by Bottom Line: Popeyes Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich delivers a good quality sandwich for the drive thru, but it could use a little extra heat.
The Chicken Sandwich Wars continue to blaze along with just about everybody putting their own version of a fried chicken patty on a bun. Popeyes remains one of the leaders in this arena, but they continue to change things up to keep people coming back to the drive thru. In fact, just recently they rolled out their new Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich to kick up the heat and tempt lovers of spicy food.
This sandwich includes their spiced and marinated fried chicken fillet, fresh pickles, and a ghost pepper-infused sauce on a brioche bun. It appears to be taking the place of the spicy chicken sandwich that was previously on the menu, as I don’t see that currently available. It is basically the same, though, except that they sub the ghost pepper sauce for the spicy mayo.
To start off with, the chicken fillet on the new sandwich is not as big as usual for Popeyes, and I am going to guess that shrinkflation is involved (which is all about corporate greed). But it still has some heft and a good crunch from the crust. Plus, the meat is tender and flavorful as expected from the spices and marinade (their chicken brings a little kick to begin with, making it some of the best out there in the drive thru). The pickles deliver that nice vinegary pop that we come to expect on a chicken sandwich these days. And they have either upgraded the bun or I got a particularly fresh one because it stood out and helps to bring everything together.
But really, this all comes down to the ghost pepper sauce, which is the new addition and makes it different from the previous spicy version of this sandwich. That has a notable tang without much sweetness, and it also has a hint of smoke along with a nice Cajun kick. I rather enjoyed it and would like it if they added this as one of their dipping sauces.
As for the heat, I would put it a little above Medium on my scale. It does build up the more you eat, and it left some tingling on my lips, but it does not get to Hot. It is a little bit hotter than their previous spicy chicken sandwich which I would put closer to Medium. It is not quite the burn you might expect from something made with ghost peppers, but this is a national chain that caters to the average consumer, so I’m not surprised. This is still a darn good spicy chicken sandwich and one of the best you will find in the drive thru, even if it comes up a little short on the expected heat.
As for the nutrition, this sammy comes up to 631.6 calories (Popeyes is getting very precise on its measurements). That is lower than the 700 cals they clocked in for the previous spicy chicken, and maybe that accounts for the thinner fillet. That is still a bit on the high side for the drive thru (especially when you factor in those 35 grams of fat), but if you choose wisely on your sides you can get out without breaking the calorie bank. The coleslaw is 140 cals, so that’s not too bad. And even the Cajun fries don’t go overboard at 270 cals, so you can splurge a little bit.
The Ghost Pepper Chicken Sandwich is selling for $4.99 in my area, which is pretty good for fast food these days. And I paid just under ten bucks for the combo with a side and a small drink, so this one won’t put too much of a dent in your wallet. It is a limited-time-only item, so you will want to try it pretty soon if it sounds tempting. And once it is gone, I assume they will go back to the previous version of their spicy chicken sandwich, which is still pretty darn good.
Nutrition Info:
Calories: 631.6
Fat: 35g (12g Sat/2g Trans)
Protein: 29.1g
Carbs: 50.3g
Sodium: 1990mg
