I tried Popeyes' and Subway's new ghost-pepper sandwiches. They were inventive, but not spicy enough to give me a real scare.
- Viral trends and Gen Z's love of spice have inspired new menu items at fast-food chains.
- Popeyes and Subway recently launched their own takes on a ghost-pepper sandwich.
While October marks the start of spooky season in the US, about 7,000 miles across the world, in Imphal, a city in Northeast India, it's the harvest season of Bhut Jolokia, or the ghost pepper as it's known in the West.
As baskets of blazing-red peppers go on sale at markets across Imphal, fast-food brands in the US start rolling out menu items inspired by the pepper's fiery flavor, using its name as a nod to Halloween.
The pepper, one of the world's hottest, has a rating of over 1 million on the Scoville scale — a jalapeño typically has a rating under 8,000 — and is known for amplifying any dish's heat.
Before becoming Halloween promotion material for fast-food chains, the pepper was the subject of eating challenges on YouTube, such as the "Ghost Pepper Challenge," where people ate a whole ghost pepper. While spice challenges have existed for years, YouTube competitions and series, such as "Hot Ones," have gamified the spice-eating experience.
Fast-food brands are now banking on this virality and Gen Z's love of spicy flavors by adding ghost-pepper items to menus.
For the last two years, Burger King has sold a ghost-pepper Whopper and ghost-pepper chicken fries in time for Halloween. Starting in May 2023, Wendy's added its own ghost-pepper items to menus, including fries, chicken nuggets, and chicken sandwiches.
And this Halloween, Popeyes, which has already trialed ghost-pepper wings, and Subway are joining them. Both chains launched ghost-pepper-flavored sandwiches earlier this month.
I don't have a high tolerance for spicy food, but still, like other Gen Zers, I prefer a chicken sandwich with a little kick. My go-to is Chick-fil-A's spicy deluxe sandwich, which I think gets the heat just right.
I've had ghost-pepper-infused food once before — at an Indian restaurant, where I needed a side of yogurt to cool the dish down — so I know how spicy it can be. So when I heard about the new sandwiches, I was curious to see how they'd compare.
Here's what I discovered when I tried the ghost-pepper sandwich from Popeyes and Subway.
Popeyes infuses ghost pepper into its sauce, while Subway adds the chili to its bread.
I ordered the two sandwiches online via the food-delivery platform Doordash and received them within 20 minutes of placing my orders.
Both sandwiches had paper wraps, but only the Popeyes sandwich came in a foil bag. Twenty minutes was a short delivery window, but considering it was cold outside, I didn't expect to receive warm sandwiches. But to my surprise, both were still warm.
Popeyes uses a brioche bun for its sandwiches while Subway uses a loaf, so the two sandwiches looked different in size and shape. I also noticed that Subway's bread was topped with slices of pepper.
Popeyes' new chicken sandwich is served on a toasted bun with a dill pickle, ghost-pepper sauce, and a crispy chicken fillet.
The ghost-pepper chicken sandwich from Popeyes cost $7.13, excluding tax and tip, at my local Popeyes in Manhattan, New York.
I've enjoyed the brand's classic Louisiana-style chicken sandwich in the past, so I was excited to see how its spicier version fared.
"We knew this flavor profile was already a fan favorite and crowd pleaser," said Amy Alacron, the VP of culinary innovation at Popeyes, referencing the brand's popular ghost-pepper wings flavor.
Introduced in January 2023 for a limited time, these wings helped bump the brand's sales by 5.6% year-over-year, per the company's financial reports for the third quarter of 2023, reported Watt Global Media.
"So why not take it and turn it into a sandwich?" Alacron added.
The bun was soft and fluffy, while the chicken fillet looked thick and crispy.
The Popeyes chicken fillet was the right amount of crispy and juicy.
However, I wish the chicken fillet was slightly larger than the bun, or at least the same size, so I could enjoy a piece of the chicken in every bite.
Two bites in, I thought the crunchy chicken was the best part of the sandwich.
I had to take two bites before I could fully taste the chicken, but once I did, I thought it was well-textured and had a delicious crunch.
However, I couldn't taste the ghost-pepper sauce, even after taking a couple of bites, which made me think it needed more sauce.
Since I couldn't taste the sauce, this sandwich didn't have the fiery punch I'd expected.
I thought I could have better assessed the burger's spice level if there had been more sauce spread across the bun, but to me, this burger just tasted like a regular Popeyes chicken sandwich.
I understand that prep can vary widely from store to store, and from employee to employee, but I was surprised by how mild the sandwich was. When I contacted Popeyes about my experience, a rep assured me it was a one-off incident.
Other customers have reported a much better experience. Tasting the sauce had one reviewer "coughing from the peppers" — in a good way — so it's possible this sandwich really does pack a punch.
Next, I tried Subway's ghost-pepper spicy nacho chicken sandwich.
A 6-inch spicy nacho chicken sub made in ghost-pepper bread cost $8.49, excluding tax and tip, at my local Subway in Manhattan.
The brand has launched two additional flavors: the spicy nacho steak and fiery meatball, but I only tried the chicken sub.
"It's been three years since Subway added a new sub bread to our menu," said Paul Fabre, senior vice president of culinary and innovation at Subway, when the chain announced its new flavors.
"So we wanted to surprise our guests with something unexpected and capable of elevating every sub on our menu."
Since moving to New York from Dubai two years ago, I have not dined at or ordered from Subway much. However, I have enjoyed the restaurant's grilled chicken sub in the past, so I was excited to try this one.
The sub was stuffed with shredded chicken, green peppers, red onion, spicy jalapenos, a drizzle of Sriracha, and SubKrunch toppings.
Subway introduced its nacho chicken sub earlier this summer but decided to amp up its heat this season by launching a ghost-pepper bread.
According to the chain, the bread is freshly prepped daily and sprinkled with ghost pepper, habanero, and paprika-seasoned panko breadcrumbs, followed by Monterey cheddar cheese and jalapeño slices.
If I had to judge the bread by itself, I would say it had a nice, crunchy exterior, almost like an herb cracker, and a soft interior. I enjoyed the jalapeño slices on top, although they were mostly for flavor than spice.
Two bites in, I still hadn't tasted the chicken, and I thought the sub should've been better stuffed with meat.
After biting in to the sub, I felt that the ratio of vegetables to shredded chicken was slightly off-balance.
There was no sauce or topping for the first two bites, and it just felt like I was eating bread, cheese, and veggies. There just didn't seem to be enough chicken in the sandwich I'd received.
I enjoyed the bread by itself and thought it would pair well with other flavors, but again, the heat seemed to be missing.
Much like my experience with the Popeyes sandwich, I couldn't distinctly differentiate the nacho-chicken flavors from the supposed spicy bread.
While this was my experience, a representative from Subway told me that other guests had said the "ghost-pepper bread and new sandwiches really come with a kick."
The representative also suggested I give it another try. Apart from the spice, I thought it was a decent sub that could become a complete meal with some extra chicken toppings, so I'm open to trying it again.
Overall, I don't think either sandwich amplified the heat as advertised, but each was worth a try.
So which sandwich took the top spot for its spiciness? Sadly, to me, both tasted equally mild.
I did not go in expecting sweltering heat that would turn my cheeks red, but I did think the sandwiches would leave a little tingling on my tongue. However, that was not my experience.
Since my spice tolerance is considerably lower than people competing in spice challenges, I think competitors would find easy wins with these sandwiches.
Judging by the success of Popeyes' ghost-pepper wings, though, it's possible that with the right customizations and a generous amount of sauce, the chain's new sandwich could hit the right spot for Gen Z customers.
Overall, I enjoyed Popeyes perfectly balanced crispy and juicy chicken, while Subway's new ghost-pepper bread had a nice crunchy texture, which I thought contrasted well with the vegetables.
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