The seeds for Popeyes were planted in 1972, when Al Copeland opened a fast food restaurant called Chicken on the Run in a New Orleans suburb. After switching the recipe to a spicier version and getting the inspiration to rename the restaurant from the movie "The French Connection," Copeland reopened as Popeyes. Today, there are more than 1,000 restaurants across the nation and abroad.
Nutrition Information for Mild Chicken
Popeyes sells chicken in mild and spicy, with or without skin and breading and in either wing, leg, thigh of breast options. Mild chicken wings, legs, thighs, and breasts with skin and breading range from 110 to 150 calories, 9g to 33g of protein, 3g to 8g of carbs, no dietary fiber or sugar, 7g to 20g of fat, no transfat, 2.5g to 7g of saturated fat, 59g to 179g of cholesterol, 690mg to 1130mg of sodium. Mild chicken wings, legs, thighs, and breast with no skin and breading range from 40 to 130 calories, 7g to 25g of protein, 0g to 3g of carbs, no dietary fiber, no sugar, 1.5g to 4g of fat, no trans fat, 0.5g to 1g saturated fat, 50mg to 120mg of cholesterol and 40mg to 620 mg of sodium, according to the company website.
Nutrition Information for Spicy Chicken
Spicy chicken is sold in wing, leg, thigh, breast and strips, with or without breading. Spicy chicken with skin and breading ranges from 100 to 360 calories, 8g to 31g of protein, 3g to 8g of protein, 0g to 1g of dietary fiber, 5g to 22g of fat, 0g to 0.5g of trans fat, 2g to 8g of saturated fat, 71mg to 170 mg of cholesterol, and 230mg to 760mg of sodium. Spicy chicken with no skin or breading has 40 to 150 calories, 6g to 25g of protein, 0g to 5g of carbs, no dietary fiber, no sugar, 1.5g to 4g of fat, no trans fat, 0g to 1.5g of saturated fat, 60mg to 112mg of cholesterol, 125mg to 180mg of sodium, says the company website.
Nutrition Info for Sides
In 2010, Popeyes was offering the following sides: biscuits, french frieds, corn on the cobb, mashed potatoes with or without gravy, red beans and rice, cajun rice, coleslaw, green beans, and cinnamon apple turnovers. Sides range from 100 to 310 calories, 1g to 10g of protein, 14g to 34g of carbs, 1g to 17g of dietary fiber, 1g to 11g of sugar, 1g to 23g of fat, 0.5g to 7g of saturated fat, 0mg to 60 mg of cholesterol, 0mg to 710mg of sodium. The lowest calorie, lowest cholesterol options are green beans, cole slaw and mashed potatoes with no gravy.
Nutrition Information for Louisiana Legends
Lousiana Legends are menu items dedicated to Louisiana style cooking and flavors, these include: chicken sausage jambalaya, smothered chicken, chicken etoufee, and crawfish etouffee. These range from 160 to 220 calories, 7g to 10g of protein, 6g to 25g of protein, 1g to 2g of dietary fiber, 0g to 3g of sugar, 5g to 11g of fat, 1g to 3g of saturated fat, 20mg to 48mg of cholesterol, 640mg to 870mg of sodium.
Healthy Meal Options
For the healthiest meal options when dining at Popeyes, opt for skinless, unbreaded chicken breasts and either salad sides such as green beans and coleslaw or plain mashed potatoes. Louisiana Legends, while high in sodium, are also low in calories and are a suitable option for those on restricted calorie diets.
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