Fast Food Review: Wicked Chicken from Popeyes

Posted June 3rd, 2010 | 7:24am by Ryan

What’s in a name? Popeyes has a new offering which debuted this week called Wicked Chicken. When you think “Wicked Chicken”, what comes to mind? I’m thinking maybe a kicked up extra spicy chicken could be behind the “Wicked” title. It turns out that this new chicken isn’t really spicy at all, but at least there’s a tiny bottle of TABASCO to turn up some heat, right?

OK, so Wicked Chicken… basically it’s breaded chicken strips. Are they delicious? Yes. They are “Wicked” because of their gnarly shape I guess. Popeyes describes them like this:

Popeyes Wicked Chicken are thin strips of tender, juicy, all white meat marinated in authentic Louisiana seasonings and cooked in our uniquely crispy coating until twisty and curly. Served with Cajun fries, a buttermilk biscuit and your very own mini bottle of TABASCO sauce.

Popeyes made an accurate description of the Wicked Chicken. The chicken is indeed tender and juicy and I was honestly quite surprised. I was kind of expecting there to be an overabundance of fried breading and just not enough meat. You’ll be happy to know that there is plenty of chicken in the box. As for the breading, it’s crisp, crunchy and piled on just enough. I counted around 16 pieces of chicken strips of all various shapes and sizes. Combine the generous portion of chicken strips with matching biscuit, Cajun fries, ranch dipping sauce and a mini bottle of Tabasco… Wicked Chicken is a steal at only $3.99.

I’ve heard people say that Popeyes chicken is too spicy. I never found the Popeyes Louisiana seasonings to be overly powerful at all, but compared to a rival like KFC, there is definitely a little extra kick. While the Wicked Chicken displays your typical Popeyes taste, I was still expecting a little extra in the taste department. Don’t get me wrong, I prefer the Popeyes taste over KFC, it’s just that I would’ve liked something a bit more amped up in the batter recipe. There is risk of turning off consumers who aren’t used to big changes, so Popeyes played it relatively safe with Wicked Chicken. To counter this minor gripe, the mini bottle of hot sauce is a really nice touch and provides for control over the heat. Add in the ranch dipping sauce and you’ve got a little more going on. How about drizzling some TABASCO into the ranch? I didn’t try this but it sounds like a good idea in my head. I won’t get into details of the fries, but just know that they are tasty and in abundance. As for the biscuit, I like Popeyes biscuits and never encounter a crusty, old stale imposter. With the Wicked Chicken combo box, you are in for a greasy box of grub… and I’m certain I’ve said that before in previous Popeyes reviews.

In closing, yes Popeyes new Wicked Chicken is indeed a success. Not really wicked enough to earn the title of Wicked Chicken, but I’ll leave that up to your interpretation. I would be doing you all a diservice if I didn’t mention that I shelled out some extra cash for a drink. The new Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea is truly the perfect drink for this chicken and probably any other item at Popeyes. I love this iced tea and I just read that you can try it for free (22 oz size) on June 12th so get it!!! The only other fast food sweet tea I’ve tried is McD’s and Chick-fil-A… Popeyes Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea is the clear winner. Combine the tea with the Wicked Chicken like I did and you’ve got a smile on your face for about 5 bucks.