Popeyes picked a perfect point to present its Pickle Menu to the public. Pickle is in! I could parade a profusion of pickle-flavored products that we’ve published about. However, it would take a profound probing in every part of this online publication to polish off such a project. If I did, I could probably proclaim that the list would be pretty plenty.
Oh, you think I will write an entire review like the paragraph above?
Please.
Popeyes Pickle Menu features Fried Pickles, Pickle Lemonade, and this Pickle Glaze Chicken Sandwich. Like many previous chicken sandwiches from the fast food chain, it comes with a buttermilk-battered white meat chicken breast and barrel-cured pickles on a toasted brioche bun. The highlight condiment is a tangy and sweet dill pickle-flavored glaze that’s combined with a blend of Louisiana herbs and spices. While all that sounds good, I am plumb disappointed that this had the usual pair of pickles instead of a couple of those fried ones.
Before seeing the sandwich for the first time, I hoped the glaze would be somewhat green, but like Kermit the Frog said, “It’s not easy bein’ green…because of the Louisiana spices.” Thanks to those spices, the glaze is a bit gritty and has a heat that’s somewhere between a regular Popeyes Chicken Sandwich and a spicy one but leans towards the spicy one. Its pickle flavor is somewhat as intense as its spiciness. There’s a nice flavor balance between the sourness from the pickles and the pepperiness from the spices in the glaze, and I think the sandwich would’ve still had a pleasant pickle flavor without the green accouterments.
While the glaze’s flavor was particularly pleasurable, and the chicken’s exterior was perfectly crunchy, the portion of poultry I was presented with was pretty paltry. Its appearance paled in comparison to the usual poultry portions that Popeyes’ sandwiches put forward. Perhaps it was a piece of bad luck. Nevertheless, the pickle is prominently present, and I wouldn’t pause to purchase it again.
Purchased Price: $7.79*
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 800 calories, 49 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 3 grams of trans fat, 70 milligrams of cholesterol, 200 milligrams of sodium, 60 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 29 grams of protein.
*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.
Talk about the size of chicken portion. Have you seen the Chic-fil-a size? It just keeps going down while the price keeps going up. I will take a Popeye’s every day over the tiny Chic-fil-a.
The new pickle sandwich rocks!
Not sure about Chic-fil-a. Never been there.
However, at Chick-fil-A, the price increase has been relatively low. According to some online receipts I could find, in 2019 a Chicken sandwich was ~ $3.65. Today, the same sandwich is
~ $5.19. Large Waffle Fries were ~ $2.09. Today, they are ~ $2.99.
Popeyes uses their Chicken sandwich as a loss leader and hopes you purchase other things where the markup has become really high. At Chick-fil-A, the increases are smaller in comparison, relatively speaking, but across the board of the entire menu. Except the Chicken Tortilla Soup which always seems outrageously priced.
They’re just two different pricing models. Neither seems overtly wrong or egregious.
I travel a lot for work. And from being to many Popeyes and Chick-fil-A locations all over the continental US, I’ve found that portion size can vary quite a bit at both places. From insanely large to barely adequate at both.
Unfortunately, such is the nature of many fast food establishments. Even at the same exact location, the customer experience can run the gamut.
I’ve found both places will be reasonable and, if questioned about the portion size, will just swap out sandwiches for another.
Applause aplenty for the amazing alliterative acheivement!
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