diff --git a/libpkgconf/dependency.c b/libpkgconf/dependency.c
index 1cf7891..616c0c2 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/dependency.c
+++ b/libpkgconf/dependency.c
@@ -177,6 +177,31 @@ pkgconf_dependency_append(pkgconf_list_t *list, pkgconf_dependency_t *tail)
 	pkgconf_node_insert_tail(&tail->iter, tail, list);
 }
 
+/*
+ * !doc
+ *
+ * .. c:function:: void pkgconf_dependency_free_one(pkgconf_dependency_t *dep)
+ *
+ *    Frees a dependency node.
+ *
+ *    :param pkgconf_dependency_t* dep: The dependency node to free.
+ *    :return: nothing
+ */
+void
+pkgconf_dependency_free_one(pkgconf_dependency_t *dep)
+{
+	if (dep->match != NULL)
+		pkgconf_pkg_unref(dep->match->owner, dep->match);
+
+	if (dep->package != NULL)
+		free(dep->package);
+
+	if (dep->version != NULL)
+		free(dep->version);
+
+	free(dep);
+}
+
 /*
  * !doc
  *
@@ -196,16 +221,8 @@ pkgconf_dependency_free(pkgconf_list_t *list)
 	{
 		pkgconf_dependency_t *dep = node->data;
 
-		if (dep->match != NULL)
-			pkgconf_pkg_unref(dep->match->owner, dep->match);
-
-		if (dep->package != NULL)
-			free(dep->package);
-
-		if (dep->version != NULL)
-			free(dep->version);
-
-		free(dep);
+		pkgconf_node_delete(&dep->iter, list);
+		pkgconf_dependency_free_one(dep);
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h b/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h
index 8c70251..d0f5f3d 100644
--- a/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h
+++ b/libpkgconf/libpkgconf.h
@@ -320,6 +320,7 @@ PKGCONF_API void pkgconf_dependency_parse_str(const pkgconf_client_t *client, pk
 PKGCONF_API void pkgconf_dependency_parse(const pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_pkg_t *pkg, pkgconf_list_t *deplist_head, const char *depends, unsigned int flags);
 PKGCONF_API void pkgconf_dependency_append(pkgconf_list_t *list, pkgconf_dependency_t *tail);
 PKGCONF_API void pkgconf_dependency_free(pkgconf_list_t *list);
+PKGCONF_API void pkgconf_dependency_free_one(pkgconf_dependency_t *dep);
 PKGCONF_API pkgconf_dependency_t *pkgconf_dependency_add(const pkgconf_client_t *client, pkgconf_list_t *list, const char *package, const char *version, pkgconf_pkg_comparator_t compare, unsigned int flags);
 
 /* argvsplit.c */