The Company That Supplies Popeyes With Almost Everything (Except Chicken)

For many people, the fried chicken at Popeyes is considered among their favorites. Its recipes stand out so much that Popeyes was the late Anthony Bourdain's favorite fast food chicken. The fried chicken is juicy and crispy and, if it's one of your favorites, may inspire you to wonder where Popeyes gets the ingredients to make it.

The restaurant supply company responsible for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen's diverse menu items — except the chicken — is Diversified Foods and Seasonings (DFS). The company was founded in Metairie, Louisiana, in 1984 by Al Copeland, Sr. to supply his new and growing restaurant chain, Popeyes Fried Chicken. As the restaurant chain expanded, more DFS facilities opened. 

The DFS company produces proprietary seasonings, batters and breading, and kettle cooked foods, and sends them to 1,678 Popeyes restaurants in the U.S. and 450 international locations, as well as other restaurants and food institutions. The way the chicken is prepared using unique seasonings and batter makes it the star of the show, and its noteworthy taste works with different sauces, toppings, and condiments on the sandwiches. If you're a fan of Popeyes and love its fried chicken, you might enjoy sampling a variety of Popeyes chicken sandwiches that we taste-tested.

There are many preparation techniques that help Popeyes fried chicken deliver its unique flavor. According to Amy Alarcon, former head of culinary innovation for Popeyes, the chicken is marinated in buttermilk overnight, which helps make it tender and juicy. For the crispy texture, the chicken is dredged in a flour and spice combination that's unique to Popeyes, dipped in a batter mixture, also a Popeyes version, and deep fried; Popeyes uses beef tallow to fry its chicken and this enhances the crunchiness and flavor of the chicken, though it also increases saturated fat compared to using vegetable oils.

If you'd like to make homemade chicken using ingredients that take fried chicken to the next level, consider marinating or brining techniques that include flavorful additions. You can use buttermilk, like Popeyes, or even pickle juice, which will tenderize the meat. Then add Worcestershire sauce or a seasoning mix to the brine for even more flavor. If you look online, you might not find the exact Popeyes recipe, but you'll find numerous copycat recipes you can use as models to design your homemade version of Popeyes fried chicken.