Popeyes Cajun Rice
I know there's some Popeyes fans in the SE house, and I'm definitely one of them. The Fried Chicken, Chicken Strips, Cajun Fries and Onion Rings are all very good.
However, the Cajun Rice (aka "dirty" rice) is.... Bleh.
It's dry and bland, almost flavorless, despite (supposedly) having ground beef, chicken gizzards and green onions in the mix. I don't understand this, because I've heard other people rave about how good it was.
The Red Beans and Rice was fine, but the Cajun Rice was just plain bad. I've tried it twice, and cannot see myself ever eating it again, and certainly not recommending it.
Are the Popeyes in my town preparing it wrong?
Has anybody else had this dish? Positive? Negative?
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7 Comments:
Sorry you had a disappointing batch of dirty rice. I really enjoyed it the last time I had it there nearly 15 years ago. :)
The recipe or the distributor may have changed since then. All I recall was that a lot of lard was used. My ex-bf used to leave out 2/3 of the lard in his recipe when he managed one. It didn't affect the taste very much.
On the way back from Wright Patterson AFB (visited the AF Museum), I saw a Popeye's at the London, OH rest stop and really wanted to get some but we always stop by our favorite Japanese restaurant (Hama) in Columbus, so I had to save room in my tummy. Will need to check Popeye's out soon to see if things have changed. I've been hankering for some fresh and spicy fried chicken, which is really rare!
Cassaendra at 2:27PM on 08/17/08
My last Popeye's might very well be my last Popeyes (at least barring other options, in case I'm in an airport). The chicken had so little flavor (And yes we had spicy), and it tasted like it was fried in old oil. The biscuits were dry and bland, too. My husband ordered corn, which I hate getting at fried chicken places because it's always so overcooked, waterlogged, and tasteless, and it was definitely all of those things. I like their red beans and rice at least in part because I grew up eating them.
But for fried chicken, I go to Church's now. They spicy really is superior to Popeye's, and the chicken is always very fresh out of the fryer. Their biscuits are good too, but the rest of the sides are boring.
Another thing about Popeye's, though, is that they can vary drastically from location to location. In Houston, for example, Popeye's is better than in Austin.
renzata at 2:41PM on 08/17/08
Last time i had the cajun at Popeye's here in florida it was pretty good......they must make it different at diffetent stores....
onepercent99 at 5:29PM on 08/17/08
I never thought of Popeye's as Cajun.
I used to live in an area of Pasadena with more chicken than you could imagine. There were Popeye's, Church's, KFC, and Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle restaurants all within walking distance of my house. Anyway, I liked Popeye's chicken and biscuits. I never expected more than plain chicken and plain biscuits; nothing fancy or spiced up. I thought the chicken was juicy and well fried, and the biscuits were light and fluffy. To be honest, I liked the chicken better than Roscoe's.
kathy in oakland at 5:50PM on 08/17/08
@Cassaendra -- 15 years? Damn, that's a long time. You should pay them a visit. I would really like to hear your thoughts.
@Renzeta -- Church's is still going strong here in Texas.
@onpercent99 -- Yeah... I hear ya. Such is the world of fast food. There are so many variables, from store to store. Heck, things are sometimes drastically different at the 'same' store, depending on who's cooking / working that day.
@Kathy -- Me too. Great chicken and biscuits indeed!
FastFoodCritic at 8:32PM on 08/17/08
@FFC: Doubt you'll catch this since I read you'll be AFK for a bit. :(
We went to Popeye's and tried to get their chicken wrap - it wasn't available, so we ordered the dirty rice.
Wow.
What a disappointment. I really liked the texture and moistness, but it really lacked the depth in flavor that it used to have. I'm not sure if they chinced on the spices, but the rice did not have any sort of excitement or variability to it. It had a brownish-grey flavor, not totally undesirable, just weak, tasting the same from the first bite through the aftertaste.
Cassaendra at 12:15PM on 08/25/08
Yeah, it's barely spicy. But it was great because it complemented some good spicy chicken. Of course, spicy is dumbed down for everyone to err enjoy. I don't think the rice in red beans and rice is well cooked. Well, that's their formula so why not pack some seasoning salt in the car hehe.
isata88 at 12:03AM on 10/10/08