Foodbeast's resident fried chicken lover and J. Cole hater Reach, fellow writer Ralph, and myself decided to head over to the nearest Popeyes to try this new item for ourselves. There was a sizable wait for the strips, since they were a pretty popular item even in the early days of launching. 

 In an era of freakshakes, unicorn everything, and a new Oreo/Frappuccino/M&M flavor every other month, brands have to go a little bit bizarro to stand out. This month, Popeyes is joining the trend of foods that make you do a double-take — not with psychedelic colors or gravity-defying treats — but with a unique twist on its signature chicken strips. 
 
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 Popeyes' Sweet & Crunchy Tenders are breaded in crumbled shortbread cookies. Yes, like the Girl Scout treat. And the one sugary goodie your strict Nana seemed to have in stock in her pantry. It doesn't seem like the best fit for chicken tenders — until you try it. 
 
 We shared a box with a group of taste testers, not telling them anything about the dish other than its name. Not surprisingly, these nuggets were the biggest hit with kids. 
 
 Candace Braun Davison 
 
 "I'm not saying this is the best chicken I've ever had, but it's probably in the top five," one 10-year-old tester told us. 
 
 Once everyone was told what they were breaded in, the reactions were slightly less enthusiastic. A little more like this: 
 
 Popeyes really out here dipping chicken strips in cookie dough doing the devil's bidding — 🐣 (@cassterlyrock) June 5, 2017 
 
 And this: 
 
 Popeyes got short bread cookie coated chicken now😑😑😑 how many times yall gone try to find dumbass ways to batter the same damn chicken? pic.twitter.com/SFDyquIuKl — MEME ︻╦╤─ (@MeiLarenn) June 2, 2017 
 
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 They reminded most people of chicken and waffles, minus the maple syrup (which isn't too surprising, given the company's already dabbled in waffle-battered chicken). Each bite starts a little sugary sweet, before turning savory. For an added kick, you can dip them in the brand's Smok'n Pepper Jam, which tastes somewhere between a classic pepper jelly and sweet chili sauce. 
 
 Candace Braun Davison 
 
 Lately, Popeyes has been releasing a new limited-edition dish every month, Brand Eating reported, and it seems this one will only be available until June 25. So if you're dying to try cookie-breaded chicken, you better hustle. Or try your hand at it yourself, breading them like we did with these Doritos-crusted chicken tenders. 
 
 Follow Delish on Instagram. 

 Popeyes Now Has Cookie-Crusted Chicken & It’s Getting Some Mixed Reviews 
 
 Popeyes is venturing into territory usually inhabited by adventurous home cooks or hipster food trucks with their newest offering: “Sweet & Crunchy Tenders” which combines fried chicken and cookies. 
 
 Popeyes recently introduced Sweet & Crunchy Tenders, which come breaded in shortbread cookies. 
 
 The tenders, accompanied by smokin’ pepper jam sauce, take on a chicken-and-waffles vibe, Delish reports, noting the dish starts sweet and then turns savory. 
 
 Customers can score the Sweet & Crunchy Tenders, along with a side and biscuit for $5 until June 25. 
 
 So far, the dish has received mixed reactions: 
 
 Popeyes is deep frying chicken in shortbread cookie batter now?! pic.twitter.com/ghFJJ1B6nu — Charles (@MrLXC) June 3, 2017 
 
 Popeyes got short bread cookie coated chicken now😑😑😑 how many times yall gone try to find dumbass ways to batter the same damn chicken? pic.twitter.com/SFDyquIuKl — MEME ︻╦╤─ (@MeiLarenn) June 2, 2017 
 
 Popeyes Chicken: How can we kill Americans faster? 
 
 America: Coat your chicken strips in shortbread cookie batter! 
 
 PC: God bless you, fatass. — B. Jon Graves (@ColonelSauce) May 31, 2017 

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– "I'm not saying this is the best chicken I've ever had, but it's probably in the top five," one 10-year-old tells Delish. The chicken-loving kid was testing a brand new, possibly over-the-top food invention from Popeyes: fried chicken strips breaded with crumbled shortbread cookies. The chain debuted its "Sweet & Crunchy Tenders" this month, and Delish's taste-testers found them reminiscent of chicken and waffles without the maple syrup. And FoodBeast reports the cookie-covered chicken is "far from gimmicky" and actually has a "nice subtle sweetness." Twitter, predictably, was less kind. "Popeyes really out here dipping chicken strips in cookie dough doing the devil's bidding," one user tweeted. "How many times yall gone try to find dumbass ways to batter the same damn chicken?" Consumerist quotes another Twitter user. Brand Eating reports Popeyes has been debuting a new limited-edition menu item every month or so. The Sweet & Crunchy Tenders are available through June 25. In the meantime, Taco Bell is probably steamed that Popeyes is stealing its thunder.