Popeyes Sweet 'N Spicy Wings Review: This Sweet And Smoky Sauce Has The Kick We Crave

Long before it was fashionable to do so, Popeyes was spicing up fried chicken oh-so-right in Louisiana. Founded by Al Copeland in 1972, the chain not only popularized spicy fried chicken for the rest of the nation, but the popularity also spread around the world. Now in its 5th decade, Popeyes isn't resting on its laurels and instead continues to up its spicy game. The chain periodically introduces new items with flair and some with a lot of heat — for those who dare. Popeyes' Ghost Pepper wings returned to the menu in early 2023, and now joining them on the ordering board for a limited time only are some saucy-looking Sweet 'N Spicy Wings.

Using the start of football season as a calendar launching pad, and channeling the essence of sweet and spicy Southern grandma as seen in its ad campaign, the Sweet 'N Spicy Wings are here and ready to make a quick name for themselves. Are these new wings sweet and neat, or too spicy and a bit dicey? We ran out the door and hit up our local Popeyes to find out... to chew and review!

Popeyes' Sweet 'N Spicy Wings come in typical small wing flats or drumettes sizes. We're not sure how the wings were supposed to look when presented to customers, but based on the photo hanging on the window of the location we were at, they were supposed to be doused in sauce. Ours were not doused in sauce. They just looked like... small wings. The wings are surrounded by the usual brilliant, extra-crispy skin trimmings Popeyes is renowned for, and underneath lies succulent meat, but not much of it.

But in that sauce — therein lies the rub! We didn't douse our wings in the Sweet 'N Spicy wing sauce to match the idealized version as advertised, we chose to dip them for far less of a mess. The orangish-red, gooey sauce was akin to Trader Joe's Sweet Chili Sauce and was so darn good, that we almost ran out of it before our last wing took the plunge. It hit the right combination of sweet and smoky, and had hints of garlic and ginger, making it the perfect companion to our wings.

A list of ingredients was not readily available at the time of review, but Popeyes lists its wings as "crispy chicken wings hand battered and breaded." The Sweet 'N Spicy Wing Sauce is also a mystery of ingredients, but is noted to have a hot spice level, and consists of "a sweet and spicy blend of chili, garlic, and ginger."

In a serving of six wings, there are 790 calories, as well as 38 grams of total fat, 195 milligrams of cholesterol, an astounding 2,980 milligrams of sodium, 36 grams of sugar, and 67 grams of carbohydrates. The bright spots are the 2 grams fiber, and 45 grams of protein. For an order of 12 pieces, the above numbers simply double. The Sweet 'N Spicy Wing Sauce side sauce is 70 calories and has 390 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, and 14 grams of sugar.

The Sweet 'N Spicy Wings launched at Popeyes nationwide on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. The wings will be around for a limited time only, but will most likely be in stores until at least National Grandmother's Day on October 8th, as the company will be giving away greeting cards at select locations in Los Angeles, New Orleans, and New York almost two weeks in advance, leading up until the big day.

While prices may vary, an order of six wings starts at $5.99 and the 12-piece starts at $11.49. The wings can be turned into a combo with a side and drink, or a dinner, which just includes a side. Orders can be customized to include additional dipping sauces, which run the gamut of buttermilk ranch to wild honey mustard to even cocktail sauce.

The wings can be ordered at the counter, in-store kiosks, or drive-thru at Popeyes, where available. Using the handy Popeyes app allows for advanced ordering, easy customization, and the option for money-saving deals and coupons. Depending on your location and proximity, delivery from DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates, and Uber Eats is available.

While it has been enjoyable to watch Popeyes expand its fried offerings these last few years, we have to admit that this may be one of the top items to be released. While the Sweet 'N Spicy Wing Sauce was given to us in a nondescript, closed-lidded, little plastic soufflé cup, we think something this good is worthy of packaging as beautiful as it tastes. We also think it should stick around well beyond Grandparents' Day and this football season. 

If full-sized chicken, nuggets, or tenders are your order of the day rather than wings, you don't need to think twice about a dipping sauce. Ask for the Sweet 'N Spicy Wing Sauce by name, just can just hold the wings.