"popeyes" news and stories

Last week we announced that Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen was taking on the Colonel in a taste test that pitted Louisiana cookin' against Kentucky's finest fried fowl.

This past Monday, Popeyes said that it beat KFC Original Recipe in a national taste test. Well, we just couldn't resist conducting our own.

With over 60 pieces of chicken breasts (we compared only white meat) lining the counters in the AOL kitchen, we asked the office to join us for our own taste test.

See if our co-workers agreed -- is Popeyes fried chicken better than KFC?

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is taking on the Colonel in a taste test that pits Louisiana cookin' against Kentucky's finest fried fowl.

Popeyes, part of AFC Enterprises, will announce the results of a national taste test versus Yum Brands' KFC as part of a campaign kicking off Monday, the New York Times reported.

In addition to the taste test results, the campaign will bring back the "Love that chicken from Popeyes" slogan that the company has used intermittently since the 1970s.

Fortunately for Alabama State University fans, Tyone Rogers, the school's defensive line coach, really likes Popeyes chicken.

On a recent recruiting trip to Memphis, Rogers insisted on a fried-chicken lunch, even though head coach Reggie Barlow opted to eat at McDonald's. When he walked into the restaurant, his Alabama State polo shirt prompted a staffer to ask whether he was affiliated with the football program. The staffer went on to explain that Rogers ought to see a fellow employee's son, Kirby High standout Deion Woods.

Employee Mary Woods was ready with a laptop and a highlights DVD. "Coach Rogers called me and he was like, 'Coach, I don't know where you are, but there's a person over here who says her son is the best in Memphis, and everyone in the restaurant, they're saying the same thing'," Barlow recalled. "He watched the film and was blown away."

The idea for the next big reality television hit may have been hatched over lunch at a Popeye's on Hollywood Boulevard.

Howard Stier, a writer and producer used to taking lunch meetings at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, pitched his latest crime-style documentary series over a Popeye's 99-cent lunch -- two pieces of chicken, legs and thighs only.

The economic downturn has hit Tinseltown, with producers like Stier looking to cut corners whenever they can, including downsizing the power lunch to fast-food restaurants.

Acknowledging that even the most fastidious foodies can't say no to Popeye's spicy fried chicken, Dirty South Wine's Hardy Wallace has made the dish the centerpiece of what he claims is the world's first-ever online food-and-wine pairing competition.

"There are a lot of online wine tastings, but no one ever does pairings," Wallace explains. "As much as I love wine, it's useless without food."

Wallace has recruited five respected wine experts to submit their picks for the best vino to sip with Popeye's celebrated chicken, Cajun-battered fries and red beans and rice. He and 50 friends will sample the selections at a party next Wednesday; While the festivities will be live-streamed from Wallace's house, he's also urging wine-and-chicken lovers to play along at home and report their findings via Twitter.

At stake is the title of Dirty Bird King (or Queen) -- and a lifetime of potentially enhanced Popeye's enjoyment.