--- title: Popeyes Chicken Sandwich Review: It Was Worth the Hype description: We taste-tested the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich — and decided that the popular menu item really does deserve its reputation. canonical: https://time.com/5717997/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-review/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-11-05T16:17:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:02.752Z og:title: We Tried the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich. It Was Worth the Hype og:description: The popular Popeyes Chicken Sandwich is back in stores — and worth a taste og:url: https://time.com/5717997/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-review/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc754ca0402a724e7/698a0554929fad20a8bf52e0/popeyes-chicken-sandwich.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4032 og:image:height: 2268 og:image:alt: popeyes-chicken-sandwich og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: We Tried the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich. It Was Worth the Hype twitter:description: The popular Popeyes Chicken Sandwich is back in stores — and worth a taste twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc754ca0402a724e7/698a0554929fad20a8bf52e0/popeyes-chicken-sandwich.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # We Tried the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich and It Lived Up to the Hype > Sponsored content. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Nov 5, 2019 4:17 PM UTC  Raisa Bruner for TIME  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Nov 5, 2019 4:17 PM UTC The [instantly-famous](https://time.com/5712500/popeyes-chicken-sandwich-back/) Popeyes Chicken Sandwich has managed to make quite a stir out of a humble dish. Partly it is lore: after Popeyes debuted the menu item August, it promptly sold out and inspired a [viral, supportive](https://time.com/5659913/popeyes-and-chick-fil-a-memes/) fervor online, exceeding even the most popular of [Starbucks seasonal drink](https://time.com/5661465/starbucks-pumpkin-cold-brew/) releases. (As for other fast food launches of late — [Chick-fil-A who](https://time.com/5592701/texas-save-chick-fil-a-bill/)?) And partly it is decadence: we generally think of fast food as quick, affordable, greasy and often underwhelming. But this sandwich, while it will be served up quickly and cheaply at just $3.99 a pop, is not at all greasy or underwhelming. You know what you’re getting into with a [fried chicken sandwich;](https://time.com/5717327/deshaun-watson-popeyes/) there will be a squishy bun, some crunchy, salty fried chicken and hopefully something tangy — pickles or a sauce — to balance out all that umami with a little bit of bite. How Popeyes took that simple combination and turned it into a [craze](https://time.com/5671463/popeyes-chicken-sandwich/) is one of the [twists of 2019](https://time.com/5661634/memes-summer-2019/). On Sunday, Popeyes [brought back](https://time.com/5671463/popeyes-chicken-sandwich/) their sandwich to franchises nationwide to the great relief of its legion of salivating fans, and on Monday evening TIME stopped by a special taste test event to give the sandwich a try, in both the spicy and classic flavors. Also present at the tasting: Popeyes’ Head Chef Amy Alarcon, along with Popeyes’ President of Americas, Felipe Athayde, and Head of Marketing North America, Bruno Cardinali. As a gaggle of reporters awaited our fresh sandwiches, the Popeyes team mingled happily. After all, it’s not every day that a corporation comes up with a winning product that has garnered [pretty much](https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct-viz-chicken-sandwich-best-worst-liststory-20190828-wffor4rz4ze5pjuckt25jun2fa-list.html) universal acclaim; even the [_New Yorker_ gave it](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/the-popeyes-chicken-sandwich-is-here-to-save-america) a head nod_._ But was the sandwich really worth all that [press](https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/popeyes-fried-chicken-sandwich-review)? We put it to the test. And on close inspection, we decided it really does hold up. (That said, if the long lines continue, you may want to just hop over to Shake Shack or Wendy’s, which have perfectly good options, too.)  Raisa Bruner for TIME First off, you need to know that the sandwich is big. It’s larger than your typical fast food burger, measuring five or more inches in diameter, with heft and height. At first glance it may not look like much, however, since it’s pretty much monochromatic; the orange-y bun, shiny and soft, blends in with the crispy golden brown exterior of the fried chicken within, while maybe a few green pickles and a smudge of sauce peeks out.  Comedians Rhett & Link try the Popeye's chicken sandwich during their interview with host Jimmy Fallon on October 29, 2019. NBC—NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Then you smell it: warm and floury (and, if you opt for the spicy version, with a hint of something more). You’ll be happy to know that although the sandwich is substantial, it’s the optimal height to bite into without difficulty. What’s most surprising was how much, well, chicken is in the chicken sandwich. You can taste not just the satisfyingly crunchy fried exterior but also the white meat within, fragrant and tender enough to bite through every time. The spicy version leaves a warm thrill behind — it’s not _hot_, per se, but it is noticeably _warm_ — while the classic is sweeter, and particularly balanced by the pickles. Ultimately, it’s a simple sandwich; there are only four ingredients. Plus, the sandwich fits in to both the broader tradition of fried chicken — a beloved comfort food around the country — and the specific traditions and flavor profiles of Popeyes itself. “When you talk about the Popeyes sandwich, I call it the best version of ourselves,” Alarcon told TIME, thanks to the fact it pulls from its other popular dishes in flavoring this tone, too. “The bread, the way we buttered the bun with the same topping we use on our biscuits, the seasonings — are \[all\] consistent with everything else we do. It’s that perfect piece of Popeyes.” For now, Popeyes is prepared to serve as many sandwiches as eaters can order, especially while the hype lasts. “It’s a moment. We know,” Alarcon admitted. But what really matters? “The best thing anyone says when they try the sandwich for the first time is nothing. Because you’re too busy eating it! 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