This chicken chain says it's going after McDonald's and Burger King - not KFC or Chick-fil-A

As American and international appetites for chicken heat up, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is on a roll.

On Tuesday, the chicken chain announced plans to increase its global restaurant count to 4,000 from 2,500 in the next seven to 10 years. This comes after the chain opened a record-setting 219 new restaurants in 2015.

But CEO Cheryl Bachelder says that as the chain expands in the US and abroad, the company's biggest competitors are not KFC and Chick-fil-A, two other quickly growing chicken chains.

"A lot of people might think Popeyes' biggest competitor might be another chicken QSR chain," Bachelder told Business Insider, using an abbreviation for fast-food restaurants, "but actually our customers more often are in the large burger chains. They've chosen - their favorite chicken is Popeyes, and their alternative is a burger chain."

Bachelder said persuading customers to pick Popeyes chicken over that of competitors wasn't a major concern.

"At Popeyes we don't use the word loyal - we use zealot," Bachelder said. "You become a Popeyes zealot as soon as you experience Popeyes food."

In addition to the plans to open 1,500 new locations, Popeyes announced this week that it planned to grow domestic average unit volumes to $2 million from about $1.4 million, increasing franchisee profitability.

These goals were announced as the chain reported that global sales at restaurants open at least a year, or same-store sales, increased 5.9% in 2015, with net income for the year reaching $44.1 million.

Looking ahead, the company says it plans to invest $2 million this year in funding more location visits and coaching, as well as new technology. Bachelder says Popeyes' three strategic pillars will continue to be its passionate teams of employees, routine excellence, and Louisiana heritage.

"I think of us as the exporter of Louisiana food, both in the United States and around the world," Bachelder said, "because if you haven't tasted these incredible flavors, you just haven't lived yet."