Popeyes’ First Fried Chicken Sandwich Is the Best New Thing in Fast Food

Popeyes is throwing their hat in the fried chicken sandwich ring and consequently dunking on every other fast food fried chicken purveyor out there. The newly launched fried chicken sandwich, the first to hit the chicken chain's national menu, is wowing eaters everywhere, including us.

Well, first off, everyone already knows that Popeyes makes some of the best fast food fried chicken out there. It's so good that a California-based restaurant, Sweet Dixie Chicken, passed off Popeyes chicken as its own. And I don't blame them; I have never felt let down by an order of spicy chicken from Popeyes with a mandatory biscuit and honey. It's consistently fresh (yes, I will wait for a new batch of spicy), has a well-seasoned batter, and is always juicy.

Now take everything good you know about Popeyes chicken and put it between two glorious, soft, sweet buns. Throw in some tart pickle chips and a creamy, savory Cajun sauce and boom: the Popeyes chicken sandwich is born. And it's a tiny miracle. 

The chicken sandwich comes in either classic or spicy. The classic version sports regular chicken with creamy mayonnaise, whereas the spicy version calls for spicy chicken (duh) paired with a flavorful Cajun sauce. I, of course, got spicy because tongue-tingling food is the best food, and let me tell you, it was everything I ever dreamed of when I first heard the words "Popeyes chicken sandwich." 

The chicken came out hot, juicy, and well-seasoned. The initial bite? Heavenly. The buns held up nicely and did a good job of absorbing the grease of the chicken without actually tasting particularly greasy. The pickles were crisp and tart -- enough acidity to cut through the heaviness of the fried chicken and the creamy mayo-based sauce -- without feeling particularly overwhelming. Every ingredient had purpose; the balance was perfect. I couldn't help but think where has this been my entire life? Popeyes, you glorious geniuses you, why didn't you bless the world with this sooner?

Honestly, not really. The only minor thing I would say -- and this is a personal preference -- is that I would've liked a couple more pickles. But, hey, I'm a pickle fiend and I want a taste of pickles with every bite of chicken.

Number of pickles aside, I devoured the entire sandwich in three minutes and had to really contemplate if I needed another one or not. And at $4 a sandwich, it's not only a steal but easily the best fried chicken sandwich available at fast food restaurants right now. You can @ me. 

Chick-fil-Who?

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.