A couple of the new Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen chicken sandwiches were shared with us in advance of Sunday’s local launch, allowing us to set up a blind tasting in the newsroom. Joining me was Nadine Kam, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s restaurant critic. For comparison, we brought in sandwiches from Jollibee and KFC, chosen because they are both also fried chicken specialists. All the sandwiches sell for about $5.
JOLLIBEE CRUNCH CHICKEN SANDWICH
This is the only one of the sandwiches that came dressed with lettuce and tomato, not necessarily a good thing. I love tomatoes, but usually not in a fast-food sandwich. They are rarely of good quality, and often make for a mushy sandwich. Other than that, the Jollibee sandwich was OK … I’d just order it without the tomato.
Nadine was a big fan of this sandwich, naming it her No. 1. But she also thought it was the KFC sandwich, saying she could detect traces of the famed herbs and spices.
“I had forgotten Jollibee’s chicken buckets are called Chickenjoy, for apparent good reason. The chicken used in their sandwiches is delish, full of far more complex flavor than any of the others. … It had the flavor of a slow-cooked meal.”
You get a choice of sauces (Honey BBQ, Nashville Hot or Buffalo). What you don’t get are the famous 11 herbs and spices. The sandwich is decent, but if I’m going to KFC, I’m going for the best tasting fast food in the world, which also happens to be comfort food from my childhood: We’re talking the finger-lickin’ good stuff, the actual chicken, and maybe some of that ono cole slaw, too.
Nadine described the sandwich as something you’d get for kids — safe, inoffensive, not too bold in flavor. Speaking of kids, KFC has a small slider-type Chicken Little sandwich that might be just right for keiki.
POPEYES CHICKEN SANDWICH (CLASSIC)
The pickles in this sandwich play an important role, dividing the bread elements of coating and bun — bread-on-bread is kind of weird to both of us, regardless of how good the chicken is. In this case those thick, sour pickles between the perfectly buttered brioche bun and the buttermilk chicken coating help make this sandwich a jazz band of flavors. The crispiness of the buttermilk coating contrasts well with the tender, juicy meat and soft but sturdy bun.
Nadine, though, dislikes pickles in sandwiches in general, kind of like me and tomatoes. She says their flavor tends to overwhelm. She didn’t like the contrast between the soft brioche and the crispy coating that I considered a strong point; Nadine discarded the bun and ate just the chicken.
POPEYES CHICKEN SANDWICH (SPICY)
My top choice. What really makes the difference is the mysterious Cajun flavor mix in the sauce … Popeyes’ answer to the Colonel’s secret herbs and spices. It’s easy to see why this sandwich is such a hit nationwide, and I am quite sure it will appeal to most local taste buds.
We both liked the sauce, but suggest getting it on the side. PLEASE, though, don’t make a request like that this Sunday if you’ve got a lot of cars or people waiting behind you on Opening Day. Instead of chicken, you could end up with beef, brah!
