diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/pkgconfig/default.nix b/pkgs/development/python-modules/pkgconfig/default.nix
index 105beaccb9b..6721390d7ab 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/pkgconfig/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/python-modules/pkgconfig/default.nix
@@ -26,12 +26,9 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
     sha256 = "sha256-uuLUGRNLCR3NS9g6OPCI+qG7tPWsLhI3OE5WmSI3vm8=";
   };
 
-  patches = [ ./executable.patch ];
-
   postPatch = ''
-    rm pkgconfig/pkgconfig.py.orig
     substituteInPlace pkgconfig/pkgconfig.py \
-      --replace 'PKG_CONFIG_EXE = "pkg-config"' 'PKG_CONFIG_EXE = "${pkg-config}/bin/${pkg-config.targetPrefix}pkg-config"'
+      --replace "pkg_config_exe = os.environ.get('PKG_CONFIG', None) or 'pkg-config'" "pkg_config_exe = '${pkg-config}/bin/${pkg-config.targetPrefix}pkg-config'"
 
     # those pc files are missing and pkg-config validates that they exist
     substituteInPlace data/fake-openssl.pc \
@@ -40,8 +37,6 @@ buildPythonPackage rec {
 
   nativeBuildInputs = [ poetry-core ];
 
-  propagatedNativeBuildInputs = [ pkg-config ];
-
   checkInputs = [ pytestCheckHook ];
 
   pythonImportsCheck = [ "pkgconfig" ];
diff --git a/pkgs/development/python-modules/pkgconfig/executable.patch b/pkgs/development/python-modules/pkgconfig/executable.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 79fca7a44f1..00000000000
--- a/pkgs/development/python-modules/pkgconfig/executable.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-commit d8e0bac0c0d831510683939ec7a7b5bd72192423
-Author: Frederik Rietdijk <fridh@fridh.nl>
-Date:   Sat Jan 5 11:38:28 2019 +0100
-
-    Have a top-level attribute for the executable
-
-diff --git a/pkgconfig/pkgconfig.py b/pkgconfig/pkgconfig.py
-index 3deb97f..e7c5561 100644
---- a/pkgconfig/pkgconfig.py
-+++ b/pkgconfig/pkgconfig.py
-@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ from functools import wraps
- from subprocess import call, PIPE, Popen
- 
- 
-+PKG_CONFIG_EXE = "pkg-config"
-+
-+
- def _compare_versions(v1, v2):
-     """
-     Compare two version strings and return -1, 0 or 1 depending on the equality
-@@ -65,7 +68,7 @@ def _convert_error(func):
- 
- @_convert_error
- def _query(package, *options):
--    pkg_config_exe = os.environ.get('PKG_CONFIG', None) or 'pkg-config'
-+    pkg_config_exe = os.environ.get('PKG_CONFIG', None) or PKG_CONFIG_EXE
-     cmd = '{0} {1} {2}'.format(pkg_config_exe, ' '.join(options), package)
-     proc = Popen(shlex.split(cmd), stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE)
-     out, err = proc.communicate()
-@@ -84,7 +87,7 @@ def exists(package):
- 
-     If ``pkg-config`` not on path, raises ``EnvironmentError``.
-     """
--    pkg_config_exe = os.environ.get('PKG_CONFIG', None) or 'pkg-config'
-+    pkg_config_exe = os.environ.get('PKG_CONFIG', None) or PKG_CONFIG_EXE
-     cmd = '{0} --exists {1}'.format(pkg_config_exe, package).split()
-     return call(cmd) == 0
-