French Fry Diary 28: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

This one’s for you, Quentin…

First off, I was surprised at the name change. I always thought it was Popeye’s Chicken. I’ve seen signs that say Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits. But apparently it’s really, or at least now it is, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

Louisiana Kitchen does make a little bit of sense as the franchise started in New Orleans as Chicken on the Run. An additional fun fact is that the name comes from Gene Hackman’s character in The French Connection not the cartoon character. Although, that said, how one lends itself better to the name of a fast food franchise over the other is just beyond me.

But enough about that, you want to know about the favorite fried food, right? Their official name is Cajun Fries, or on the website, Cajun Battered Fries. Yeah, that about says what you need to know, doesn’t it? Popeyes Louisiana fries are natural cuts, thinner than standard straight regular cuts but not as thin as shoestrings. They are battered and deep-fried for that extra-extra-crispiness, and then heavily seasoned. They are actually very similar to Checkers fries.


The crispy factor, brought on by the battering, leads to lots of small pieces that are either all crunch and no potato, or just simply inedible. It also makes microwaving or reheating later after you’ve been home a while an exercise in futility. Only the full fries will make it through that process un-rock-like.

Warnings to heed… while the Cajun seasoning is hot, spicy and tasty – it will also stay with you for a couple days. It’s a heartburn I’m unsure is really worth it. But it is tasty when it first enters your body. Also, at Popeyes, a regular order of fries is the standard fries in paper packet, but a large is a big ass paper box. So unless you want that many Cajun fries, consider yourself warned.

Popeyes also has onion rings. Apparently. When I inquired about them I was told they didn’t have them. When I asked about the sign depicting the onion rings that was right next to the counterperson, I was told, “Oh, that’s just a sign.”

Ooookay.


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