Popeyes Has All-New Chicken Nuggets & You Can Get Them in Huge 48-Count Orders

The chicken purveyor wants to revolutionize chicken nuggets like it did with chicken sandwiches.

Courtesy of Popeyes
Courtesy of Popeyes

Thursday, August 12, will mark two years since Popeyes first introduced the fried chicken sandwich that—among other things—changed the fast-food game. While that may seem like an eternity ago, the chain has yet to make major changes to its best-selling menu items, such as new flavors or toppings. But it looks like the Louisiana-inspired chicken chain has something better up its greasy sleeves: all-new chicken nuggets.

Popeyes dropped the big news on Tuesday, saying it’ll introduce its brand-new Chicken Nuggets at locations across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico on July 27. The new nuggs feature the “quality and flavors of our famous Chicken Sandwich,” but in bite-sized pieces, according to a press release. The company even goes so far as to say that—much like how its chicken sandwich set the bar higher in that space—they’ll make customers rethink their standards for what makes a great chicken nugget. Well then. 

Of course, we won’t be able to find out for ourselves if the new nuggets live up to Popeyes’ bold claims for another couple of weeks, but the chain’s description of how they’re prepared sounds promising. Popeyes restaurants will use the same recipe as the Chicken Sandwich, which includes the chain’s “special flour and batter system” to create the ideal crispy and crunchy fried chicken texture, per the release. The pieces of white meat chicken are hand-seasoned and breaded in buttermilk at each location before they’re freshly fried. 

“Just like our game-changing Chicken Sandwich, our new Chicken Nuggets are unlike anything you may have experienced before,” Sami Siddiqui, president of Popeyes Americas, said in a statement.  “We aim to show the world once again the magic of Popeyes chicken with our new nuggets. We believe that these pieces of crunchy, juicy, delicious chicken will have guests question how they ever enjoyed chicken nuggets before this.”

However, unlike the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich, the new Chicken Nuggets are only available in a classic flavor, meaning there’s no spicy version. Then again, they’re designed to be dipped in the chain’s popular sauces, including Blackened Ranch, Buttermilk Ranch, Mardi Gras Mustard, Sweet Heat, and of course, Bayou Buffalo. Standard orders range from four to 36 pieces, but you can also get massive 48-piece orders exclusively via Popeyes.com or the Popeyes mobile app. Just remember to ask for enough sauce for all of that chicken. The chain also hinted at special offers for its rewards members. 

So, will Popeyes manage to revolutionize the chicken nugget as it claims? We'll know for sure when other major fast-food players suddenly update their recipes over the next several months. Your move, McDonald's. 

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Tony Merevick is the Managing Editor at Thrillist. Follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick and Instagram @tonymerevick.