Review: Popeyes - Sweet & Crunchy Tenders

Popeyes' Sweet & Crunchy Tenders feature marinated chicken breast tenders coated in a shortbread cookie breading. Smok'n Pepper Jam sauce is included for dipping.

It cost me $5 for three tenders, a side, a biscuit, and the sauce.

The tenders sported a thicker, crunchier shell with more crags and less flakes than their regular chicken tenders. The pieces were much bigger than I usually get from Popeyes. So much so that I initially thought they gave me an extra tender or two.

Taste-wise, the new tenders were similar to the Waffle Tenders that Popeyes offered before. They're savory with just a very slight sweetness to them. The breading was slightly powdery/gritty though.

The Smok'n Pepper Jam sauce started off with a sweet smokiness that had me thinking "barbecue sauce" but quickly segued into a spicy sweet berry jam flavor that reminded more than a little of Arby's Bronco Berry sauce. It's good for a medium heat for me.

Overall, Popeyes' Sweet & Crunch Tenders turned out pretty well. They're more crunchy than sweet but I think most would prefer that their chicken strips never veer into dessert territory, so it worked out well. I wouldn't have guess it was a shortbread cookie breading though (which might be a good thing).