Popeyes Worker Shares PSA About His Blackened Chicken

A Popeyes employee has taken to TikTok to share a PSA about the chain’s blackened chicken tenders — and how they’re really cooked.

In a recent clip, TikTok user Georgia (@geo.clairebear) claims that the chain actually fried rather than grilled its blackened chicken breasts, while showing shelves of fried food from a Popeyes joint.

@geo.clairebear Just here to spam you with Popeyes info. It’s not really a secret, but it’s surprising how many people order our grilled tenders. They’re just as bad for you as the others lol #popeyes #foryoupage #workingmomlife #singlemomsoftiktok #fastfoodhacks @popeyes ♬ Spongebob Tomfoolery – Dante9k Remix – David Snell

In a text overlay, Georgia writes, “I usually cook, but I’ve learned that a lot of people think ‘blackened’ tenders are grilled. You are not. Fried only.”

It seems there are others online making the same claim about the Popeyes dish, such as The Donut Whole stating, “Yes, Popeye’s blackened tenders are fried. The exact process used to create these offers is a closely guarded secret at Popeyes. However, the general consensus is that these tenders have a lightly dusted coating of spice mix.”

In the culinary world, blackened refers to a specific way of preparing a dish, usually proteins, that is very different from “charred”. The main difference? It’s all about herbs and spices.

“While both blackening and charring intentionally flirt with the fine line between burnt and well-cooked food, blackening always involves the use of herbs and spices,” writes The Kitchn.

The outlet goes on to define what blackening food means, explaining that it’s “a cooking technique most commonly used with firm-fleshed fish, chicken, steak and other meats. This cooking method is typically associated with Cajun cooking and became popular in the 1980s to replicate the taste of charcoal grilling in a commercial kitchen.

In the caption of her post, Georgia suggests that the blackened tenders are “just as bad for you” as the fried ones. However, according to the nutritional information on Popeyes’ website, that’s not the case. Although the blackened tenders are fried, a 3-slot contains only 2 grams of fat and 2 grams of carbs, while 3 of the fried tenders contain 21 grams of fat and 29 grams of carbs. The

The Daily Dot has contacted Georgia via TikTok comment and Popeyes via email for more information.

In the comments, some users didn’t seem to care that the redacted alerts weren’t technically “redacted” as the term is commonly defined.

“They’re fried, but I still feel better [than] the breaded one,” wrote one user.

Another wrote, “Generally, blackened is something that’s coated with certain spices and then cooked in the oven or pan until the spices are ‘blackened.'”

“Nevertheless a good alternative. Not dough soaking up a ton of oil,” said another commenter.

Georgia agreed, replying, “Definitely not that heavy on the stomach. we have an old lady who comes in every day and then orders grilled food and i don’t have that [heart] to tell her.”

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