dinner with. It’s too bad they aren’t open early because these would probably make a great breakfast.

I say give ’em a try, but just make sure your local Popeyes is still standing first.

Purchased Price: $2.19
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 310 calories, 14 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 340 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of total carbohydrates, 24 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of fiber, and 3 grams of protein.

With football season here, it’s time to be disappointed with who you drafted for your fantasy football team and eat some grub while watching a game. And Popeyes is offering something new to drown your sorrows of having a quarterback who scores negative fantasy football points — Sweet’ N Smokey Chipotle Wings.

According to Popeyes, the new menu item is available with bone-in or boneless wings, which are tossed in a sauce with a blend of smokey chipotle and guajillo peppers with a sweet and bold BBQ base that has a hint of honey for some sweetness that balances out the heat. I ended up getting a six-piece boneless wings order.

Tiny chipotle pieces are floating in the reddish sauce, and its smell instantly pops barbecue sauce into my head. Like I’ve found with previous Popeyes wings orders, I have to drag the pieces through the sauce dregs at the bottom of the container to coat them properly. Much like its scent, its taste brings a sweet, smokey, and spicy barbecue sauce to mind, which is a bit disappointing because, with its name, I expected a flavor that wasn’t barbecue-like.

Yes, I know what I wrote in the description above, so I shouldn’t be surprised, but I only found out it had a barbecue base after some digging in the Popeyes app while typing this review. I will admit that Sweet ‘N Smokey Chipotle would be less confusing than calling it Sweet’ N Smokey BBQ, which might be confused for the Honey BBQ and Sweet’ N Spicy sauces.

There’s a kick with the viscous goo, so if you’re heat adverse, you might not like it. The honey’s sweetness definitely helps cut through the spiciness. But it’s a mild burn that, for me, doesn’t require any cool liquids or me running to the cashier at Popeyes to order a lemonade with an urgency similar to asking for a restroom lock code with a toddler who says, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Beyond the sauce, the chicken itself was what I expected from the chicken chain — a very crispy exterior, tender meaty inside, and those Cajun spices that aren’t noticeable thanks to the sweet and spicy coating.

Popeyes Sweet ‘N Smokey Chipotle Wings would be a great addition to your game day spread, and I wouldn’t hesitate to order them again if I want a bit more of a kick than what the chain’s Honey BBQ Wings provide. They’re definitely not as disappointing as a quarterback who throws for four interceptions, has two fumbles, and zero touchdowns.

Purchased Price: $7.99*
Size: 6-piece order
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 730 calories, 35 grams of fat, 17 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 90 milligrams of cholesterol, 2710 milligrams of sodium, 79 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 49 grams of sugar, and 27 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

As I type this, fall is almost in the air, and leaves are getting ready to let gravity guide them to the ground to be raked. Popeyes is welcoming the season with its new Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cup. Although, Popeyes, who uses orange everywhere, looks like it’s always welcoming autumn.

According to the chicken chain, the new dessert features rich cheesecake swirled with a sweet, tangy caramel apple filling over a buttery graham cracker crust. This isn’t Popeyes’ first foray into pre-made cheesecakes in cups, having also offered Oreo and Strawberry flavors over the years.

Popeyes’ description didn’t specifically mention the apple bits throughout the dessert. They’re larger than rice grains and had a crunch you’d expect from the actual fruit, but they didn’t provide much flavor. To be honest, they were kind of unnecessary because the caramel apple filling did all the heavy lifting with its artificial tart fruit flavor.

However, the level of apple varied from bite to bite. Sometimes, I got a noticeable apple and caramel flavor. Other times, I tasted more caramel than apple. And there were moments when I didn’t taste any apple, just the caramel and cheesecake. As for the caramel, it looked like it could be gooey from the top, but it was not. Instead, it blended in with the cheesecake’s texture. The cheesecake itself had a pleasant tang to it beyond what the filling provided, and it had a dense texture one would expect from the dessert.

While the cheesecake part of the dessert was great, the crust made this dessert for me. It was buttery, mildly sweet, and gritty, contrasting texturally and flavor-wise with the sweet and tart filling. I loved it enough in this dessert that those sporkfuls I scooped out sans crust made me slightly sad.

Four bucks might seem a little pricey for Popeyes’ Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cup, but it was a tasty way to celebrate autumn’s coming. Although I admit, the 18 grams of saturated fat makes me hesitant to eat this at the end of a Popeyes meal.

Purchased Price: $3.99*
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 480 calories, 29 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 115 milligrams of cholesterol, 390 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 30 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Remember that catchy Popeyes jingle? “Love that chicken from Popeyes!” However, its chicken is not the only product I adore from the fast food chain. Its array of unique sauces is equally impressive, from tangy to spicy. In fact, there are so many that even the McNugget Buddies might be a tad envious of the variety Popeyes has to offer.

The newest, a BBQ honey mustard, is on Popeyes’ Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich. It features the same buttermilk-battered all-white meat chicken breast, barrel-cured pickles, and butter-toasted brioche bun as the chain’s famous Classic Chicken Sandwich. So it’s the original, with the new sauce swapped for the mayo. If you enjoy the other sandwiches Popeyes offers, this BBQ honey mustard is also available in the Blackened and Bacon & Cheese varieties.

The condiment makes the menu item look more monochromatic than it usually does. If not for the pickles, it would be a golden brown chicken breast with a golden sauce on a golden bun. At least with the original, the white mayonnaise provided some contrast. But, taste-wise, the BBQ honey mustard is a step up from the mayo. Or maybe I feel that way because I’ve eaten the original multiple times, and my taste buds wanted a change.

Whoever made mine didn’t skimp on the topping, which was liberally applied to both buns. Despite the generous squirts of sauce, the soft, sweet brioche bun kept the sandwich together. The tangy and sweet sauce with a hint of smokiness is a delicious condiment that complements the crispy chicken breast and all its seasonings. There’s no kick to it, so those who are heat-adverse need not worry. While the chicken, bun, and sauce made for a tasty sandwich, I thought the pickles were unnecessary and got in the way of the creamy topping’s taste. They added their usual tanginess and crunch but were okay in this sandwich. I’d probably get it without pickles if I get this limited-time-only offering again before it leaves.

I’ve had the other saucy Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches, like the Truff Hot Sauce and Buffalo Ranch ones. But I enjoyed this Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich more than those, and I think I might like it as much as the original.

Purchased Price: $6.99
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 620 calories, 32 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 1550 milligrams of sodium, 54 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 28 grams of protein.