What are the Secret Ingredients in Popeyes Chicken?

Placing an ad in the Super Bowl for the first time, Popeyes is going big for national exposure, but where its ingredients are concerned, it’s hush-hush.

First published at the Truth in Labeling Campaign.

Do fast-food customers care about what’s in the food they eat?

It appears that Restaurant Brands International, which owns both Burger King and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, thinks they do. So much so that both brands have announced to the media how they have been hard at work shifting to “clean” ingredients.

Burger King promoted a list of 120 “non-essential artificial ingredients” that it planned to remove from its menu items back in 2021. That was followed by Popeyes’ announcement of going “clean” by 2025, with a focus on one additive in particular, monosodium glutamate (MSG). As reported in Fortune in 2022, Popeyes is “… currently testing all-clean ingredients in our batter, breading and sandwiches in a few U.S. markets and we expect to be on track to an all-clean menu nationwide by 2025.”

Deciding to take a look at the ingredient list for Burger King and Popeyes food to see just how “dirty” or “clean” it might be, something curious was discovered. Both chains keep the ingredients for their menu items a deep, dark secret.

Calling a local Popeyes restaurant and asking to see a list of ingredients appeared to be quite baffling to the manager who said that no such thing existed. Even an in-person visit didn’t turn up any information.

Thinking that the employees just didn’t understand what was being asked, corporate “guest care” was contacted. The supervisor sent back this response: “We do not have a publicly available ingredient list for our U.S. locations at this time.”

The question has now been escalated to the “internal nutrition team.”

“We do not have a publicly available ingredient list for our U.S. locations at this time.”

Popeyes customer service, 2/13/24

So, whether Popeyes or Burger King has indeed removed “non-essential artificial ingredients” or even MSG in particular from its food is a secret. All that’s known is that even by Restaurant Brands International’s admission, “globally” its ingredients comprise tons of nasty additives.

The moral of this story is that if the food ingredients are kept secret, there’s a reason. And of course, you can’t believe everything Big Food tells you.

UPDATE

Just as this blog was about to be published, Popeyes managed to come up with the ingredients for four of its menu items that are listed below. Apparently, not only haven’t they done away with MSG, but it’s used quite extensively in the chicken, shrimp, and rice and bean items. Also included in Popeyes food are a bevy of preservatives, so-called “natural flavors,” emulsifiers such as carrageenan (a cause of gastric problems for many people), and artificial colorings — including the infamous FD&C red #3, a synthetic coloring derived from petroleum that was found to be carcinogenic in animals. Banned from use in cosmetics decades ago, it’s curiously still permitted by the FDA to be added to food.

Popeyes also states (in the ingredient list sent) that its “natural flavor(s)” consist of ingredients “… Approved For Use in a Regulation Of Food And Drug Administration or Are Listed as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) on a Reliable Published Industry Association List.”

If you check out the list of ingredients below, it seems obvious why it’s so hard to find out what’s actually in Popeyes’ food.

Classic Chicken Tenders
Marinated Chicken: Chicken, Contains up to 30% solution of water, seasoning blend[seasoning(modified corn starch, salt, natural flavor, monosodium glutamate, onion powder, garlic powder, maltodextrin), modified food starch, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, chicken broth], mild seasoning[food starch modified(corn), monosodium glutamate, salt, seasoning mix of dried onion, dried garlic, dried celery and spices including paprika, natural flavor (oleoresin capsicum, polysorbate 80 added for emulsion and stability)].
Flour: Bleached wheat flour enriched (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, malted barley flour.
Batter: Enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, s-pack [enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, sugar, FD&C yellow #5 (may also contain yellow #6, red #40, grape color extract, blue #1, blue #2, beet color extract, annatto extract and / or turmeric extract), soybean oil, spices including mustard, dried whole eggs, nonfat dried milk, leavening (sodium bicarbonate and/or sodium aluminum sulfate), microcrystalline cellulose, natural flavor (all flavor ingredients contained in this flavor are approved for use in a regulation of food and drug administration or are listed as generally recognized as safe on a reliable published industry association list. This product also contains corn syrup solids)].
Shortening (Beef Tallow): Beef Fat with BHT and citric acid added to help protect flavor. Dimethylpolysiloxane, an antifoaming agent, added.

Spicy Chicken Tenders
Chicken: Chicken, containing a solution of water, seasoning (selected blend of capsicums including paprika, salt, garlic, monosodium glutamate, cumin & mustard), seasoning (modified food starch, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, monoglycerides, chicken broth, oleoresin (natural flavoring and coloring, cottonseed oil, mono and diglycerides, soybean oil, tocopherol (antioxidant)).
Flour: Bleached Wheat Flour Enriched (Bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Malted Barley Flour.
Batter: Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Enriched With Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine, Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Salt, S-Pack [Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Enriched With Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine, Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Salt, Sugar, Fd&C Yellow #5 (May Also Contain Yellow #6, Red #40, Grape Color Extract, Blue #1, Blue #2, Beet Color Extract, Annatto Extract And / Or Turmeric Extract), Soybean Oil, Spices Including Mustard, Dried Whole Eggs, Nonfat Dried Milk, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate And/Or Sodium Aluminum Sulfate), Microcrytalline Cellulose, Natural Flavor (All Flavor Ingredients Contained In This Flavor Are Approved For Use In A Regulation Of Food And Drug Administration Or Are Listed As Generally Recognized As Safe On A Reliable Published Industry Association List. This Product Also Contains Corn Syrup Solids)].
Shortening (Beef Tallow): Beef Fat with BHT and Citric Acid added to help protect flavor. Dimethylpolysiloxane, an antifoaming agent, added.

Popcorn Shrimp
Shrimp, Breader (Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Salt, Leavening [Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate], Seasoning [Sugar, Spices], Soybean Oil), Water, Batter Mix (Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, And Folic Acid], Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Methyl Cellulose, Seasoning Mix [Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Salt, Sugar, Tartrazine (FD&C Yellow 5) [May Also Contain Sunset Yellow FCF (FD&C Yellow 6), Allura Red (FD&C Red 40), Grape Color Extract, Brilliant Blue FCF (FD&C Blue 1), Indigotine (FD&C Blue 2), Beet Color Extract, Annatto Extract Or Turmeric Extract], Spices, Dried Whole Eggs, Nonfat Dried Milk, Leavening (Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Microcrystalline Cellulose, Natural Flavor, This Product Also Contains Corn Syrup Solids]), Cottonseed And/Or Soybean Oil, Shrimp Seasoning (Spices Including Paprika, Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Soybean Oil [Partially Hydrogenated], TBHQ and Citric Acid [To Protect Flavor], Dimethylpolysiloxane [Antifoaming Agent]), Sodium Tripolyphosphate (To Retain Moisture), Salt, Sodium Metabisulfite (As A Preservative).
Shortening (Beef Tallow): Beef Fat with BHT and Citric Acid added to help protect flavor. Dimethylpolysiloxane, an antifoaming agent, added.

Red Beans & Rice
Red Beans: Water, red kidney beans, pork fat [cured with water, salt, smoke flavor (sunflower oil and wood smoke flavors), sodium phosphate, sugar, brown sugar, sodium nitrite (salt, sodium nitrite {6.25%}, FD&C red #3)], red bean seasoning mix (salt, spices including paprika and parsley, dried garlic, and monosodium glutamate), dried onions. May contain food starch-modified.
Long Grain White Rice: Pre-cooked parboiled long grain rice enriched with niacin, ferric orthophosphate (iron), thiamin mononitrate (thiamin) and folic acid.
Red Rice Seasoning: Salt, seasoning (dried onion, dried garlic), spices including paprika, not more than 2% silicon dioxide or sodium aluminum silicate added to prevent caking. Less than 2% palm oil.
Liquid Margarine: Liquid and hydrogenated soybean oil, water, salt, contains less than 2% of palm and palm kernel oil, vegetable mono & diglycerides, soy lecithin, sodium benzoate (a preservative), citric acid, natural & artificial flavors, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor, beta carotene (color), vitamin A palmitate added.

The information provided regarding our food is as complete as possible at the time of this email and is based on ingredient lists provided by our suppliers. Variations may occur depending on the season, supplier, and/or product preparation at your local restaurant. Please also note that normal kitchen operations can involve shared cooking, preparation areas, and utensils, and the possibility exists that your food may come in contact with other food products, including other allergens and ingredients. Popeyes recommends that you always consult your healthcare provider for questions regarding your diet.