Have you heard about the latest craze over Popeyes new Chicken Sandwich and how people are fighting the crowds (literally) to get their hands on one?
Have you wondered why something so trivial could go viral on social media?
And most importantly, have you questioned how tasty that sandwich really is?
I’ve had the same questions, so I decided to research what’s behind the insane behavior of so many people regarding a simple chicken sandwich.
What’s So Special About Popeyes New Chicken Sandwich
First, I went to Popeyes to try the actual sandwich for myself.
I went before the lunch hour hit so I didn’t have to wait in a crazy line with fanatical chicken enthusiasts. And I’ll admit, I did enjoy the sandwich.
Ingredients On Popeyes New Chicken Sandwich
A lot of care and thought has gone into this new menu item.
Let’s start with the artisan-style brioche bun; you’ll notice it’s topped with a buttery flavor. This is Popeyes signature buttery spread that is also used on its biscuits.
You’ll get to choose between two sauces, spicy mayo or regular mayo. It was clever of Popeyes to give you two choices, wasn’t it? Obviously, they’re trying to one-up Chick-fil-A’s famous chicken sandwich.
If you like the feeling of a good burn in your mouth, go for the spicy. My husband liked the spicy sauce best, but he drenches everything I make with Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce.
I personally enjoyed the plain mayo a bit better.
You’ll be surprised at the size of the deep-fried chicken fillet. Apparently, Popeyes is super picky about what part of the chicken breast can be used. Consequently, this was part of the reason they ran out of the sandwich when it was first introduced.
Popeyes also tried many different flours to bread their chicken in before they settled on one that would give the perfect crunch to the buttermilk-battered chicken.
And ohhh, the Pickles!
My favorite part of the sandwich was the homemade fresh pickle slices. They make them in a simple brine that really sets them apart from jarred pickles. (Sorry, Chick-fil-A, you’ve been finessed again.)
If you’re a pickle lover like me, you’ll love the large size of the pickles slices. If you’re like my husband, you’ll violiently throw them out the window as soon as you get your sandwich.
For only $3.99, the sandwich is a great value considering the size and taste. You can also get it in a combo with a drink and side for $6.79.
OK, So It’s A Good Sandwich, But Why Did It Go Viral?
When Popeyes released its new sandwich, a media war began between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A.
Check out the Twitter war…
Then, Shake Shack chimed in…
And lastly, Wendy’s jumped on the promotional Twitter bandwagon.
Popeyes received more and more business with every fast-food chain that got in on the tweeting action.
It didn’t hurt that famous YouTubers like Josh Pray put out passionate videos of their love for the sandwich.
Even celebrities like Gayle King and Jimmy Fallon chimed in.
Hence, Popeyes sold out of their sandwich ingredients after only two weeks.
Fortunately for fans, the chicken sandwich was back on the menu a couple of months later.
Are people Really Fighting over Popeye’s new chicken sandwich?
You’d think we would have advanced farther as a human race than to battle over a fast-food menu item, but unfortunately, people have been willing to harm others to get in on the poultry action.
This is a great sandwich, but hey, it’s still JUST a sandwich.
It’s definitely not worth jumping through a drive-thru window to attack a manager when they tell you they’re out of an item.
Are There Any Other Ways I Can Get This Sandwich?
If your only choice is to stand in line for two hours or even go to jail to get your hands on one of these, you might want to consider just making it yourself.
One of my favorite websites, Top Secret Recipes, offers great copycat recipes for both Popeyes and Wendy’s Chicken Sandwiches:
In Conclusion
I would definitely suggest you go out and get yourself a Popeyes Chicken Sandwich, unless…
you have to wait in line for hours or cause bodily harm to another human. In that case, you may want to wait until the excitement dies down.
Or, just settle for a burger at McDonald’s.
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33 Responses
haha. Great post. I’ll have to try it when I’m down south again.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
A few weeks ago I went to Popeyes to try on for myself and they were sold out! I got something else instead since I was already there and it wasn’t good. I haven’t been back since but I may have to give it another try.
Apparently Anthony Bourdain even loves Popeyes, so yes, give it another try!
I have heard mixed reviews but I thought it was crazy how long people would wait in line just to get one of these.
We were traveling through a random town recently and we got stuck in “traffic” , After a moment i realized the lane beside me didn’t have any traffic so I switched lanes. When I got a little ways down the road I noticed that the line of traffic I was stuck in was just people in line at Popeyes.
I personally would never wait that long but if I have a chance I would not mind trying it.
It’s hard to believe the trouble people will go to for a chicken sandwich! 🙂
So true!
I would love to try it. Yum.
Yep! It’s good!!!
Born and raised in Atlanta, I would be committing a sin if I left the Lord’s chicken for another. However, after this post, I am going to try it. I have to haha
Now I’m dying to know what the Lord’s chicken is…lol.
If I am not mistaken, that is generally a term used when referring to Chic-fil-a 🙂
Ah, of course!
I want to try this! I love spicy food and this sandwich look so yummy!
If you like spicy, you would love this!
My son just had one of Popeyes chicken sandwiches and loved it.! He didn’t get the spicy mayo, although he too has hot sauce on all chicken, eggs, tacos, etc. I need to try one myself, lucky us in the south, that we have a few more Popeyes locations to choose from!
I’ve lived in the south for several years and this was actually my first time to a Popeyes. I’ll definitely go back!
I’ve never tried Popeye’s before…but all the debate definitely has me intrigued as I do love a spicy chicken sandwich
If you like spicy, you would definitely like this!
It looks yummy! Except I don’t like pickles. But I would try the spicy mayo.
You sound like my hubby. 🙂 Once you get the pickles off, you’d love it.
I did enjoy this post! Now I want to try this sandwich out but I wouldn’t wait 2 hours
Go before or after the lunch hour for sure!
LOL! The twitter war on this is hilare. Yet, now I really want to try the new Popeye’s chicken sandwich. I love me some chik fil-a but I’m willing to give this a try now, thanks!
It’s amazing how powerful social media is…and scary. LOL
I still can’t believe people would wait in crazy lines for these sandwiches. I guess I’m the odd one out.
It’s good but definitely not worth it to wait in a crazy line for sure.
It does look quite yummy. I might have to try one.
Yes, they are tasty!
I do enjoy a good chicken sandwich although I’m partial to Chick Filet.
It’s hard to beat Chik-fil-A. Their sandwich is a classic!
I loved this post! I have not tried the sandwich yet because I do not like spicy things. But I didn’t realize they have regular mayo too. This makes me want to try it more now!
I do like spicy things and I still liked the regular mayo better.