KFC Secret Recipe

[Passport1]

I like cook especially interesting recipes. Probably the most elusive recipe of all times is the one for making KFC fried chicken. Several years ago the Chicago Tribune discovered that supposedly a family member of Colonel Harlan Sanders had found his handwritten note describing the previously unknown ingredients.
It is an interesting story.

I've tried it a few times and while it makes chicken almost like KFC it isn't 100% the same. Some claim that without a pressure cooker it can't be duplicated. Maybe so. Has anybody else tried this?

The handwritten list of 11 herbs and spices, jotted down on the back of a document Joe Ledington described as the will for Claudia Sanders, the Colonel's second wife. (Jay Jones / Chicago Tribune)

 

[skyactiv]

The Chicken itself might matter kinda like grain fed vs grass feed beef.
I have an Instant Pot and would like to try this recipe out.

 

[hemitruck]

I haven't, but I will.

 

[Oro_O]

Yes, I've tried that. Very good, but not "identical."

For a while c. 2010 to 2013 ish, I spent a lot of time trying to duplicate it. There was a copycat recipes site (can't recall it now or find an old bookmark) and I'd visit, participate, and share notes with people all over the world. No one ever got really, really close AFAIK. I had a counter-top deep fryer but I also got a vintage "Presto" Chick'n Fryer - like this:

Vintage Presto Chick n Fryer 6Qt. Pressure Cooker Fryer | #469672609

THIS VINTAGE STOVE TOP LOW PRESSURE CHICKEN FRYER/PRESSURE COOKER IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION FROM THE 1970'S GASKET IS FLEXIBLE AND FITS TIGHT,PRESSURE REGULATOR INCLUDED. PRESSURE FRY CHICKEN LIKE KFC

www.worthpoint.com

Didn't help a ton. I grew up in KY, ate KFC all the time and grandmother fried chicken three times a week. I even met Col. Sanders once at the Derby parade when I was a little kid. So this was a hoot to me, but I don't know - but then I haven't checked in on the topic in a few years. Things I did learn were crucial:

LONG buttermilk brining
MSG
Deep fryer or pressure fryer was not that big a deal (once you learned the temps/times on the deep fryer)

 

[y_p_w]

There was an author/researcher who claimed to have gotten a sample of the dry batter mix from an employee. He tried bringing to to several food labs to have it tested. Most flat out refused to test it when they found out what it was supposed to be, in fear of getting sued. But the lab that did agree to test it found that there was white flour, salt, pepper, and MSG. They could easily see the ground pepper.

The Truth Behind Secret Recipes in Coke, KFC, Etc.

The commercial appeal of a good mystery (real or manufactured) has not been lost on advertisers.

www.livescience.com

In his book "Big Secrets," William Poundstone revealed a laboratory analysis of Kentucky Fried Chicken: "The sample of coating mix was found to contain four and only four ingredients: flour, salt, monosodium glutamate, and black pepper. There were no eleven herbs and spices — no herbs at all in fact... Nothing was found in the sample that couldn't be identified." So much for the "secret." In fact, the chicken's ingredient statement is available on KFC's Web site.​

KFC has nutritional information right on their website. If you dig around, you can find an ingredient list. So at the very least putting those spices in plain flour isn't going to duplicate it exactly. However, some of the changes might have come after Harlan Sanders sold off the business.

https://www.kfc.com/nutrition

Once the "meal" is built (I chose an Original Recipe drumstick) they have a standard US nutrition label where one can select "View all ingredients" where there's a list that overlays. I got this:

​

Ingredients for Chicken On The Bone​

Chicken On The Bone (Original Recipe® Chicken Drumstick: Fresh Chicken Marinated With: Salt, Sodium Phosphate and Monosodium Glutamate. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Tricalcium Phosphate, Nonfat Milk, Whey, Potato Starch, Egg Whites, Maltodextrin, Triglycerides, Food Starch- Modified, Natural Flavor, Colonel's Secret Original Recipe Seasoning.)​

There are already 12 ingredients that aren't spices.

 

[y_p_w]

Deep fryer or pressure fryer was not that big a deal (once you learned the temps/times on the deep fryer)

A few non-KFC fast food fried chicken chains use pressure fryers. I heard that gets the inside nice and tender without drying out. Then they might need to fry it again in a regular deep fryer to get the batter a little crispier.

 

[Oro_O]

A few non-KFC fast food fried chicken chains use pressure fryers. I heard that gets the inside nice and tender without drying ou

t. Then they might need to fry it again in a regular deep fryer to get the batter a little crispier.

Yeah, the idea is the same as searing a steak - seal the outside and don't let juices escape.

I found if you brined it long enough, and double battered it, and had the oil the right temp, this didn't matter much pressure vs. not. But if I were a production line/restaurant, I would for sure use pressure so as to minimize the human error or skill required.

I learned to "double fry" french fries like you described and it's the bomb. Like 5 minutes at 300, cool a bit, heat the oil higher and the a few minutes to crisp. That's how McD's does it I think.

There's a company in Southern Indiana that makes a chicken spice mix that is supposed to be REALLY close. I can't recall the name of it right now, think it began with an "M," lots of copy-cat people use that as a base and tweak it a little IIRC (never tried it myself).

EDIT:

OK, found it. "Marion-Kay." Sanders had them mix some of the blend early on, and it is said their "99-x" blend is the original KFC from the 50s/60s. In fact I have not tried it and need to give it a shot. I always blended my own but nothing got exact. Dang good, but not dead-on.

Marion-Kay | The World's Finest Spices and Seasonings

marionkay.com

 

[y_p_w]

Yeah, the idea is the same as searing a steak - seal the outside and don't let juices escape.

I found if you brined it long enough, and double battered it, and had the oil the right temp, this didn't matter much pressure vs. not. But if I were a production line/restaurant, I would for sure use pressure so as to minimize the human error or skill required.

I learned to "double fry" french fries like you described and it's the bomb. Like 5 minutes at 300, cool a bit, heat the oil higher and the a few minutes to crisp. That's how McD's does it I think.

There's a company in Southern Indiana that makes a chicken spice mix that is supposed to be REALLY close. I can't recall the name of it right now, think it began with an "M," lots of copy-cat people use that as a base and tweak it a little IIRC (never tried it myself).

EDIT:

OK, found it. "Marion-Kay." Sanders had them mix some of the blend early on, and it is said their "99-x" blend is the original KFC from the 50s/60s. In fact I have not tried it and need to give it a shot. I always blended my own but nothing got exact. Dang good, but not dead-on.

Marion-Kay | The World's Finest Spices and Seasonings

marionkay.com

I'm not sure McDonald's does it with a double fry. Their secret is they add flavoring to it that's supposed to taste like beef. They used to fry in beef tallow like 30 years ago. The other secret is that they drown it in a dextrose mixture so the sugars will brown when they fry it. I thought their fries went straight from the freezer to the fryer.

OK - I looked it up, and they partially cook them at the factory before freezing them. I don't think it's quite a restaurant style double fry like I've had with some other places. They're basically just reheating them.

Now quality double-cooked fries are a thing of beauty. They're supposed to be put aside and maybe even towel dried before the final cooking. There was this hot dog chain that had one location near me. I never got the hot dogs, but those fries were incredible.

 

[Wolf359]

Yeah, the idea is the same as searing a steak - seal the outside and don't let juices escape.

I found if you brined it long enough, and double battered it, and had the oil the right temp, this didn't matter much pressure vs. not. But if I were a production line/restaurant, I would for sure use pressure so as to minimize the human error or skill required.

I learned to "double fry" french fries like you described and it's the bomb. Like 5 minutes at 300, cool a bit, heat the oil higher and the a few minutes to crisp. That's how McD's does it I think.

There's a company in Southern Indiana that makes a chicken spice mix that is supposed to be REALLY close. I can't recall the name of it right now, think it began with an "M," lots of copy-cat people use that as a base and tweak it a little IIRC (never tried it myself).

EDIT:

OK, found it. "Marion-Kay." Sanders had them mix some of the blend early on, and it is said their "99-x" blend is the original KFC from the 50s/60s. In fact I have not tried it and need to give it a shot. I always blended my own but nothing got exact. Dang good, but not dead-on.

Marion-Kay | The World's Finest Spices and Seasonings

marionkay.com

They sell 99-x for $30 which does 100 pounds of chicken. Seems like a lot if you just want to try it. Doesn't seem to be any smaller size.

Chicken Seasoning 99-X – Marion Kay Spices

marionkay.com

The Chicken itself might matter kinda like grain fed vs grass feed beef.
I have an Instant Pot and would like to try this recipe out.

Can't use a regular pressure cooker for frying. Got to use a specialty one and they're a lot more money.

Read This Before Deep Frying In A Pressure Cooker

If you're considering deep frying in a pressure cooker, you need to read this first...

thedeepestfry.com

 

[NYEngineer]

 

[atikovi]

Has anybody else tried this?

View attachment 35750


The handwritten list of 11 herbs and spices, jotted down on the back of a document Joe Ledington described as the will for Claudia Sanders, the Colonel's second wife. (Jay Jones / Chicago Tribune)

KFC is everywhere. Wouldn't it be easier to just pick up a bucket? The ingredients are only part of the puzzle. Cook time. Type of oil. Oil temperature. Then there is the breed of chicken, male or female, etc.

 

[Passport1]

KFC is everywhere. Wouldn't it be easier to just pick up a bucket? The ingredients are only part of the puzzle. Cook time. Type of oil. Oil temperature. Then there is the breed of chicken, male or female, etc.

I guess the answer to that is reason most of us like the challenge of changing our own oil not just going to Jiffy Lube.

 

[atikovi]

Jiffy Lube doesn't have fried chicken, does it?

 

[97prizm]

My uncle years ago made fried chicken, he used an Italian dressing mix in with the flour. He swears it tastes like KFC.

 

[Wolf359]

KFC is everywhere. Wouldn't it be easier to just pick up a bucket? The ingredients are only part of the puzzle. Cook time. Type of oil. Oil temperature. Then there is the breed of chicken, male or female, etc.

That also assumes that what you get is what the Coronel intended. Even when he was alive, he railed against the various stores because QC was bad and he felt they weren't making the chicken the way he intended. I think the 99-X was because he felt they were screwing up his recipe.

 

[Zee09]

KFC is so oil soaked its like drinking motor oil straight. I get sludged up..lol
So maybe you need to oil it up some more eh?

 

[y_p_w]

KFC is everywhere. Wouldn't it be easier to just pick up a bucket? The ingredients are only part of the puzzle. Cook time. Type of oil. Oil temperature. Then there is the breed of chicken, male or female, etc.

I'd be surprised if KFC (at least in the US) used anything other than common, bland chickens that are bred to grow quickly with large amounts of breast meat. It's not likely to be heritage breed chickens.

Why chickens are twice as big today as they were 60 years ago

American families are getting smaller and yet chickens are getting larger.

www.marketwatch.com

I've had a lot of friends from Asia tell me that the KFC in places like Japan or China have more flavorful chicken meat. It's also relatively expensive compared to someone's average pay. I've been there and didn't necessarily pay that much attention, but I will say the parts tend to look smaller. The cost of chicken meat is reasonable because of the low cost of production and farm labor there.

 

[y_p_w]

That also assumes that what you get is what the Coronel intended. Even when he was alive, he railed against the various stores because QC was bad and he felt they weren't making the chicken the way he intended. I think the 99-X was because he felt they were screwing up his recipe.

I heard he had minor complaints about the quality of the chicken. Now the thing he absolutely abhorred was the sad excuse for gravy that was served with their mashed potatoes.

And the really odd thing was that Harland Sanders wasn't from Kentucky. He was from Indiana and kind of took on that Southern affectation. But just watch any interview of him, and it's actually pretty mild.

 

[RDY4WAR]

A lot of people like KFC. I'm not one of them. I've eaten there several times over the last 10 years, but only out of convenience and "haven't had that in a while" circumstances. I think I got spoiled too much by my grandma's buttermilk fried chicken growing up. No commercial fried chicken chain has come close.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I think there is far better fried chicken than KFC but appreciate the challenge of trying to make it at home. My wife was in Hong Kong for a school trip in college and said KFC was the one of the only things she ate other than some other American chain and Clif bars. She said the chicken was way smaller and kind of stringy compared to US KFC.