There’s nothing worse than being excited about your food delivery, only to open the box and instantly regret it. That’s exactly what happened to one Houston woman who says her Popeyes order came with more than just chicken pieces. It came with an entire body part that was not supposed to be there.
What’s Wrong With The Popeyes Fried Chicken?
TikTok user Jody (@jodsa) went viral after posting a video of what she discovered in her Popeyes meal. Her clip, which has now racked up more than 7.4 million views, shows her reacting in disbelief as she inspects the contents of her box.
“It took me a little while to realize… why Popeyes give me a whole chicken head, bro?” she says, holding up what appears to be a breaded, fried chicken head, complete with a beak, neck, and part of the body.
“This is the beak, yoh!” she says, opening the mouth to reveal the inside before laughing in shock. “Oh my god, it’s a chicken head! Look at the chicken eye,” she adds, scraping off some of the breading to show the closed eyelid underneath.
As the realization sinks in, she drops the chicken piece and says, “I can’t believe—my appetite gone.”
In her caption, she wrote, “@Popeyes IN HOUSTON TEXAS!!!!! gave me a whole chicken head my appetite is ruined I’m scarred for life.”
How Does Something Like This Even Happen?
Incidents like this, while rare, can happen when workers are rushing to process large batches of food. Fried chicken restaurants like Popeyes receive whole birds that are cut, battered, and fried on-site, often by hand. If a part doesn’t get properly separated before it hits the fryer, it can slip through unnoticed.
Food safety experts say that mistakes like this are usually the result of human error, not intentional negligence. When restaurants are busy, staff may miss something unusual during prep. Given that the chicken at Popeyes is hand-breaded and fried fresh in store, it means at least one employee saw the head, floured it, fried it, and packed it.
Commenters React To The Video
In the comments, people had strong—and often disgusted—reactions to Jody’s discovery.
“At least you know it’s real chicken,” one person joked.
Another wrote, “Popeyes, step to the front of the line.”
A third added, “The fact that Popeyes flours their chicken and fries in store means an employee SEEN this, floured it, fried it, and gave it out purposely.”
And one more person couldn’t resist referencing the chain’s slogan: “I guess you don’t love that chicken from Popeyes.”
@jodsa @Popeyes IN HOUSTON TEXAS !!!!!😩😩😩😩😩😩 gave me a whole chicken head my appetite is ruined 😭😭😭😭 im scarred for life #traumatized #sick #popeyes #fail
Has This Happened Before?
While shocking, this isn’t the first time someone has claimed to find something strange in their Popeyes meal. One Reddit user said they once discovered what looked like fly eggs in their chicken, another claimed to find a piece of paper fried into the batter, and one person even alleged they found a rodent head.
Though these kinds of reports are uncommon, they often gain traction online because of how unsettling they are.
BroBible has reached out to Popeyes for comment via email and to Jody (@jodsa) via Instagram messages for more information about her order.