Review: The Popeyes X Hot Ones Menu Will Satisfy Spice Newbies And Aficionados Alike

Well, it's that time again, folks: Popeyes has yet another new menu release, and this one is catered specifically to spice lovers. If you've ever dreamt of eating alongside your favorite celebs on YouTube hit "Hot Ones," now's your chance. Popeyes and Hot Ones are joining forces to bring consumers four new chicken offerings, each with varying spice levels, guaranteed to test even the most fortuitous palate. This isn't the first time Hot Ones has partnered up with a popular food brand, and it likely won't be the last, so that begs the question: How does this one stack up?

I got to try three new offerings promptly upon their release and will give you my verdict of each below. All are available starting September 15, and it's not clear how long they'll stick around, so spice lovers should be sure to try them while they have a chance — among them is a "Last Dab" hot sauce packet (dubbed "Extremely Hot") that I didn't taste, but is sure to tantalize spice lovers. I'll be blunt and say I was scared for this taste test — I famously am not great at tolerating spice, but I've always had a morbid curiosity as to how I'd do with the sauces featured on Hot Ones. So, I suppose now's my chance to test my limits. Keep reading to see how I handled it. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

First up is the Popeyes x Hot Ones mildest offering in the lineup, its Sizzlin' Sriracha Dippers. The chicken dippers are marinated in pickled garlic sriracha, and served with both a buttermilk ranch cup and a packet of sriracha. I mixed some of the sriracha and buttermilk ranch to get the full experience before digging in (and, admittedly, I appreciated the ranch to help cool my tongue). 

The dippers alone have a very subtle pickled flavor that opens up to some heat towards the end of the bite, and I was admittedly surprised that they don't look any different from the chain's standard dippers. If you really want to light up your taste buds, the included sriracha sauce is a necessary add-on. That said, I still found this extremely tolerable — it was good to me, but I expect it might disappoint those looking for more spice in their meal.

If you want to try something off the new menu and are scared of heat, this is your best bet, especially since you can adjust the amount of sauce to your liking. I did really enjoy the pickled flavor of the chicken and the sriracha, which introduced a welcome tangy element to the item. 

On the heels of the mild offering is a Smokin' Rojo Sandwich, the item in the lineup with a so-called "medium" level of spice. As a huge fan of Popeyes' chicken sandwich, I was excited to try this one, though trepidatious at the prospect of more spice. This sandwich is the standard chicken sandwich from Popeyes, but with the addition of Hot Ones' Los Calientes Rojo spread. It also comes topped with pickles on a toasted brioche bun. 

This sandwich was my favorite new menu item. It's definitely hot, but the sauce is full of warm, peppery flavor, which I actually found quite inviting. Don't get me wrong — my mouth is on fire as I type this, I'm actively downing a glass of milk, and my nose is running, but I think it's worth it. I'm getting the bright citrus flavors of the signature sauce, crucially supplied by jalapeños and habaneros, which impart both flavor and heat. If you want a bigger intro to spice, this should definitely be a go-to buy, and even though I'm slightly suffering over here, I'll probably get it again while it's available. 

The duo kicks things up a notch with its Darin' Dab Ghost Wings. This menu item is dubbed "Hot" and features Popeyes' Ghost Pepper dry rub wings, which is served alongside a "Last Dab Ranch" dipping sauce cup. You can order these wings bone-in or boneless, and I'll admit to being a bit confused as to why this counts as a separate menu item in the collab — it appears to be the chain's standard ghost pepper wings, just with the addition of a ranch hot sauce cup. 

Nevertheless, this is indeed a hot offering. The wings alone have a subtle spice to them that really gets dialed up a notch when dipped in the sauce. The Last Dab Ranch itself is unassuming at first, and for the first few seconds after eating, I was wholly underwhelmed. Then, spice kicked in almost without warning — it lit a fire in the back of my throat that only kept building as time went on. Milk came in handy, though, I still didn't find it unbearable. It made for a fun little conclusion to my how-much-spice-can-I-stand experiment, though I'm not sure how I would have fared with the Last Dab sauce packet on its own — its combination with ranch made it way more tolerable. 

If Sean Evans were to ask me the question, I would have to say that I think spice lovers will enjoy the Popeyes x Hot Ones menu collaboration. The gradual ramp up is one of the things that makes Hot Ones such an irresistable show to watch, and I appreciate how Popeyes translated that: The menu items offer varying levels of spice to ensure there's something for everyone.  That said, I was still able to enjoy all the items without feeling like I was being tortured. 

The sandwich was an easy favorite, and though I definitely have a bias toward Popeyes' sandwiches in general, the sauce genuinely won me over. It was the perfect combination of spicy heat and full of flavor, a surefire upgrade to your favorite sando.