No one makes fried chicken like KFC. They have been known for their famous recipe of 11 herbs and spices for a very long time now. You can recreate their fried chicken at home with this recipe for the KFC coating, and now you don’t have to worry about the secret recipe, because you can make their chicken.
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Copycat KFC fried chicken secret recipe
KFC fried chicken is known all around the world. Yes, you can pick some up anytime you like at your local Kentucky Fried Chicken fast-food restaurant. But maybe you live away from one and want to make homemade KFC fried chicken. You can with this copycat recipe.
Note this copycat KFC fried chicken recipe is from the KFC leaked recipe featured in the Chicago Tribune. It is supposed to be the KFC original recipe from Colonel Sanders. KFC has changed its recipe over the years, so much so that in the 1970, Colonel Sanders said it didn’t taste like his fried chicken.
The secret to KFC chicken is in the spices
Sanders sold off most of his KFC franchise but still retained rights in the Canadian restaurants. He claimed the company that bought KFC changed the spice recipe, so he went to the Marion-Kay spice company and had a spice blend made especially for him.
Marion Kay still sells the spice blend the Colonel made for his original KFC recipe, and you can buy the KFC spice blend.
Also, this interesting video tests the spices in the leaked KFC recipe.
Recipe ingredients for KFC coating
This copycat Kentucky fried chicken recipe features 11 herbs and spices like the original KFC recipe – basil, black pepper, celery salt, garlic salt, ginger, mustard powder, oregano, paprika, salt, thyme, and white pepper.
It is known that the original KFC recipe would have used cottonseed oil. Now, we typically use hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Here’s a list of what you need:
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Ground thyme
- Basil
- Oregano
- Celery salt
- Ground black pepper
- Ground white pepper
- Dry mustard powder
- Paprika
- Garlic salt
- Ground ginger
- Accent flavor enhancer (optional)
- Whole chicken
- Egg
- Buttermilk
- Vegetable oil for frying
How to make KFC fried chicken
Equipment
One thing is decidedly different between a homemade KFC recipe and KFC chicken purchased in a restaurant, and that is pressure cooking. To get it just right, you need a chicken pressure fryer.
Frying under pressure enables faster cooking at lower oil temps than in a conventional deep fryer. A pressure fryer ensures that moisture and flavor are sealed in while excess cooking oil is sealed out. This method produces a healthier and juicier chicken with a Kentucky fried chicken recipe.
However, you probably don’t have a commercial pressure fryer on your countertop, so you can use a regular deep fryer or even a Dutch oven.
Just in case you don’t have a deep fryer or Dutch oven, you can get the equipment you need on Amazon to make the recipe:
- Deep fryer or a Dutch oven
- Thermometer if using a Dutch oven
Recipe Steps
- Combine flour and all of the seasonings in a bowl.
- Cut the chicken into pieces (breasts, thighs, legs, and wings).
- Whisk the buttermilk and beaten egg together in a large bowl.
- Place the chicken pieces in the buttermilk mixture and soak the chicken for 30 minutes.
- Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and shake off excess.
- Put each chicken piece into the flour mixture, turn to fully coat, then shake off excess flour.
- Place the breaded chicken onto a wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Let the breaded chicken rest for 15 minutes before frying.
- Heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
- Fry the chicken in batches until done. Breasts and thighs take about 15 minutes to cook. Wings and drumsticks take about 12 minutes to cook.
- Drain the fried chicken on a clean wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.
Tips for breading KFC chicken
- Pat it Dry – After soaking your chicken in a buttermilk/egg mixture before breading, pat it dry enough so that the buttermilk does not drip when you coat it.
- Shake Off the Flour – For crispy, flavorful Kentucky fried chicken, remove any excess flour. Excess flour will cause the breading to fall off because it does not adhere to the chicken.
- Don’t Skimp on the Crumb – Whatever you coat the chicken in, do it thoroughly. Coat the meat evenly and entirely on every side.
- Remember the Last Pat – After your chicken is covered in breading, gently pat it down on all sides so that all the coating sticks to the egg layer. Well-coated chicken is the key to that crunchy fried texture you expect from a KFC recipe.
- Curb Your Impatience – If you’re frying in a Dutch oven or a cast-iron skillet, place the breaded chicken pieces in the hot oil with plenty of space between them and let them be! The more the chicken pieces touch each other, or you feel the chicken with tongs, the more likely the breading is to fall off.
Wait until you see a golden rim around the chicken’s side submerged in the oil, then feel free to flip it.
Here’s a good article about how to deep fry at home with confidence.
How to store fried chicken
Fried chicken can be somewhat time-consuming to put together, so many people choose to make it in large batches. So, how do you store fried chicken?
First, your fried chicken should not be left at room temperature for more than 30-60 minutes. However, keep in mind that your fried chicken will take time to cool completely before it reaches room temperature.
Your homemade KFC fried chicken will cool to room temperature in about 30 minutes). It needs to cool completely before you prep it for storage so that you don’t mess with the integrity of the breading.
Wrap each piece of chicken individually in heavy-duty foil and place it in a freezer bag.
Store fried chicken in your refrigerator for up to 5 days or in your freezer for up to 12 months at 0 degrees. If frozen at a lower temperature, use within 6 months. You can freeze fried chicken and it will still be crisp and delicious whenever you want to eat it.
Reheating fried chicken
If you refrigerate your fried chicken, you can always take it out, allow it to reach room temperature, and eat it without reheating. It tastes delicious this way.
With frozen fried chicken, you must first allow it to thaw. Unwrap it and let it thaw at room temperature.
You can reheat fried chicken in the microwave or the oven. Refrying the chicken doesn’t work well. You will get an overcooked flavor and/or soggy chicken. The best way to maintain the crispness of fried chicken is to use the oven.
Microwave – Individual fried chicken pieces should be wrapped in a paper towel (to help preserve the breading) and microwaved in 30-second intervals. If the chicken is not sufficiently warmed, turn it over and warm for another 30 seconds.
Oven – Place a layer of aluminum foil on a baking sheet or in a pan to help the breading stay crisp. Arrange your fried chicken on the foil in a single layer and cover the top of the sheet/pan with more foil. Warm in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Love KFC? Try these copycat recipes!
Popular fast food copycat recipes
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Check out more of my easy chicken recipes and the best fast food recipes here on CopyKat!
KFC Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- â…” tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon ground thyme
- ½ tablespoon basil
- â…“ tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon celery salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
- 4 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 3 tablespoons ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon Accent flavor enhancer (MSG) optional
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup full-fat buttermilk
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into breast, thigh, leg, and wing pieces.
- In a shallow bowl, mix together the flour and all of the seasonings.
- In a large bowl, add buttermilk and beaten egg. Stir or whisk to combine.
- Add the chicken pieces to the buttermilk mixture.
- Soak the chicken for about 30 minutes.
- Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
- To bread the chicken, remove the chicken from the buttermilk and shake off excess.
- Place each piece into the flour mixture.
- Coat the chicken fully and then shake off all of the excess flour.
- Place the chicken onto the wire rack.
- Bread all of the chicken. The breaded chicken should rest for about 15 minutes before frying.
- Heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer. If you do not have a deep fryer you should use a Dutch oven and fill it half full of vegetable shortening. If you are using a Dutch oven, use a thermometer to make sure the temperature is maintained at 350 degrees. If the temperature drops too low, the breading will become greasy.
- Cook the chicken in 2 or 3 batches. The breasts and thighs will take about 15 to 18 minutes to cook. The wings and legs will take about 12 to 13 minutes to cook.
- Drain the fried chicken on a clean wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
Steve
I’ve been trying to find/create a copy cat Original KFC recipe for a long time. I followed this recipe that makes an excellent KFC-like fried chicken. I took it to our reunion picnic and was able to make a side-by-side comparison with some Original KFC. I found there was a taste and smell difference, so it may be a bit optimistic to call this a copy cat KFC recipe. As your article points out, one difference could be attributable to KFC being high pressured fried. I came closer to a copy cat KFC recipe substituting tellicherry black peppercorns from India for regular black pepper.
Adam U
I made this but cut down on the salt a lot as I have hypertension and it still came out brilliant! Will definitely make again. 😊
Janet Snyder
Do you have a copycat recipe for KFC Original fried chicken? I like it more than the crispy kind
Stephanie Manley
This is the only recipe that I have for KFC chicken.
Michael House
This is the original recipe not crispy. They pressure cook the original which is why it seems different.
Liz
I loved it! It was a bit peppery and the next time I will cut back on the amount of pepper . The timing was spot on although I did use a meat thermometer to make sure the inside was cooked. Can’t be too careful. Didn’t want my family yo get sick.
Pat Nugent
Don’t cut back on the white pepper. The Col said that was the secret to the 11 herbs and spices.
Renee Carpenter
Tried this and it didn’t turn out that great. The outside got done and the inside was raw. The outside got to done. I left in the times it said on the recipe. I won’t ever make this again.
Stephanie Manley
I am sorry this recipe did not work out for you. All chicken isn’t the same size, so cooking times may vary. One thing you can do, is to purchase a meat thermometer, and check to see if the chicken makes it to 165 degrees so you never have to bite into raw chicken.
Nate
To get the spot on KFC taste cut back the white pepper to 1 TBS and 1 1/2. tablespoons of cayan pepper and I do believe the paprika is smoked.