Popular spicy chicken meal and Double Down return for summer

(Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen)

Hot on the heels of being recognized as one of the most innovative menu items from last year, Popeyes is bringing back its wildly popular spicy, deep-fried chicken meal that comes with a mini bottle of Tabasco sauce.

In May, the chain's Wicked Chicken was awarded the Best Limited-Time Offer by MenuMasters, an annual US competition that singles out restaurateurs who demonstrate ‘breakthrough ideas.'

When it was put on the menu for the month of June last year, the chain went through 900,000 pounds of chicken, they told industry website Nation's Restaurant News.

Unlike their regular chicken tenders, Wicked Chicken is sliced thinner, battered and deep-fried in less than two minutes, making it one of the fastest, fast-food items on their menu.

The meal is served with a biscuit, ranch dressing, Cajun fries and a mini bottle of Tabasco sauce for $3.99 and was launched internationally in 27 countries last summer. In addition to being a portable snack, the product was particularly successful in Asia and Latin America, where palates are spicier.

The meal will be another limited time offer, between May 30 to June 26.

Meanwhile, KFC also recently announced that they'll be again offering its infamous Double Down sandwich in Canada, a controversial menu item for being a breadless, double dose of deep-fried chicken sandwiching processed cheese and bacon. This time, however, the item will contain 170 mg less sodium than its predecessor, at 1,570 mg.

Despite the nutritional controversy the sandwich generated, it became the most successful new product launch in the chain's history, with 10 million being sold in the US in the first month alone. In Canada, 360,000 sandwiches were sold in the first 10 days.

Following Canada's lead, fans in New Zealand started viral campaigns on Facebook and Twitter to bring the sandwich there as well. The Double Down premiered in that country in early May.