Every Popeyes Chicken Sandwich, Ranked Worst To Best

Known for delicious chicken that is crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, Popeyes was a favorite of the late Chef Anthony Bourdain. After tasting the chicken sandwiches the chain has to offer, it's easy to see why. Fresh-tasting fried chicken is soaked in buttermilk and battered for an extra crispy exterior, which pairs well with the tangy pickles that come on every sandwich.

We tried all of Popeyes chicken sandwiches to see which were the best. There were plenty of options, but most had the same basic ingredients: fried chicken and pickles on a soft brioche bun. The substantial pickles were particularly tangy and thick-cut. The variations were in the mayo, spicy sauce, or super hot ghost pepper sauce, as well as added bacon and cheese. Taste and texture were our top criteria for ranking all of Popeyes chicken sandwiches from worst to best.

We knew the ghost pepper chicken sandwich would be spicy but we weren't prepared for just how much heat the sauce would pack. Ghost peppers rank pretty high on the Scoville Scale, which measures the hotness of peppers, but we expected it to be a bit diluted to appeal to more customers. We were surprised by just how hot this sauce actually was.

The sandwich didn't have a ton of sauce on it, but even the small amount packed a huge kick. You can't customize the amount as you can with some other sandwiches at Popeyes, so you may want to ask for the sauce on the side if you're trying this one for the first time. If you find that it works for you, slather it on. But if you're like us and your eyes start tearing up, you can still enjoy your sandwich sans ghost pepper.

The tangy pickles offset the heat a bit, but not enough to make this a regular staple on our menu. It was hard to enjoy the fried chicken, our favorite part of going to Popeyes, because the sauce was just too spicy. The heat lingered and the more bites we took, the more intense it became. We ended up stopping before we even finished an entire sandwich. If you like your sandwich to be so spicy that it makes your eyes water, this is a good option. But for us, it was too much heat to be enjoyable. 

The ghost pepper chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese isn't for the faint of heart and has a ton of flavor. Not only does it feature Popeyes super spicy ghost pepper sauce but it also includes three strips of bacon and thick havarti cheese, which is known for its superior melting quality. The cheese in particular helped to calm the super hot ghost pepper sauce, although it was still too spicy for us to finish the entire sandwich. 

This sandwich is a limited-time offering (as is the regular ghost pepper chicken sandwich), so don't expect it to stick around for good at Popeyes. If you really like the taste of spicy ghost peppers, make sure to try this sandwich before it's taken off the menu. If you want a more manageable amount of heat with your meal, stick with the spicy classic chicken sandwich instead. We liked this option with bacon and cheese a little bit more than the standard ghost pepper version, but it was still not a sandwich that we would order again.

The spicy chicken sandwich version of the classic Popeyes chicken sandwich has spicy mayo added to the brioche bun. It has a hint of heat that works well for those who like a little bit of spice but don't want to go all the way to the ghost pepper level. The spicy mayo also makes a nice dipping sauce for Popeyes cajun fries, which are beloved for the same smoky spice blend.

This is another sandwich that benefits from ordering the mayo on the side so that you can decide just how much you want to put on it. You can ask for light, medium, or extra mayo on the sandwich itself if you want to further customize. We went with regular and it was a good balance of creaminess to spice, without overpowering the crispy chicken or vinegary pickle. Our one gripe is that the pickle is placed right on top of the mayo, so it can slide around a bit as you eat the sandwich. Overall, this was a solid choice that gave us just enough heat to enjoy without going overboard, but wasn't as good of a sandwich as some of Popeyes other options.

You can add bacon and Havarti cheese to any of Popeyes sandwiches to add extra flavor. This version takes the classic chicken sandwich and gives it an upgrade with these two ingredients plopped between the toasted brioche bun and the crispy fried chicken. 

The cheese is more prominent and thicker than the bacon, which didn't add as much flavor as we expected. Maybe it was just the particular pieces of bacon that we ended up with, but they weren't very salty, which was what we hoped for. The sandwich included three strips just like the other bacon and cheese menu choices, but the pieces we got were on the smaller and thinner side. Compared to chicken sandwiches with bacon we've tried at other fast food chains, this one had much more cheese than bacon. Still, we did really like the thick-cut pickles with the cheese, which was well balanced with the crispy chicken. This sandwich would have ended up higher on our list if the bacon was thicker, and the bacon-to-cheese ratio had been more equal.

Popeyes pairs salty bacon, melted slices of Havarti, and spicy mayo for a fantastic flavor trio on the spicy bacon and cheese chicken sandwich. This version had the crispy, salty bacon that we hoped for previously, although we had to adjust them on the sandwich to keep everything from falling out. Once we rearranged them, the sandwich was a tasty option that had the right amount of creamy cheese, crispy bacon, crunchy fried chicken, and vinegary pickles. 

Like with the standard spicy chicken sandwich, you can get light, regular, or extra amounts of spicy mayo to customize it to your preference. We went with regular and it was the right amount for us. The addition of the spicy mayo paired with all of the other ingredients made this a great offering with bacon and cheese. We rated it just slightly above the classic chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese because the spicy mayo gave it a bit more depth.

If you want something without a ton of frills that is still delicious, try Popeyes classic chicken sandwich. It is super crispy and comes with mayo and pickles. The bun is toasted, adding a slight crispiness to each bite; this texture was more noticeable in this sandwich due to its simplicity. This is the menu item that is most similar to chicken sandwiches offered at other fast food chains known for their popular chicken sandwiches, so we'd recommend going with this option if you're new to Popeye's.

Our favorite part of going to Popeyes is the chicken and this sandwich highlights that ingredient. It's seasoned with a special blend that gives it a savory flavor with just a hint of spice. The chicken has an extra crispy exterior, which can be a bit flaky, but we personally liked the bites with extra breading. 

We've ordered this sandwich in the past and the mayo was slathered on too thickly, but the one that we got for this test was just right. You can ask for your condiments on the side and put them on yourself if you really want to control how much mayo is on your sandwich. If you prefer a naked sandwich, just ask to omit this condiment. A no-mayo sandwich comes in at just above 500 calories.

Three slices of bacon hold up to flavorful barbecue sauce on Popeyes golden barbecue bacon and cheese sandwich. Like the other bacon and cheese options, it includes thick pieces of Havarti cheese. The three bacon strips were evenly placed and the crispiest of all the bacon that we got on our sandwiches, which just goes to show you that the quality of this particular ingredient can be hit or miss. 

This was the sandwich we expected to like the most but it trailed just behind our number one choice because the bacon and cheese took the focus away from the crispy chicken. The cheese is right on top of the chicken, which helps it melt into the sandwich better, but it also covers some of the crispiest bits. The flavor was great but we preferred the texture of the chicken without cheese. However, the chicken was still delicious and the golden barbecue was our favorite sauce, so we were happy with this option.

The golden barbecue chicken sandwich has barbecue honey mustard slathered on the bun under the same crispy chicken as the other sandwiches. The barbecue sauce had a slight hint of heat but not enough to make us run for a glass of milk. It was very subtle and paired well with the sweetness of the honey. We'd compare it to a smokey and mustardy Carolina gold barbecue sauce. The amount was just right and the flavor worked great with the other ingredients, making this our favorite sandwich out of all those we tried.

The chicken was still the star of this sandwich, which is what gave it a slight edge over the similar golden barbecue sandwich with bacon and cheese. This version has our favorite trio — crispy chicken, tangy pickles, and a balanced sauce — without the distraction of cheese and bacon. Overall, this sandwich had the best taste and texture to make it rise to the top of our list.

We first tried Popeyes 19 years ago and the super crispy hand-battered buttermilk fried chicken made quite the impression. So we already knew that we liked the chicken, which is featured on each of the sandwiches at the fast food chain. When tasting, we focused on the condiment and topping options, as well as how well they worked with the chicken.

We tried all of Popeyes chicken sandwiches side by side to get the best comparison. We looked at taste and texture, paying close attention to the special sauces. Our favorites let the chicken remain the most flavorful ingredient but complemented its crispiness with a creamy texture, rich flavor, or tangy taste. We also love the pickles and chicken combo, so the sandwiches that let these elements shine rose to the top of our rankings.

Popeyes has a few spicier options, which we got to compare to determine which had a good amount of spice and which were too hot to handle. We also made note of how much mayo or sauce we'd recommend since getting the right balance of these extras is key to having the perfect Popeyes chicken sandwich.