This Popeye loves chicken: Authentic flavours of Louisiana

CHENNAI: Fast food chain, Popeyes, recently launched their outlet in Chennai at Phoenix Marketcity. The eatery, which has already gained a lot of popularity among youngsters, is a place that serves authentic Louisiana flavours and Cajun-styled chicken dishes and sandwiches.

Some of their best-sellers are their signature chicken, Cajun fries, chicken sandwich, Cajun onion rings, rice bowl, chicken tenders, chicken popcorn and lots more.

We started off with their signature chicken. The pieces were big and fresh. The meat was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside with the perfect amount of seasoning, making it spicy. The best part about the signature chicken is that it does not try too hard to please and hits the perfect note by retaining the original American recipe.

We then tried their newly-launched smoky pepper chicken. This saucy dish lives up to the name and has a very strong smoky flavour that complements the barbecue sauce. While taking a bite of the chicken, you might bite on some pepper corn which gives the dish an extra edge in terms of spice. On the whole, this dish is hot and spicy!

We also tried another newly-launched dish, sweet chilli chicken, on the menu. Like its name, the dish was sweet. This sauce-coated chicken dish had a unique tang and also had a fading taste of barbecue in it. The dish was innovative and definitely challenges the Indian palate that is used to localisation of Continental flavours. This dish is a must-try.

One dish that steals the spotlight for various reasons is the classic chicken sandwich. The dish has its signature chicken sandwiched in between burger buns with ranch and pickled cucumbers. What is special about the buns are their colour, texture and size. Unlike regular burger buns, these buns are slightly yellow and extremely soft. Soft to an extent that the bun will fall apart if not held properly.

This sandwich has the simplest of ingredients and still manages to top the scale because of its taste. The size of the burger is bigger than a regular whopper burger and is also filling. Try this dish out first if you do not have a good appetite. This is something you do not want to miss.

Their regular Cajun chicken popcorn was exciting and different. The quantity was generous and is also a must-try.

It goes without saying that you need a tasty beverage to wash all of it down with and give one big, satisfying, burp because this place should be on your list for the weekend.