Popeyes became a popular food brand when they launched their chicken sandwich in 2019. The sandwich became so famous that many brands tried to copy it, and McDonald’s is also one of them. No wonder you’ve come across Popeye’s through their world-famous chicken sandwiches.
But if you haven’t tried Popeyes yet, don’t think that the only good thing at Popeyes is the chicken sandwich. Their nuggets, cajun fries, mac and cheese, and red beans and rice are not less delicious.
Did we forget to mention Popeyes sauces?
Well, if we did, you must know that sauces and condiments served at Popeyes are also amazing. This article is for all those who want to know what sauces Popeyes have and generally a lot about Popeyes menu and history.
So let’s get into it without further ado.
What Is Popeyes?
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc., popularly known as Popeyes, is an American food chain with a presence in different regions worldwide. The food chain brand started its operations back in 1972 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The headquarters of the company was situated in Miami, Florida.
The old name of Popeyes was Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits and Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken and Biscuits. At present, a Toronto-based food chain, Restaurant Brands International, has a holding share in the company. Food outlets and restaurants of Popeyes are working in 46 states of America and 30 countries worldwide.
The mild and spicy flavor of the chicken products and sides is a specialty of Popeyes and sauces are also worth mentioning.
Timeline
Let’s walk through different milestones achieved and events that happened over 50 years of Popeyes operations.
As mentioned earlier, the first-time operations of Popeyes started in 1972. Popeyes opened its doors for customers on June 12, 1972, in New Orleans, a suburb of Arabi.
The first name of the restaurant was chicken on the Run. Initially, only the traditional southern fried chicken was served at the restaurant. However, it couldn’t work well for the brand, and it was rebranded as Popeyes under the name of Popeye Doyle.
The brand’s tagline was introduced in 1980 as Love That Chicken From Popeyes. After successfully offering a chicken menu and winning customers’ hearts, Popeyes launched Buttermilk biscuits in 1983.
These biscuits also proved to be a success for the brand. In the year 1984, the global expansion of Popeyes resulted in Canada, and by 1985, Popeyes completed the count of opening 500 outlets in America. It became the No. 3 national chicken chain based on units sold. More menu items were added in the year 1989.
The next decade has a lot of things unveiled for the brand. In 1991, the international outlets were opened in Malaysia. 1992 was followed by AFC(America’s Favorite Chicken Company) acquiring Popeyes.
The marketing look of Popeyes was reformed in 1993, and 1997 marked 25 years of successful operations. In 1999, the annual sales of Popeyes surpassed 1 billion dollars. Besides, 1000 outlets had been opened by the year 1999.
With continuous hard work and sustainability, Popeyes became the No.2 quick-service chicken chain in 2001, and 2002 marked 30 years of restaurant operations. In 2008, Popeyes launched their Bonafide Brand positioning, and the menu was expanded in the year 2009.
It had been a rollercoaster in the last decade for the brand itself. They launched different menu items, opened their 2000th restaurant in Tennessee, and launched a menu for health-conscious people.
The coming years followed Popeyes’ collaboration with Coca-Cola, new items on the menu, and Popeyes’ first annual Love That Chicken month in September 2013. In 2019, the brand launched its Chicken sandwich which became a global sensation among all foodies.
What Sauces Does Popeyes Have?
Let’s get into different sauces offered at Popeyes.
The signature sauces offered at Popeyes are:
BBQ Sauce
The BBQ sauce is an exotic sauce having the pleasing flavor of smoke, spices, and molasses.
Blackened Ranch Sauce
The ranch sauce of popeyes has an overt tanginess from buttermilk ranch sauce but a more exotic flavor of spices.
Tartar Sauce
Tartar sauce is one of its own types. The creamy sauce is just generously flavored with dill pickle relish, parsley, onion, and signature Louisiana seasonings.
Honey Mustard Sauce
The honey mustard sauce of Popeyes is a creamy blend of crushed mustard grains and horseradish.
Chili Sauce
A blend of red chili peppers and the spicy dipping sauce is all that you get in chili sauce.
Buttermilk Ranch Sauce
It is a traditional and exotic sauce made of buttermilk ranch dressing.
The other sauces of Popeyes are:
- Wild Honey Mustard Sauce
- Cajun Cocktail Sauce
- BoldBQ Sauce
- Sweet Heat Sauce
- Creamy Horseradish Sauce
- Creole Cocktail Sauce
- Mardi Gras Mustard Sauce
Menu Items To Enjoy Sauce With
Of course, sauces and dippings are complimentary items to make your main meals more exotic. Let’s have a look at the menu items of Popeyes you can enjoy.
Popeyes Signature Louisiana Leaux
Let’s start with the Popeyes signature Lousiana Linux, a great and exotic naked chicken tender strips. Here is what is included in the menu:
- Kids Naked Tender Meals are perfect kid-sized meals. The eateries included are two naked tenders, a French baguette roll, a zero-calorie drink, and applesauce for your little one.
- The naked chicken is wrapped in cheddar tortilla, lettuce, and pickles, the naked chicken wrap is full of flavor and contains low cholesterol.
- Baked BBQ chicken wraps comprise — two non-breaded chicken tenders served in a French baguette. The seasonings include lettuce, BBQ sauce, and pickles.
- Then comes the naked tenders combo that comprises three naked chicken tenders, green beans accompanied with a toasted French baguette, and a cold drink.
Sandwiches And Wraps
The sandwiches and wrap menu of Popeyes includes the following items:
- The naked chicken wrap is the naked chicken wrapped in cheddar tortilla, lettuce, and pickles
- Naked BBQ Chicken Po’Boy is all about two handcrafted tenders on a French baguette. Dressing includes BBQ sauce, pickles, and a generous amount of lettuce.
- Chicken Po’Boy is a French baguette dressed with pickles, lettuce, and mayo with two handcrafted chicken tenders.
- Shrimp Po’Boy is an exotic wrap in which chicken tenders are replaced with shrimp. Tartar sauce, pickles, and lettuce dressing add to the flavor of this delicacy.
- Chicken Po’Boy is next on the menu that contains everything as in Shrimp Po’Boy but chicken tenders instead of shrimps.
Bonafide Chicken
Popeyes Bonafide Chicken menu is something that is a pure blessing for food lovers. The chicken is marinated for 12 hours and showered with batter and bread crumbs. The bold Louisiana flavor is the signature of the bonafide chicken. Here are different variations you can try on.
- Family Meals comprises 8, 12, or 16 bonafide chicken pieces, Popeyes signature sides, and buttery biscuits. You can order the meals by asking for spicy or mild or a combo of both. Don’t forget to pair up the exotic sauces with the chicken pieces.
- Combos give you the freedom to make combos of bonafide chicken with sides, buttery biscuits, and cold drinks.
- Child Meals comprises one mild-spiced chicken leg, regular fries, and a small drink to fill the appetite of small stomachs.
Side Menu
Signature sides of Popeyes feature the following items:
- Coleslaw is a tangy and crispy treat to pair up with chicken
- Applesauce
- Cajun rice
- Buttery buttermilk biscuits
- Cajun fries
Seafood at Popeyes
You can try the southern-style breaded seafood at Popeyes. The seafood is seasoned with traditional herbs and spices and served with the signature crisp of Popeyes.
Here are some items you can try on:
Popcorn Shrimp is all about Louisiana herbs seasoning enhancing the crispy shrimp breaded in Southern style. You can order signature side and buttery biscuits to enjoy the meal.
Shrimp Po’Boy is a French baguette paired up with shrimp, lettuce, pickles, and tartar sauce.
Popeyes Desserts
We cannot ignore Popeyes’ desserts. Although you can’t enjoy the sauces with the desserts. But it won’t be a bad deal to add sweetness to your plate after the spicy, exotic flavors of the chicken. The sweet delicacies on the menu include:
- Cinnamon Apple Pie
- Mardi Gras Cheesecake
- Sweet Potato Pie
Final Words
We have shared different sauces served at Popeyes and what you should order when visiting a Popeyes outlet or making an online order. Besides, we have shared the history of the food chain.
How they have been serving the chicken lovers for a half-century is commendable, and we hope they will be adding more flavors and items to the menu.