Popeye's Chicken Nutrition Facts: Calories, Fat, Carbohydrates
Fast food chicken that is battered and deep-fried is tasty, but remain cholesterol-laden and rich in fat, calories and sodium.
Popeye’s, one of the most popular choices for fried chicken in the US has been around for more than 35 years, and Popeye chicken like most fast food chicken, have high calorie, fat, cholesterol and sodium content.
Image Credit: flickr.com/Paul Lawry
Calories
The optimal daily calorie count for individuals depends on age, sex, weight, height, build, and level of activity. A rough estimate is 1800 calories for a normal middle-aged man and 1200 calories for a normal middle-aged woman. Popeye’s Chicken Nutrition facts suggest that most of the menu items are high in calories.
The calorie count in the major Popeye Chicken menu items are (per serving):
Spicy Flavored Chicken Breast: 530 calories
Mild Flavored Chicken Breast: 270 calories
Chicken Nuggets: 480 calories
Chicken Strips: 280 calories
Chicken Biscuit (per piece): 250 calories
Menu options that include Mild Flavored Chicken Breast, Chicken Strips or Chicken Biscuit are comparatively low in calories.
The chicken component of Popeye meals usually have a calorie count of less than 400 calories, but side dishes such as Mashed Potatoes and French Fries make the calorie count soar. The highest number of calories in a Popeye menu is 595 calories, found in one serving (six pieces) of Cajun Wings, and Grilled Sandwiches. Healthier low-calorie alternatives include Loaded Chicken Wrap and Chicken Biscuits.
Fat
The American Heart Association recommends the ideal level of fat intake for adults as between 30 to 35 grams per day. Popeye’s Chicken Nutrition facts suggest that most Popeye menu items are high-fat food.
The quanta of fat in the major Popeye Chicken items are (per serving):
Spicy Flavored Chicken Breast: 31 grams
Mild Flavored Chicken Breast: 16 grams
Chicken Nuggets: 32 grams
Chicken Strips: 13 grams
Chicken Biscuit (per piece): 15 grams
A typical Popeye’s meal consisting of two pieces of Dark Meat Chicken, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy and Biscuits alone contains 46 grams of fat, well above the recommended daily intake. A single serving of Spicy Flavored Chicken Breast also comes close to the recommended daily quantity of fat intake, whereas a Mild Flavored Chicken Breast and Chicken Strips are comparatively low-fat options.
The highest amount of saturated fat is in the chicken skin, and elimination of chicken skin from the menu reduces the fat component of the food considerably. Popeye’s Mild-flavored skinless chicken breast with the breading removed contains just 5 grams of fat.
Cholesterol
The American Heart Association recommends the ideal cholesterol intake as around 300 mg a day. An analysis of Popeye’s Chicken Nutrition facts indicate that Popeye Chicken is generally high in cholesterol.
The quanta of cholesterol in the major Popeye Chicken items are (per serving):
Spicy Flavored Chicken Breast: 185 mg
Mild Flavored Chicken Breast: 60 mg
Chicken Nuggets: 55 mg
Chicken Strips: 55 mg
Chicken Biscuit (per piece): 5 mg
A typical Popeye meal involving two pieces of Dark Meat Chicken, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy and Biscuits contains 207 mg of cholesterol, which comes close to the recommended daily intake.
Mild Flavored Chicken Breasts, Chicken Nuggets, Strips, and Biscuits are the low cholesterol items in Popeye menu. As it is with fat, removal of the skin reduces cholesterol considerably. The mild-flavored chicken breast with skin contains 60 mg of cholesterol, whereas the mild-flavored skinless chicken breast contains just 10 mg of cholesterol.
Continue to Page 2 for more Popeye nutrition info
Sodium
Like all fast food menu, Popeye’s menu also contains an overload of sodium. The U.S.D.A. has recommended daily allowance of sodium as 2400 mg per day, and Popeye’s crispy chicken sandwich alone exceeds this limit considerably.
The quanta of sodium in the major Popeye Chicken items are (per serving):
Spicy Flavored Chicken Breast: 1090 mg
Mild Flavored Chicken Breast: 660 mg
Chicken Nuggets: 660 mg
Chicken Strips: 1260 mg
Chicken Biscuit (per piece): 430 mg
The Po’ boy Sandwich with 560 grams of sodium contains the least amount of sodium in a Popeye menu.
Image Credit: flickr.com/Wilheim Joys Andersen
Carbohydrates
The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board advises healthy carbohydrate intake as anywhere between 45 and 65 percent of the total calories. An analysis of Popeye’s Chicken Nutrition facts suggests that most of the items in the menu fall within acceptable levels.
The quanta of carbohydrates in the major Popeye Chicken items are (per serving):
Spicy Flavored Chicken Breast: 13 grams
Mild Flavored Chicken Breast: 9 grams
Chicken Nuggets: 18 grams
Chicken Strips: 21 grams
Chicken Biscuit (per piece): 26 grams
The heaviest concentration of carbohydrate-laden menu items at Popeye’s come with breaded and bread-type items. For example, Biscuits, Cinnamon Apple Turnovers, Po’ boys and Crispy or Grilled Chicken Sandwiches each contain over 200 grams of carbohydrates.
Protein
The U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) recommends 65 to 80 grams of protein a day for adults. An analysis of Popeye’s Chicken Nutrition facts reveal that one single serving of Popeye’s chicken breasts or tenders generally provides nearly half of this optimal protein required for one day.
The quanta of protein in the major Popeye Chicken items are (per serving):
Spicy Flavored Chicken Breast: 46 grams
Mild Flavored Chicken Breast: 23 grams
Chicken Nuggets: 17 grams
Chicken Strips: 21 grams
Chicken Biscuit (per piece): 43 grams
Although much of Popeye chicken menu are high in calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrates, a combination of judicious selection and smart eating tips enables one to enjoy the great Popeye meals without compromising on health.
A typical Breaded and Fried Popeye Chicken Breast Meal contains about 380 calories, 19 grams of fat, 145 milligrams of cholesterol, and 11 grams of carbohydrates. Fried chicken with the skin and breading removed reduces the calorie content to just 140 calories, fat content to just 3 grams, cholesterol to 95 milligrams, and zero carbohydrates!
References
- Popeye’s Nutrition Information: https://www.popeyes.com/nutrition.pdf
- SparkPeople Calorie Look up. https://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/Calorie_Finder.asp?FoodID=327981
- The Food and Nutrition Information Center: https://fnicsearch.nal.usda.gov/
- American Heart Association: https://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200010
Disclaimer
1. The contents of this article should not be constructed as medical or professional advise.
2. The figures given in this article are indicative. Contact Popeye’s for updated and exact nutrition information.