Review: Popeyes' Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich Fails To Live Up To Its Shiny Name
Popeyes' new addition to its chicken sandwich lineup isn't exactly worth its sauce.
The original home of fried chicken sandwich fame has just debuted a saucier offering. Popeyes has released a new addition to its sandwich lineup — the Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich.
Per Popeyes' announcement, the sandwich is made with the chain's usual buttermilk-battered, all-white meat chicken breast, the brand's new Golden BBQ sauce, pickles, and a toasted brioche bun. Customers also have the option to add a slice of Havarti cheese, Applewood-smoked bacon, or other extras for an additional charge. Or, if you're looking for a different experience, Popeyes also offers the Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich with blackened chicken.
Just last month, KFC released a line of Saucy Nuggets, which included a Georgia Gold flavor, which it similarly described as being made with a "honey mustard-style BBQ sauce." But even in the concentrated format of a nugget, KFC's sauce was lacking in flavor. Let's see if Popeyes' new addition takes home the gold for BBQ fried chicken sandwiches.
How the new Popeyes Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich tastes
Interestingly, although Popeyes' website describes the new Golden BBQ sauce as a BBQ honey mustard sauce, the tang of that flavor is not very strong. It appears Popeyes adds the sauce on top of the fried chicken breast, as well as an additional swirl of the sauce on the bottom bun.
While some might prefer their fried chicken to not be swimming in sauce, this is something I've come to expect in a BBQ sandwich. As a new addition to the menu, the sauce of this particular sandwich is meant to shine, so though it might make for a messier bite, it would have been better if the Golden BBQ had more Golden BBQ sauce. From what I can taste, the sauce is a bit sweet but not as tangy as expected.
What is doubly disappointing about my experience with the sandwich is the number of pickles. Call me a stickler, but when you tell me a sandwich includes pickles, I'm expecting at least three slices. This sandwich came with just two sad pickles on the bottom bun. Additional pickles could have helped make up for the missing tang in the Golden BBQ sauce. Take the lack of sauce and the underwhelming pickle ratio, and I might as well have just ordered the original chicken sandwich for the same experience.
In the end, Popeyes knows how to make a good chicken sandwich. After all, this is the chain that ignited the chicken sandwich wars in the first place. However, when the reigning champ of chicken sandwiches decides to expand its repertoire, the expectation is that it's only going to improve its reputation.
Unfortunately, this new Golden BBQ Chicken Sandwich is just alright. The sandwich does nothing to add to Popeyes' lineup. But, if you're in the market for a BBQ fried chicken sandwich that's just a little skimpy on the BBQ sauce, then this one might be worth your while.