Featured image credit: PA
The secret Original Recipe has been closely guarded by KFC since the 1940s but could the disclosed herbs and spices have finally been sprinkled into the wrong hands?
Well, the Chicago Tribune has published what one relative of Colonel Harland Sanders, the face of KFC, believes is the recipe.
According to the Daily Mail, the blend of 11 herbs and spices has been kept in a secret vault for more than 70 years.
In order to keep the full details under wraps, Sanders ingeniously designated two different companies to make part of the recipe so that no company would ever have the complete formula.
Joe Ledington, a nephew of Sanders by marriage, holds a scrapbook that was once owned by Claudia Sanders, second wife of the colonel. The contents of which could very well hold fried chickens biggest and best kept secret.
Video credit: YouTube/SoulOfAReptile
Ledington is alleged to have held possession of the scrapbook for four years now after it was passed down the family.
Chicago Tribune decided to put the recipe in question to the test. Here's how they made the finger lickin' chicken:
- Prep: 30 minutes
- Soak: 20-30 minutes
- Cook: 15-18 minutes
- Makes: 4 servings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon dried basil leaves
- 1/3 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 tablespoon celery salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried mustard
- 4 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 3 tablespoons ground white pepper
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 chicken, cut up, the breast pieces cut in half for more even frying
- Expeller-pressed canola oil
- 1 Mix the flour in a bowl with all the herbs and spices; set aside.
- 2 Mix the buttermilk and egg together in a separate bowl until combined. Soak the chicken in the buttermilk mixture at room temperature, 20-30 minutes.
- 3 Remove chicken from the buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off. Dip the chicken pieces in the herb-spice-flour mixture to coat all sides, shaking off excess. Allow to sit on a rack over a baking sheet, 20 minutes.
- 4 Meanwhile, heat about 3 inches of the oil in a large Dutch oven (or similar heavy pot with high sides) over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. (Use a deep-frying thermometer to check the temperature.) When temperature is reached, lower the heat to medium to maintain it at 350. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry until medium golden brown, turning once, 15-18 minutes. Transfer chicken pieces to a baking sheet covered with paper towels. Allow the oil to return to temperature before adding more chicken. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- The Chicago Tribune
However, before we all go bat-shit crazy to make homemade KFC after finally getting our hands on the recipe, the parent company of KFC, Yum!, is not convinced. In a statement, it said: "Lots of people through the years have claimed to discover or figure out the secret recipe, but no one's ever been right."
Video credit: Chigaco Tribune
Whether or not we have the formula, I feel like chicken tonight regardless.
Words: Hamish Kilburn
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Chicken, Fast Food, KFC