There are a lot of fried chicken chains to choose from these days — from the national and longstanding like KFC, to more regional (but still recognizable) joints, like Zaxby’s. Most of these restaurants tend to fry chicken in oil, which has a tendency to leave the final product greasy, limp, and deflated. But there is one chain that has opted to fry its chicken in beef tallow instead, and the quality difference speaks for itself. The fan-favorite Popeyes, who has been using this ingredient from the beginning, continues to do so long after other chains have tapped out.
Popeyes has been around for decades, but it wasn’t until 2019, during the Battle of the Fast Food Fried Chicken Sandwich — remember that time in recent culinary history? — that the New Orleans-based chain put everyone on notice with its crispy, juicy pieces of poultry. Its chicken has seemingly struck a chord with eaters; in a Reddit ranking of the fast-food chain which has the best fried chicken, Popeyes was the clear winner. Could that actually be attributed to the fact that Popeyes uses beef tallow in its frying process? It might very well be.
Why beef tallow places Popeyes at a taste and texture advantage
Cooking with beef tallow has been done for centuries, and it was a forerunner to the modern-day oils that are often used today for the purpose of frying. It’s fat that has been rendered (i.e., cooked off) from beef, filtered for purity, and then left to firm up into a milky white, slick solid. The ingredient then turns back into a liquid when it’s heated up for easy frying. Because it’s derived from beef, this tallow has a slightly meaty flavor, which it imparts to pretty much everything that gets cooked in it, including Popeyes’ fried chicken. Aside from the mild beef taste, it’s also chock-full of savory umami flavor, which combined with Popeyes’ Cajun seasoning, makes for some extremely tasty food.
Beef tallow also gives fried food a deep, rich color, and it allows the breading or batter to become crispier when compared to chicken cooked in vegetable oils. If you were wondering why Popeyes chicken provides a more shatteringly crunchy bite than, say, KFC, the use of beef tallow is why. Now, the fried chicken chain doesn’t use beef tallow exclusively, instead opting for a blend that also includes vegetable oil. But where other chains have phased out the ingredient completely, Popeyes continues to use this traditional fat in its fryers, because of the many texture and taste benefits.
