Love that Chick-Fil-A killer from Popeyes
Someone has finally solved the problem that is THAT sandwich.
I’d call Popeyes Chicken a dirty secret if it had anything to be ashamed of; except for the barely acceptable meh-ness of most of their sides and the fact that it feels like company policy not to offer you a honey packet with your biscuit unless you ask, they serve some of the most satisfying, consistently delicious chow you can get in a drive-thru, and among the chicken-centric national chains, are widely regarded by just about everyone as the best in the category.
But that hasn’t prevented a certain sanctimonious, homophobic restaurant group serving undeniably popular (and tasty) sandwiches from becoming the third highest-selling chain in America, behind only McDonald’s and Starbucks, with their single store sales roughly doubling what McD’s locations make.
Nothing in their restaurant design, products or marketing makes Chick-Fil-A’s defacto support of bigotry obvious. And the long lines in their locations at lunch and dinnertime reveal that not a ton of people know, or care. But a quick Google search will tell you that behind the funny billboards is a company continuing to donate millions of dollars towards organizations with anti-gay leanings, even after recent controversies forced CFA to change its public stance on the subject. It feels like something akin to the most popular ice cream truck in the neighborhood being run by a quietly menacing Baptist preacher who never yells, condemns or proselytizes while he’s handing you a bomb pop, but everyone in town knows he doesn’t like selling Choco Tacos to THE GAYS. And GOD FORBID you want a Creamsicle on Sunday.
But you already know all this. You’ve been avoiding Chick-Fil-A for years while pining for their sandwiches, which are infuriatingly delicious. You just wish there was SOME WAY to get this tasty, perfectly seasoned chicken-slinging monkey off your back. You wish you’d never tasted those fluffy, crispy waffle fries in the first place. You wish you could go back in time to the moment before you bit into your first CFA sandwich and, underneath that first perfectly sour-sweet pickle chip, tuck a mouthful of ashes.
Which brings us back to Popeyes, and their brand new chicken sandwich.
If the reviews are to be believed, everything you enjoyed about a CFA sandwich — the light, springy bun, the flavorful breading, the pickle chips, the sauces — have been supplanted by Popeyes’ new entry. (They even premiered the sandwich in hilariously cheeky fashion.)
The universe has found a way to lift the burden of this particular crispy, chickeny cross and in so doing, provided a deliciously righteous path forward for people who love their LGBTQ friends more than a tasty sandwich — and now, can love both.
I’ll be giving it a go and providing a review for the next issue.
Maybe I’ll take it to go and eat it next to folks waiting in line at the closest Chick-Fil-A.
A word from Franklin:
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Things you should make:
Someone sent me a link to a recipe for a peach caprese salad, featuring prosciutto and garlic naan and it knocked a five-minute hole in an otherwise productive day which I filled with dreams of thinly draped bites of velvety ham and summer fruit. I’d add a little pickled shallot to this, and maybe pick up a to-go order of naan if you’re in a hurry - but otherwise, it looks easy and satisfying.
Friend, colleague and illustrator of an amazing ramen cookbook Sarah Becan sent me a link to what may be a perfect, on-the-go summer breakfast: yogurt breakfast popsicles.
As far as I can tell, all you need for a stellar vegetarian entree is a sheet pan, that fish spatula, some knife skills, and time. Deb’s black pepper tofu and eggplant looks fantastic.
Links:
From an excellent piece about what crab rangoon actually is:
“ONE THING TO GET OUT of the way is that crab rangoon is not inauthentic, and you should not be embarrassed to order it. American Chinese food is its own cuisine, with its own staples and a reasonably long and fascinating history. There’s a fundamental problem with the concept of authenticity in food, because cuisine is constantly mutating and adapting to new ingredients, new people, new techniques, and new ideas. Mexican food would be completely different without the influence of the Spanish and Arab immigrants and colonists; the tomato is not native to Italy; the chili pepper is not native to Thailand. There are old dishes and there are newer dishes, and that can be an interesting distinction. And there is tasty food and lousy food, but using some concept of authenticity alone as a criteria is a flawed approach.”We’ve all been there: no one is eating your dish at a potluck.
“It’s the adult equivalent of being picked last in sports: that frightening moment when the dish you brought — one you either slaved over or bought last minute in a panic at a grocery store — isn’t being served or eaten at a party.How you handle this may determine whether you’re invited back or banned. You can storm out in a huff and eat your room temperature macaroni salad while crying in the car. Or you can pretend to relax and have a good time while painfully tearing yourself apart inside. In other words, your typical party experience.”
I need to warn you: an upcoming issue is literally going to be ALL ABOUT CHICKEN KATSU. You may wanna do some googling and get yourself ready.
Videos:
Less fussy and slightly more profane than the nerdy team at Bon Appetit, VICE’s Munchies channel is worth your time. And Farideh is smart, funny and knows what she’s doing.
There will also soon be a whole damn issue about sous vide (foolproof steaks! perfect seafood! but also ICE CREAM. HERB EXTRACTIONS.)
Kenji tells you what you should, and should not be worrying about with your burgers.