Popeyes has always been in a class of its own and, since the splashy debut of its chicken sandwiches in 2019, it’s been awesome to see it get the recognition it deserves. Those chicken sandwiches also got people through the door who had never tried Popeyes before. Now, hoping to continue to entice folks to its stores, the chain is taking on another fast food chicken staple: nuggets.
It’s currently offering nugget meals for one (8 or 12 count) that include a side, biscuit, and drink or à la carte nuggets (24, 36, or 48 count) that are shareable. Despite my desire to dive headfirst into 24 of them, I opted to go with 12.
Oh, I’d just like to take a moment to praise our digital overlords for giving us apps in which we can mobile order items with ease. Popeyes’ app was easy to use, and it has recently started a rewards program.
The average Popeyes nugget is larger than Chick-fil-A’s in both amount of meat and level of breading. The crispy, crunchy coating we’ve become accustomed to with Popeyes’ other chicken is present and delicious.
What immediately puts this ahead of the tenders for me was a more preferable, almost equal ratio of breading to meat. Currently only being offered in mild, the flavor is that familiar Popeyes taste that is peppery strong, but not painfully spicy. Within the breading, the white meat chicken breast is juicy and tender, which is exactly what I’ve come to expect.
I could select two dipping sauces with my order, but honestly, I found myself mostly enjoying the nuggets on their own. That said, the Blackened Ranch was better than expected, and the BoldBQ reminded me of what Wendy’s BBQ used to be like.
If I had to offer any real negatives, it was some of the inconsistency in sizing when it came to the nuggets. Out of the 12, four were comparable to Chick-fil-A nuggets in size. Chances are it might just be a kitchen crew getting used to preparing a new item, and I think it will get more even as time goes on.
I so very much enjoyed these and hope they will be successful enough to stick around for a bit. Heck, maybe we can even get a spicy version if they prove to be popular enough. While I doubt we’ll see the same fervor surrounding these as we did in 2019 with the sandwiches, they are worth the try and a tasty addition to an already stellar lineup of offerings from Popeyes.
Purchased Price: $5.99
Size: 12 count
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12 nuggets) 450 calories, 28 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, 76 milligrams of cholesterol, 690 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and 22 grams of protein.
Ooooh Holly thanks for the great review!! Can’t wait to try them. I think I’m eyeing the Mardi Gras mustard dipping sauce.
Nicely done, Holly! Was getting kind of sad about the lack of enthusiasm about these new nuggets, but you’re keeping the hope alive. Definitely hoping for a spicy option in the future, since Popeyes does know their way around some spice.
What’s to be enthusiastic about? I truly do not understand why anyone would order any chicken item from Popeye’s that’s not their spicy fried chicken. Or maybe the chicken sandwich. I’ve heard it’s very good, but I wouldn’t know. I’ve never eaten it. Also, their chicken fingers are really bad, IMHO, so I would be hesitant to try their nuggets. I do love the Mardi Gras mustard, though. 😀
I finally tried their chicken sammer on July 4th because it came free in the app with purchase, and I gotta say, not worth it. Had two bites and called it a day.
THANK YOU. All I could think is Mardi Gras Mustard.
I just tried to the chicken tenders and was so disappointed at my local one. Worth trying these there? Your’s looked better then Ian K’s, his both times didn’t entice me to get them.
Some of the best chicken nuggets I’ve ever had, it took 20 minutes to get them, but they were excellent!
I sprinkled them with habanero powder and made my own spicy version, but hopefully they will go that way.
These are definitely good — better than the strips which tend to be too thin which can leave them dry — but not sure I’d choose them over the sandwich, which is priced the same as the 8 piece. Although the variety of dipping sauces does add an extra something to the nuggets side. Btw, blackened ranch is awesome but if you aren’t getting mardi gras mustard as well, you aren’t living.
Great comment!
Just tried them for lunch; Chick-fil-a (and probably KFC) has NOTHING to worry about. The nuggets, while a decent size, were very bland anf flavorless, not even up to par withe the mild chicken flabor. The sauce helped them but I didn’t even eat my full order. Won’t be buying them again.