Popeyes to bring popular spicy chicken sandwich to Windsor

The fried chicken sandwich that caused a frenzy of demand in the U.S. last year is finally coming to Canada — and Windsor will be one of the early test markets.

This week, the Canadian wing of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen announced that the fast food chain’s wildly popular Spicy Chicken Sandwich is making its debut in Alberta this month.

And after chicken fans in Edmonton, Red Deer, and Grande Prairie have had a taste of the sandwich, the next cities where it is expected to be available are Windsor and London.

Rob Manuel, general manager of Popeyes Canada, said the sandwich was originally going to be launched in Windsor and London at the same time as the Alberta markets, but COVID -19 conditions changed those schemes.

Even now, Ontario’s emergency orders are having an effect on Popeyes Canada scheduling: While dates have been announced for the Spicy Chicken Sandwich rollout in Alberta, the dates for Windsor and London are dependent on when each city will proceed to Stage 3 of the province’s reopening plan.

Still, Windsorites should see the Spicy Chicken Sandwich as a menu item at the two Popeyes locations in the region (1375 Huron Church Rd. and 2854 Howard Ave.) before the end of the summer.

The sandwich will be launched nationwide in the fall.

Why so much fuss over a piece of fried chicken in a brioche bun? Even Popeyes can’t say.

Introduced in August 2019, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich distinguished itself from other sandwiches on the Popeyes menu with a new buttermilk batter, barrel-cured pickles, and Cajun-style mayonnaise.

Food critics praised the product (The New Yorker magazine said it was “here to save America”) and social media exulted about it.

Demand grew so high and lines became so long that the supply couldn’t keep up — resulting in at least two incidents of violence by irate customers.

In September 2019 in Houston, Texas, a man allegedly drew a firearm in anger at a Popeyes restaurant after he was informed that the location had sold out of the sandwich.

Popeyes sales during that business quarter were reportedly some of the chain’s best numbers in years.