Popeye's Fried Chicken Copycat

Submitted by Kana K.

"This recipe started very similarly to a copycat, however, with the help of some great commenters, With the help of others have modified this recipe to where it has nothing to do with his anymore. Special thanks to Navarro and elainerivhaywood- This recipe works best in a dutch oven or a deep fryer for that crunch everybody wants. Also make sure the chicken and batter are cold for better adhesion."

 

• Ready In: 40mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 1-2

ingredients

• 1 chicken, with skin cut up (Popeye's uses Tyson brand)
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
• 6 cups vegetable oil
• 2⁄3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 3 eggs
• 1⁄2 cup milk

directions

1. Mix all ingredients except the oil, flour, paprika, and eggs & milk, marinate overnight in an airtight container.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, peppers, and paprika.
3. Break the eggs into a separate bowl and beat until blended slowly adding the milk.
4. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg and milk mixture, then coat generously with the flour.
5. Once the chicken is coated, place on a rack to allow the pieces to dry, 20 to 30 minutes. Allowing the pieces to dry will provide for more even browning of the chicken.
6. To fry, heat oil in dutch oven or deep fryer to medium. Place the chicken pieces in the oil, skin side down, one piece at a time. Leave enough space between pieces so that they are not crowded. This allows the pieces to cook and brown more evenly.
7. Continue to cook over a medium heat, turning until all sides are golden brown and the meat is cooked thoroughly.
8. When the pieces finish cooking, they should be removed and placed on a paper towel to allow grease to drain.

Reviews

[nevaro]

For everyone saying that this doesn't taste like real Popeye's chicken, I can tell you all why. I used to work at Popeye's many years ago when I was high school. There are 2 main discrepancies in this recipe which are: (1) How to Season and (2) How to Fry the chicken. I personally seasoned the chicken on may occasions, and although it was prepackaged from the main New Orleans warehouse, it had a LOT of cayenne pepper. We used long rubber gloves to mix the seasoning with the chicken. I'd still end up with seasoning on my upper arms and they would burn for hours afterwards. My eyes would burn as well from the fumes. This recipe calls for a teaspoon of cayenne, but you'll need to, at the very least, double that. I'd say you'd want to triple it to 3 teaspoons. I also remember a faint vinegar smell to the chicken as well while seasoning, so it was either Tabasco sauce or just plain vinegar. I'd wager it was Tabasco, though. How much Tabasco to use? You'd have to experiment. We also would let the chicken sit overnight in the cooler in storage bins to marinate the seasoning, and that is key as well. Not sure if it makes any difference, but we always used Tyson brand chicken, which many grocery stores carry. As for frying, the batter was actually a light milky color, not straight eggs and seasoning. I'm not sure what made it milky, but I'd guess it was (surprise!) milk. It may have been cream, also. Again, you'd have to play with it to get it right. I do know the batter and the flour was seasoned as well. I'd bet you could use the same seasoning on the chicken, minus the Tabasco, for the flour and then add the seasoning and Tabasco to the batter. I do know for sure that we double-battered the chicken. This gives it the really thick, crispy crust we all love! For those who aren't familiar with a double-batter, it's simply dipping the chicken in the batter and flour, shake and then repeat your batter dip again. Remember to shake the chicken after each dip! We used round wire baskets with a wire handle to put the chicken in for battering. This allowed for quick dipping, shaking, dipping and then a final shake in just a few seconds. We never waited to put the chicken in the grease after battering. I'll also add that since the chicken is double-battered, you may want to increase the heat somewhat, or you may end up with soggy, undercooked chicken. Hope this unveils a bit more of the mystery of how to make Popeye's fried chicken! P.S. I know everyone loves Popeye's biscuits, and I do too, but if you knew what was in it, you may think twice. The recipe is about 1/2 shortening for the mix :). I think each biscuit is around 500 calories, so tread lightly (pun intended!).

 

[Cochise]

This is great,but I made one little change that made all the difference in the world! I added I TBSP of Old Bay seasoning to the flour mixture. What a taste sensation!

 

[Chef Ali L]

Good stuff! Golden brown, crispy, great flavor! For those of you that need temps and times: 350 degrees worked great. Cooked the dark meat about 14-16 minutes. Light meat about 10-12. Kept it hot in a 200 degree oven while I cooked french fries. Thanks a bunch!

 

[elainerivhaywood]

Like Nervo I worked @ Popeye's. I worked my way up to District Manager. They also left out the cumin, (secret ingredent). Yes, Nervo, there is milk in the batter mixture. Plus, if anyone wants the chicken to be crunchy remember it has to be cold chicken, cold batter, & sifted flour. Also, cooking the chicken in a skillet won't do. You need to use a good Dutch oven or a deep fryer to make it crunchy.

 

[Twiggyann]

We like spicy foods and I've never had Popeye's so I personally can't comment on its similarity to that (My husband did say that it wasn't similar at all to Popeye's) . However, instead of having a well rounded spicy taste, the flavor was dominated by the white pepper, making it one dimensional and lacking in interest. <br/><br/>Overall the taste wasn't bad, but it's not a recipe I would try again.