It seems that wraps are slowly but surely taking over the world of fast food. The trend McDonald’s started, by wrapping a chicken strip with lettuce, cheese and sauce inside a warm flour tortilla, has been followed by similar items from KFC, Wendy’s and Sonic. Recently Burger King joined the game too, but instead of using chicken they’re offering a breakfast wrap with egg, bacon, cheese and hash browns.

A few days ago, John reviewed the Cheesy Bacon Wrapper from Burger King, and last month I reviewed McDonald’s Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap. A couple weeks ago I also reviewed a side order of the same Red Beans and Rice used in this new item.

Now there’s another player in this war of the wraps, as Popeyes has just entered the contest with their brand new “Loaded Chicken Wrap”. After eating it the past two nights in a row, I’m comfortable saying they have a winner on their hands. Featuring a spicy chicken strip, red beans and rice, wrapped inside a cheddar cheese tortilla. This wrap tastes great, and it’s filling, with more food than a snack wrap from McDonald’s.

Don’t adjust your monitor, the tortilla is indeed yellow. Despite the color, it doesn’t actually have a very strong cheese flavor, and I was hoping for a bit more cheddar goodness. That’s my only real complaint. The chicken is juicy, tender and flavorful, with a crisp breading on the outside. It has a slightly spicy kick, and the strip itself is a good size. The red beans and rice are very good, a great compliment for the chicken, and make this wrap surprisingly hearty and satisfying for being relatively small.

On both occasions, there was plenty of red beans and rice surrounding the chicken, creating a noticeably bigger, thicker wrap than some of the competitors offer. They’re wonderful as-is, without any sauce, but I found that adding Popeyes hot sauce (which comes in small packets) pushed these over the top into mouthwatering territory.

The new Loaded Chicken Wrap from Popeyes is excellent. Not just another wrap, but something with a unique flavor and combination of ingredients. Like the Chipotle BBQ wrap from McDonald’s, I enjoyed every bite and wanted more. They’re both great, and I’d have trouble picking one over the other, though Popeyes has an edge in size.

Price: $1.49 / Website: Popeyes.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Popeyes, Loaded Chicken Wrap.

The company has not yet published the nutrition information for this new item. Fast Food Critic makes a point of including the nutrition facts with every food review, and will update this once the facts become available.

When I was a child, my Grandmother would often prepare red beans and rice. She made it because we liked it, but also because the ingredients were inexpensive and easy to purchase in bulk. Money was tight and it was a great way to stretch the dollar. It’s a simple dish, and it’s filling. As Grandpa said so often - it sticks to your ribs.

Popeyes version of this classic is not as tasty as what Grandma used to make, but it’s still pretty good. Long grain rice is cooked and seasoned with salt, onion, garlic and paprika. It’s smothered with red kidney beans and a sauce made with pork-fat that’s been cured with (among other things) brown sugar and natural smoke flavors.

In my experience, the rice is always cooked right, firm on the outside and tender on the inside. The beans are plump and hearty, but sometimes there’s not as many ‘whole’ beans as I’d prefer. The sauce is thick and has a good smokey flavor, but unlike many of Popeyes items it’s not spicy at all. Those with a preference for the hotter side of the menu will likely find this rather bland. That’s just the nature of the dish.

For instance, one time I ate several pieces of their spicy chicken beforehand, after which the beans and rice barely made an impact on my taste buds. Again, this is not Popeyes fault, it’s the dish itself. If you really want to get the most enjoyment from this, I suggest not eating anything spicy with it. Allow yourself to appreciate the soft and subtle flavors on their own. A big bowl will make a wholesome satisfying meal.

If I had one request, it would be for some cornbread to go with it. That’s the way I grew up eating. We would dunk it, and sometimes just break it up and mix it all together. But alas, Popeyes does not have cornbread on the menu. Their buttermilk biscuits are very good, and do a decent job as a substitute, but it’s not the same. If you’ve ever had beans and rice with cornbread, you know it’s a match made in heaven.

Popeyes Red Beans and Rice has a pleasant mellow flavor, and does a fairly good job of recreating the taste I loved growing up in the South. If you’re like me, and you ate the same (basic) dish for years, it will make you feel right at home. But if you’ve never been satisfied by such simple food, it’s unlikely to impress or change your mind.

Price: $1.99 and $3.99 / Website: Popeyes.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B

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Nutrition Facts - Popeyes Red Beans and Rice (regular).

Calories - 320
Calories from Fat - N/A
Total Fat - 19 grams
Carbs - 31 grams
Saturated Fat - 6 grams
Trans Fat - 0 grams
Cholesterol - 20 milligrams
Sodium - 710 milligrams
Protein - 10 grams

Onion Rings from a Chicken place? Yep, and they’re great!

You knew I wasn’t going to stop with those awesome Cajun Fries, and it just so happens Popeye’s also serves terrific onion rings. They’re not a regular menu item, and not all stores have them. Count your blessings if your local restaurant is one that does. I prefer these crunchy rings of onions to those at Whataburger, and their every bit as good as the Sonic versions I’m very fond of. They are coated with a thick batter which flakes away and crumbles with each bite. It’s a tasty mixture, plus it has a little something extra — a trace of the mild cajun spices from their other foods.

The onions are cut thin to medium-thick, perfect in my opinion for sweet flavor without being overpowering. They’re firm and juicy inside, not slimy. Despite being frozen, I’d swear they taste as fresh and flavorful as Sonic’s made from scratch rings.

Sizes generally range from large to extra large. Popeye’s even numbers the rings in each order, 6-piece or 10-piece. I’m not accustomed to seeing onion rings counted and labeled in such a way, like chicken pieces, but that’s not a problem. These are clearly a high quality product, and cost more to produce than some other options available. Each circle of crunchy, sweet, spicy onion goodness has value and worth in this system. You have to respect that. They’re proud of their rings.

The Onion Rings from Popeye’s are fantastic. I’m happily surprised. A chicken place is not where I typically expect to find onion rings, much less such delicious ones. It’s rare to see a chain who does both Fries and Rings so well. Good work Popeye’s.

Price: $1.99 (6-piece) / Website: Popeyes.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Popeye’s Onion Rings.

The company has not published nutrition information for this item. Fast Food Critic makes a point to supply the nutrition facts with with each review, and will update this once the info is available.

Popeye’s is often overshadowed by fast food chicken giant KFC. With 11,000+ stores compared to only 1,800 for Popeye’s, it’s no wonder. But while they finish a distant second in the numbers game, their neck and neck on quality. The menus and flavors are distinctively different, but the smaller chain based in New Orleans can hold it’s own against the Colonel, and in some cases win. One example is fries.

KFC has potato wedges which are decent enough, but they are too thick and soft to be eaten like regular fries. Popeye’s wins this category hands down, but not just because their fries are more typical in size and shape. They win because their Cajun Battered variety of the classic potato side order is delicious and awesomely satisfying.

Perhaps the most flavorful non-curly fries on the fast food market. The potatoes are cut medium-thin, and the skins are left on. The batter is put on thick, and loaded with mild spices. A freshly cooked order has the perfect balance of crispy tasty coating outside with tender warm potato inside. They definitely come closer to french fry nirvana than anything I expected from a chicken place. Indeed — damn good fries!

Seasoned fries don’t always work too well with ketchup or sauces, but these do. The flavor is terrific on it’s own, and it doesn’t need anything else, but it’s not so strong that it prevents other flavors from joining in the fun. It’s spicy, but mild and subtle.

I attempted to find out what exact seasoning is used, but they won’t tell me. I’m sure there’s garlic, pepper and paprika, but that’s where my search hit the magic ingredient simply known as “spices”. They aren’t about to give away the secret recipe, and of course that’s to be expected. I must remind myself of the line which exists between good journalism and being a nosy pain in the rear. I’m just here to review food.

The Cajun Battered Fries from Popeye’s are excellent. They’re delicious alone, and they also get along nicely with ketchup and BBQ sauce. But once you eat the first one, it’s rare the others last long enough to worry about choosing a dipping partner.

Price: $1.69 / Website: Popeyes.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A

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Nutrition Facts - Popeye’s Cajun Battered Fries.

Calories - 310
Calories from Fat - N/A
Total Fat - 17 grams
Carbs - 35 grams
Saturated Fat - 7 grams
Trans Fat - 1.0 grams
Cholesterol - 7 milligrams
Sodium - 660 milligrams
Protein - 4 grams

Popeyes Chicken is having a video contest, and anything goes! The contest is open to everyone, and you’re asked to upload a 30 second video showing off your unique skill or talent. It doesn’t matter if you sing, dance, or spray seltzer down your pants. Just make sure it’s suitable for family viewing. They have created a new website for the promotion called BonafideChicken.com. The video with the most online votes will receive the Grand Prize: A 3-day trip for you and a guest, to one of the following cities: New Orleans, New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Vail, Los Angeles, or Miami. Also included in the Grand Prize: A 8GB iPod Nano, and Free Popeye’s food for a year.