KFC Fried Chicken

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.

overhead view of homemade KFC fried chicken on parchment paper


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Copycat KFC Fried Chicken Secret Recipe

KFC fried chicken is known all the world around. Yes, you can go to 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.

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 had made for his KFC original recipe, and you can buy the KFC spice blend.

Also, this interesting video tests the spices in the KFC leaked recipe.

Recipe Ingredients for KFC Coating

This copycat Kentucky fried chicken recipe features 11 herbs and spices just 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
KFC fried chicken recipe ingredients on a tray

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. Using 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 made with a Kentucky fried chicken recipe. 

However, you probably don’t have a commercial pressure fryer sitting 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 in order to make the recipe:

Recipe Steps

  1. Combine flour and all of the seasonings in a bowl.
    flour and spices for KFC fried chicken in a bowl
  2. Cut the chicken into pieces (breasts, thighs, legs, and wings).
  3. Whisk the buttermilk and beaten egg together in a large bowl.
  4. Place the chicken pieces in the buttermilk mixture and soak the chicken for 30 minutes.
    chicken pieces soaking in buttermilk
  5. Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
  6. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and shake off excess.
  7. Put each chicken piece into the flour mixture, turn to fully coat, then shake off excess flour.
  8. Place the breaded chicken onto a wire rack over a baking sheet.
    breaded chicken on a wire rack
  9. Let the breaded chicken rest for 15 minutes before frying.
  10. Heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
  11. 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.
  12. Drain the fried chicken on a clean wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.
pieces of homemade KFC fried chicken

Tips for Breading KFC Chicken

  1. Pat it Dry – After soaking your chicken in a buttermilk/egg mixture before breading, pat it dry enough so that the buttermilk is not dripping when you coat it. 
  1. Shake Off the Flour – For crispy, flavorful Kentucky fried chicken, make sure to remove any excess flour. Excess flour will cause the breading to fall off because it is not adhering to the chicken.
  1. Don’t Skimp on the Crumb – Whatever you coat the chicken in, make sure to do it thoroughly. Coat the meat evenly and completely on every side.
  1. 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. Chicken that is well-coated is the key to that crunchy fried texture you expect from a KFC recipe.
  1. 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 touch the chicken with tongs, the more likely the breading is to fall off.

    Wait until you see a golden rim appear around the side of the chicken 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?

The first thing to pay attention to is that 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 actually 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 absolutely can freeze fried chicken and it will still be crisp and delicious whenever you want to eat it.

Reheating Fried Chicken

If you refrigerated your fried chicken, you can always just 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 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.

homemade KFC fried chicken in a serving basket

Love KFC? Try these copycat recipes!

Check out more of my easy chicken recipes and the best fast food recipes here on CopyKat!

overhead view of homemade KFC fried chicken on parchment paper

KFC Fried Chicken

Recreate KFC Fried Chicken at home with this copycat recipe. 
4.92 from 133 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: KFC Fried Chicken
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Calories: 168kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • tablespoon salt
  • ½ tablespoon ground thyme
  • ½ tablespoon basil
  • 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 3241mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1827IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 3mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeff Ecker

    2 stars
    I am absolutely astounded that the recipe that calls for 3 TBL of white pepper has not alarmed anybody else. It was hot and the taste of the pepper overwhelmed all of the other flavors. I’ve been running restaurants for over 35 years, have created many recipes and this is the worst rendition of the KFC copycat recipe.

    • Stephanie Manley

      I am very sorry this was disappointing for you. I went back to the source for this recipe, and it was verified by the Chicago Tribune. Here is the link for their verification for it as well.
      Chicago Tribune verification.

  2. Laura J Elsinger

    5 stars
    Not a salt fan and was kind of worried about how much of the spices but it tasted amazing! Will be using as my go to!

    • Logan

      This is not how KFC makes their chicken. I worked there a while back as the actual chicken chef. Their bags of chicken just have a watery preservative solution. We cut the bags open, rinsed the chicken in plain water and dumped it right into the breading lug without patting it dry. Tossed it in the breading and racked it. If it was the extra crispy we would toss it in breading, dunk it in the water and bread it a second time. There was no buttermilk or eggs, no dredging in anything but water. I simply wanted the breading recipe and all these recipes have you use buttermilk and/or egg and marinate. Incorrect. KFC does not do any of that.

  3. Kristin Knowles

    5 stars
    I love KFC fried chicken and I can’t wait to make it next week. And I love the KFC coleslaw. It will be great to have both together. I also can make the KFC mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits and macaroni salad

  4. Gina Hicklin

    4 stars
    Just made this tonight. Not 100% like KFC, but pretty darn close! It was delicious! I used some deboned chicken thighs and they turned out great!!

  5. Pauline S Morgalo

    4 stars
    It’s good but I would eliminate half the salt such as instead of using garlic salt use garlic powder and cut it down to half the required salt

  6. vauxhall

    amazing recipe! made it last night. i was left with a lot leftover flour/spice mix – how long can that be stored in the fridge for? i assume since raw chicken was dipped in it, not more than a few days? would love to hear what your experience has been thanks!

  7. George Moy

    I seen this recipe on cook’s county where to make the spice blend easier get a bottle of intalan seasoning that’s all you need then you just add the ginger and your white pepper that’s what I wondering if you included in here, Also I seen it on the Phil Donahue show how to make extra crispy chicken, this lady as a chef guest said after you flour the chicken once take a bowl with water and oil mixture and drizzle it on your chicken and roll it in the flour a second time,when you fry it it will be becomes extra crispy, I know I tried it and it works!

  8. Barbara

    5 stars
    This was great fried chicken, tasted like I remember. Can you come up with those crinkle fries they used to have?

  9. Robert

    Way too much Paprika. I would adjust this recipe using only 1 Tablespoon of Paprika and a little more salt maybe a full Tablespoon. Otherwise not bad. Thanks.

  10. Tammy Phillips

    5 stars
    I enjoyed making this recipe, eating with customised gluten free ingredients, lactose free ingredients, fodmap friendly ingredients it tasted just like normal kfc to me.

  11. Bonnie Beltinck

    I haven’t made the KFC Chicken yet but it will be made here soon. It looks so good. My husband love KFC so if this is even close to it, he’ll be very surprised and super happy. Thank you.

  12. Jason

    I have heard that Good Season’s Italian Dressing & Recipe Mix is a Copy of the KFC 11 Herbs. Do you know how they compare?

  13. Baltisraul

    5 stars
    I always love it when you bring back the KFC recipe. The Chicago Tribune article of years ago also said that the Col. knew the key ingredient to his 11 herb & spice was the amount of white pepper in the mixture.

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