Remember the Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019? In August of that year, the Louisiana-inflected fast-food chain introduced the chicken sandwich that started it all.

Classic or spicy? Right off the bat, you could take your pick. But two weeks after Popeyes dropped its chicken sandwich, you actually couldn’t get your hands on either version — because the sandwich went viral, customers rushed to try it, and it quickly sold out.

Of course, Popeyes’ Chicken Sandwich came back — and inspired countless other chains to launch their own chicken sandwiches.

And if all that sounds like ancient history now, take note: History may be repeating itself. Popeyes appears to be hitting a viral nerve with a new menu item once again. This time, it’s a wing thing.

The chain’s new Sweet ‘N Spicy Wings, which it introduced on August, 22 as a football-season-pegged, limited-time-only option at participating locations nationwide, have, in just a couple of weeks, become the chain’s best-selling product launch since it launched the Chicken Sandwich in 2019.

Created under the direction of Popeyes Vice President of Culinary Innovation Amy Alarcon, the same person who oversaw the development of Popeyes’ Chicken Sandwich, the new chicken wings are marinated, crispy, and feature a blend of chili, garlic and ginger. They strike “the perfect balance between slightly sweet and slightly spicy,” according to the brand.

We got a chance to try them out for ourselves, and can confirm the hype is real. The wings are both crispy, and a little saucy – and as the brand promises, strikes a joy-inducing balance of sweet and spicy. We can see how the wings can appeal to a wide range of wing preferences, and brings everything together so well.

We’re not the only ones who enjoyed them. Rave reviews for the wings are turning heads on TikTok and X (erstwhile Twitter), repeatedly. Popeyes itself posted an image on social media — captioned “Y’all got wings?” — showing lines of cars snaking around the block while waiting for the drive-through at one location.

All this is to say, it looks like, if you want to try these wings before they sell out, you may want to fly.

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