Popeyes' Brand New Blackened Chicken Sandwich Is Officially Available

If you're ever craving a chicken sandwich, Popeyes is probably one of the first places that come to mind. The fast-food chain cemented its reputation as the go-to chicken sandwich joint back in August 2019 when it introduced its now iconic menu item — a sandwich made with fried chicken breast, pickles, and a choice of mayo or Cajun sauce. Shortly after the release of this chicken sandwich, rival chain Chick-Fil-A started a Twitter war claiming its own sandwich was better, and once the exchange went viral, customers began flocking to Popeyes to get a taste of the new sandwich, prompting a temporary chicken sandwich shortage (via CBS). Other fast-food franchises, including McDonald's, Wendy's, and KFC, took this opportunity to release their own versions, but only Popeyes' chicken sandwich was apparently tasty enough for people to start physical fights over (via CNN).

Following the success of its chicken sandwich, in a May 2022 press release, Popeyes announced it would be releasing another one. The limited edition buffalo ranch chicken sandwich featured buffalo ranch sauce instead of Cajun or mayonnaise, but still contained the breaded fried chicken breast people loved in the original. For its newest sandwich, however, Popeyes is pushing aside its signature fried chicken in favor of blackened chicken instead.

Popeyes may be best known for its fried chicken, but its blackened chicken could soon steal the spotlight. Starting November 15 at participating restaurants, Popeyes is selling a new chicken sandwich featuring blackened chicken, a recipe that took four years for the company's culinary team to develop, according to People. 

As Popeyes shared with the outlet, its limited edition chicken sandwich is made with a traditional Louisiana-style cooking technique called blackening. Per Food Network, this involves coating meat first in butter, then in a layer of a dark brown or black spice blend before cooking it in a skillet, grill, or oven. According to People, Popeyes accomplishes similar results by soaking the chicken breasts for 12 hours in a marinade made with a special Cajun and Creole seasoning. Unlike Popeyes' original sandwich, the chicken isn't breaded or deep-fried and is instead simply cooked and topped with pickles and either spicy or classic mayo.

Though it's a different style of chicken than fans might be used to, Popeyes seems confident it's still delicious enough to start another chicken sandwich war. "Now try to copy us again," the chain warned on Twitter. Only fans can determine just how good the blackened chicken sandwich is, so just make sure to get yours before it sells out.