Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen will add the Blackened Chicken Sandwich to its U.S. menus following successful tests at select locations in 2021.
The Blackened Chicken Sandwich, available in both classic and spicy, is similar to the quick service chain’s Blackened Chicken Tenders. It features a non-breaded chicken breast slathered in seasoning and served with mayonnaise and pickles on a brioche bun and retails for $4.99.
To promote the sandwich, the new Popeyes ad campaign shares the ingredients of the sandwich, daring competitors and fans to “Copy This.”
To the copycats that tried to copy our Chicken Sandwich back in 2019, here are ingredients of our new, breading-free, flavor-full Blackened Chicken Sandwich. Now try to copy us again. #copythis pic.twitter.com/fmUqAfSzwv
— Popeyes (@Popeyes) November 15, 2022
“Our Chicken Sandwich changed the [quick-service restaurant] industry back in 2019, and since then, we’ve continued to innovate within the category to give our guests what they want – even more Chicken Sandwich options,” says Sami Siddiqui, president of Popeyes North America.
“After the immense success of the Chicken Sandwich, we wanted to reinvent the category of traditional grilled chicken sandwiches with our all-new take on a non-breaded option, the Popeyes Blackened Chicken Sandwich. We’re excited for guests to try this delicious new offering, and knowing our history for trendsetting, we have a feeling it may spark some copycat Blackened Chicken Sandwiches down the road.”
Popeyes began quietly testing the Blackened Chicken Sandwich in select markets, including Texas, Pennsylvania and Louisiana, in May 2021.
Fried chicken sandwiches remain popular with consumers following the 2019 chicken sandwich wars. The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich made headlines after selling out less than two weeks after its U.S. launch in August 2019, resulting in a viral Twitter feud with rival chain Chick-fil-A.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Chick-fil-A remain the industry leaders, but at least six other major quick service restaurant chains have added a chicken sandwich to menus since the beginning of 2021.
