August of 2019 was a historical month for fast food asPopeyesdebuted its highly anticipated fried chicken sandwich.
With the options proliferating, I wondered which Popeyes chicken sandwich is actually the best.
Can you really beat the unbeatable classic and spicy versions that made this sandwich famous?
Photo: Popeyes. Design: Eat This, Not That!
I set out to taste every single one of these options.
Blackened Chicken Sandwich
In May 2021, select Popeyes locationsintroduced the Blackened Chicken Sandwichfor a limited time.
This sandwich later returned to menus for another limited-time stint inNovember 2022before becoming a permanent offering inMay 2023.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
This sandwich cost me $4.99.
As someone who isn’t ahugemayo fan to begin with, I didn’t find this particularly inviting.
The taste:One word: salty.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
Additionally, I found the excessive amount of mayo to be off-putting.
The tangy pickles were this sandwich’s only saving grace.
However, this sandwich had far less of the spread than the regular Blackened Chicken Sandwich.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
Then came the two pickles and the unbreaded golden-brown chicken breast, which had some crispy bits.
Plus, I will always opt for a spicy, flavored mayo over the plain variety.
That being said, the spicy condiment wasn’t enough.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
While this sandwich was better, its higher ranking is mostly due to the more even distribution of ingredients.
This sandwich cost me $7.49almost three dollars more than the other five sandwiches I tried.
The Havarti cheese was extremely mild in taste, solely providing a slightly gooey consistency to the sandwich.
Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
Meanwhile, the bacon just added unwanted saltiness and wasn’t particularly crispy.
(However, this could also be due to to this sandwich sitting out for a while).
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Brianna Ruback / Eat This, Not That!
I picked up one of these sandwiches for $4.99.
The buns had small dollops of spicy mayo that resembled the pale yellow color of honey mustard.
Despite its generously toasted appearance, the bun felt a bit soggy.
The taste:While this sandwich certainly packed the heat, it wasn’t overpowering.
But maybe this was because I expected it to be spicier.
However, the heat did linger in my mouth for several minutes after I finished eating.
The pickles helped temper the spice, though I wished there were just a couple more of them.
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Classic Chicken Sandwich
Enter: the Classic.
I purchased this sandwich for $4.99.
The look:A bit lackluster.
This sandwich was the flattest of the bunch, with mayo spilling out of the sides of the bun.
However, I was still drawn in by craggly, crunchy texture of the chicken’s crispy breading.
The taste:This was the first Popeyes chicken sandwich I triedand it didn’t disappoint.
However, there was still one more sandwich I’d reach for before this one.
Essentially, it’s the Classic with honey mustard sauce instead of mayo.
I picked up one of these sandwiches for $4.99.
In fact, I had a difficult time telling the two sandwiches apart.
This complemented the savory fried chicken nicely, as did the tangy pickle slices, which added some zing.
