Popeyes Debuts New Ghost Pepper Wings

Popeyes goes for heavy heat with new Ghost Pepper Wings. Once regarded as the world's hottest pepper (it's now in third place), the ghost pepper measures over 1 million Scoville heat units, or a little over 900 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.

That being said, at least as far as fast food goes, the heat tends to vary in the application (Jack in the Box's ghost pepper ranch sauce earlier this year was definitely not hotter than Tabasco sauce). Popeyes' Ghost Pepper Wings feature bone-in chicken wingettes and drumettes that are marinated for 12 hours in "an exotic blend of peppers" and then battered, breaded, and deep-fried.

They're describing the wings as intense, bold, and spicy, which suggests to me that the wings are hot but not tongue-melting-ly so.

Ghost Pepper Wings come six to an order with a buttermilk biscuit and Buttermilk Ranch sauce for $3.99 for a limited time through January 25, 2014, at participating locations. They can also be ordered as part of a combo meal or 12-piece family meal.