By Rachel Wu
Two months ago, Popeyes, the Cajun-inspired fried chicken fast-food chain, debuted its highly anticipated chicken sandwich. The launch sparked a massive debate on social media about whether the Popeyes chicken sandwich would become a superior option to the beloved Chick-fil-a counterpart which ended up giving Popeyes an estimated $23.5 million worth of free advertising. Subsequently, customers all over the country lined up for the sandwich, which completely sold out in just two weeks.
I took it upon myself to try it and determine whether the Popeyes version was actually more delicious than the Chick-fil-a sandwich. I went to the Popeyes location at Great Mall and ordered a classic chicken sandwich for $3.99. Upon my first bite, I noticed that there was a lot of chicken in the sandwich, probably about twice the amount that I’m used to getting at Chick-fil-a. I don’t like eating too much meat in one sitting, so this was a minus for me. The bun was also really soggy, and it felt like I was eating a huge piece of fried chicken with a wet bun slapped onto it. I usually like eating chicken sandwiches where the bun and the ingredients inside complement each other well, but the bun actually made the sandwich worse in this case. The fried chicken itself was quite good; the breading was delicious and crunchy, and the chicken was juicy and flavorful. In contrast to the disappointing bun, the pickles and mayo in the sandwich went well with the flavors of the fried chicken.
I then went to the Auto Mall location of Chick-fil-a and ordered a chicken sandwich for $4.29. The bun was less soggy and more firm, and there was an appropriate amount of chicken in the sandwich. The meat was juicy and flavorful, but there was less breading on the fried chicken, which didn’t really matter to me but might to you. However, I would have appreciated it if the chicken was a bit crunchier. The pickles and butter also complemented the chicken well, and no element was particularly overpowering.
Ultimately, I would still stick to the Chick-fil-a sandwich if you don’t like to eat too much meat in one sitting and care about the flavor of your bun. There are also 699 calories in thePopeyes sandwich, whereas the Chick-fil-a sandwich only has 440 calories. However, the Popeyes fried chicken itself tasted great, so I’ll be sure to try their chicken meals in the future.