The great chicken burger that has put Popeyes on the map again
louisiana it is the state of marshes and swamps teeming with alligators. It is the festival of jazz, Creole flavors and miscegenation. It is the land of cotton, of voodoo, of Marie Laveau . Also from Under the weight of the law, from Tremé, from gone With the Wind , from True Detective . Of Ellen Degeneres. And from deep fried . That art of frying everything, from crabs to green tomatoes and, of course, spicy chicken.
And now, the Louisiana restaurant chain specializing in this spicy fried chicken is bringing its recipe to Spain. Popeyes welcomes Europe with three establishments in Madrid : on the Calle Mayor number 38 and in the La Gavia Shopping Center (which will open this Thursday, November 21), and in Plenilunio (where the December 4th ) .
“We prepare our products using only fresh and domestic chicken . We take special care the quality , not only of the raw materials but of the entire process”, commented Ignacio Sedano, brand director of Popeyes for Spain and Portugal , in the presentation of the chain.
Popeyes arrives in Madrid: ode to American spicy fried chicken
The great characteristic of this chicken, in addition to its crispy texture, is the marinade with all the southern flavor . In the Spanish menu, some menus are adapted to the Mediterranean style, including lighter grilled dishes.
Following our traditional recipe, we prepare and coat our products by hand , which distinguishes our chicken for its unique flavour, crunchy on the outside, but maintaining the interior marinade and all its juiciness”, adds Ignacio Sedano.
The American menu completes this fried chicken marinated for 12 hours with spices ('Papa Popeye's secret recipe') with essentials from Yankee cuisine such as its mac and cheese . The sides available for sandwiches, they are the mythical Cajun potatoes or the 'Green' salad; for chicken pieces, tenders or mixed boxes, we can opt for Cajun potatoes, Green salad, the delicious Mac & cheese or an ear of corn.
Of course, let's cry: his famous biscuits , a kind of potato "biscuit", is not part of the Spanish menu... at the moment (smells like a future addition, from what the company tells us).
Interior of the Popeyes restaurant on Calle Mayor 38, Madrid
THE BIG BOOM: 'THE POPEYES ONE' CHICKEN SANDWICH
Rivers of ink (and tuist) ran through this sandwich in the United States. Everything, due to the controversy generated by a certain restaurant that he used, for his chicken sandwich menu... popeyes chicken.
The consequences did not make us wait. In an amusing report on the boom of this dish in The New Yorker, Helen Rosner was sympathetic to the owner of the restaurant... Obviously, there was a tremendous lack of ethics in this action but, how not to sin when Popeyes chicken is so delicious?
Now, the burger of the #PopeyesGate , arrives in Madrid adapting the recipe to the Spanish public, under the name of The Popeyes One.
The Kardashians enjoying Popeyes on their private jet
PAST AND FUTURE OF SPICY FRIED CHICKEN
It all started as stories of the 'Great American Dream' usually begin, pursuing a business goal : Al Copeland he wanted, in 1972, to compete with the Kentucky Fried Chicken chain (the typical regional guerrilla from state to state that here we would do from province to province).
How? With a cajun style fried chicken , respecting those spicy flavors of Tabasco and mixed spices, so from the kitchens of Louisiana. thus was born Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits (which did not refer, initially, to the famous 'Popeye', but to the nickname of the character of The French Connection ) .
After many ups and downs, Popeyes is today a chain that has 3,100 establishments in 25 countries, to which they will now add future openings in Europe. Popeyes is part of Restaurant Brands International, owner of **Burger King or Tim Hortons**.