Popeyes Chicken Nuggets in Canada

Popeyes nuggets are bite-sized pieces of white-meat chicken in the same Louisiana breading used on the tenders and bone-in chicken. They come in four sizes, from an 8-piece snack to a 36-piece box.

The pricing rewards buying big, and unusually for this menu it does so consistently. The 36-piece works out at 78 cents per nugget against $1.00 for the 8-piece, with no dead zones in between.

At roughly 65 calories each, nuggets are the smallest unit of chicken Popeyes sells, which makes them the easiest thing on the menu to portion.

Browse All Nugget Sizes

All Nugget Sizes

Combos are available on the 8-piece and 12-piece only. The 24 and 36-piece boxes are sold on their own for sharing

Price Per Nugget

The savings are steady and the biggest step comes early. Moving from 8 to 12 pieces cuts 14 cents per nugget, which is more than the entire remaining saving from 12 up to 36.

Unlike the tenders range, where the 8-piece offers no improvement over the 5-piece, every nugget size here is genuinely better value than the one below it.

But the total saving is small. From best to worst is 22 cents per nugget. Buying a 36-piece instead of four 8-piece boxes saves about $4, which is worth having but not a reason to over-order.

Calories

Nuggets run consistently at about 65 calories each across every size.

That consistency makes nuggets the most predictable item on the menu for anyone counting. Ordering four fewer nuggets removes about 260 calories, with no guesswork.

The 8Pc Nuggets in detail

Fat is the notable figure here. At 35 g of fat for 520 calories, roughly 60 percent of the calories in nuggets come from fat, a higher proportion than tenders where 15 g of fat accounts for 350 calories. Smaller pieces mean more surface area, and more surface area means more breading and more absorbed oil per gram of chicken.

Protein. 29 g per 8-piece is solid, but the ratio is 5.6 g of protein per 100 calories against 8.9 g for tenders. If protein per calorie is what you are after, tenders are the better choice.

Sodium. 1,340 mg in an 8-piece is close to Health Canada’s daily adequate intake of 1,500 mg. Add a regular Cajun fries at 580 mg and a biscuit at 450 mg, and a single combo passes 2,300 mg.

Full breakdown on our nutrition and calories page.

What Comes With a Combo

The 8-piece and 12-piece are available as a Combo with one side and one drink, or a Platter with two sides and a large drink.

Sides: Cajun Fries, Onion Rings, Coleslaw, Mashed Potatoes with Cajun Gravy, Macaroni and Cheese, Cajun Gravy, Cajun Poutine

Drinks: Coca-Cola, Fuze Iced Tea, Minute Maid Orange Juice, Minute Maid Lemonade, Minute Maid Apple Juice, Dasani, Smart Water, Monster Energy

Nugget combos include a biscuit, which sandwich combos do not. That is the same 220-calorie difference that applies to tenders.

The 8-piece combo spans 850 to 1,770 calories. The nuggets are a fixed 520, so everything else is your side and drink. A medium Coca-Cola alone is 240 calories and 66 g of sugar. See our drinks guide for the full breakdown.

Nuggets vs Tenders vs Boneless Wings

Nuggets are the cheapest and most flexible. Easy to share, easy to portion, and the lowest commitment per piece.

Tenders are the better choice for a proper meal. More protein per calorie, less breading per gram of chicken, and more filling.

Boneless wings are essentially nuggets with a sauce coating, which is why their calories vary so much by flavour.

If you are ordering for children or putting something out for a group to pick at, choose nuggets. If you are eating a meal, choose tenders.

Frequently Asked Questions