Kentucky Fried Chicken's Original Recipe: the holy grail
of white trash cuisine
My uncle Lawrence spent the majority of the 1970's searching for that devious
evil genius Harland Sanders' fried chicken recipe.
Says the KFC website: "For years, Colonel Harland Sanders carried the
secret formula for his Kentucky Fried Chicken in his head and the spice mixture
in his car. Today, the recipe is locked away in a safe in Louisville, Kentucky.
Only a handful of people know that multi-million dollar recipe, and each is
obligated to strict confidentiality by contract.
The Colonel developed the formula back in the 1930s when he operated the Sanders
Court & Cafe restaurant and motel in Corbin, Kentucky. There, his blend of 11
herbs and spices first developed a loyal following of customers.
'In those days, I hand-mixed the spices like mixing cement on a specially
cleaned concrete floor on my back porch in Corbin,' the Colonel recalled. 'I
used a scoop to make a tunnel in the flour and then carefully mixed in the herbs
and spices.' "
KFC uses a pressure cooker to make it's fried chicken. A few people say that one must use cake flour in the recipe. The seasoning mixes are varied, and few I've found actually contain 11 herbs and spices - though one source says neither does the KFC recipe. The New York Times quoted Colonel Sanders as admitting that the herbs and spices "stand on everybody's shelf ".
This site says:
In 1974 Esquire magazine asked four food writers to try Kentucky Fried Chicken
and offer their analyses. There was little consensus.
James Beard found the chicken "well seasoned with salt"; with less assurance, he
thought he detected monosodium glutamate, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. Roy
Andries de Groot was "reasonably sure of minuscule amounts" of rosemary, savory,
tarragon, thyme, pepper, turmeric, and cinnamon. He also noted salt, monosodium
glutamate, "tiny globules of what might be honey or brown sugar," and "the
faintest touch of both almond and mint." Waverly Root concluded that the chicken
was "dunked in some sort of batter" containing flour, milk, and perhaps egg.
Root was certain only of salt and pepper in the seasoning; he guessed that
celery salt, caraway, chili powder, and/or horseradish might be present. James
Villas doubted that any milk or egg was used in the coating and further doubted
that there were eleven herbs and spices. He detected only cinnamon and cloves.
Villas argued that the secret of Kentucky Fried Chicken is sugar: "Real fried
chicken is not sweet; this is." The sugar, he suspected, was added to the "very
light and very safe and very healthy cooking oil."
KFC Original Recipe #1
Gloria Pitzer's Secret Blend
Rosemary,
Oregano,
Sage,
Ginger,
Marjoram,
Thyme,
Parsley,
Pepper,
Paprika,
Garlic salt, and
Onion salt.
Three additional flavorings - brown sugar, powdered chicken bouillon, and Lipton
Tomato Cup-a-Soup mix - supplement the herbs and spices.
The recipe calls for the chicken pieces to be fried in a pan or deep fryer until brown and then transferred to an oven for thirty to thirty-five minutes' additional cooking. One-fourth to one-half inch of water in the baking pan keeps the chicken moist in the oven. In Pitzer's first recipe, the chicken is seasoned with a marinade made from commercial Italian salad dressing mix, flour, salt, lemon juice, and oil.
KFC Original Recipe #2
3 c. self-rising flour
2 pkgs. Good Seasons Italian dressing
1 tbsp. paprika
2 envelopes Lipton's tomato cup-a-soup
1 tsp. salt
Mix all ingredients together. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Lay on cookie
sheet. Pour melted butter over all. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
KFC Original Recipe #3
3 pounds chicken parts
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
Instructions
Thoroughly mix flour and seasonings. Coat chicken with seasoned flour. Place
coated chicken on wire rack and allow to dry.
Heat about 1/2 inch oil in skillet (preferably, a cast iron fry pan).
Add chicken skin side down. Brown lightly on skin side then flip chicken. Cover
skillet, reduce heat, and cook chicken covered for 15-20 minutes. Remove lid and
cook for 10 minutes or until chicken becomes crisp again.
KFC Original Recipe #4
* 2 fryer chickens, cut up into 8 pieces and marinated
* 6 cups Crisco shortening
* 1 egg, well beaten
* 2 cups milk
* 2 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons ground pepper
* 3 tablespoons salt
* 1 teaspoon msg
* 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 dash paprika
Directions
Place shortening into the pressure cooker and heat over medium heat to the
shortening reaches. In a small bowl, combine the egg and milk. In a separate
bowl, combine the remaining six dry ingredients. Dip each piece of chicken into
the milk until fully moistened. Roll the moistened chicken in the flour mixture
until well coated. In groups of four or five, drop the covered chicken pieces
into the shortening and lock the lid. When pressure builds up cook for 10
minutes.
KFC Original Recipe #5
Soak cut up fryer in 3 cups water (yellow food coloring added) and 1 tablespoon
salt overnight or 8 hours. Drain and coat with following mixture: 1/2 tsp.
tarragon 2 tsp. onion powder 2 tsp. seasoned salt 2 tsp. instant bouillon
(chicken flavor) 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 c. flour
Blend spices in blender. Add flour and coat chicken.
KFC
Original Recipe #6
1 frying chicken, cut into frying pieces
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Pkt. (dry) Good Seasons Italian Dressing (THE 11 herbs and spices!)
1 Envelope Lipton (or other brand) Tomato Cup of Soup
2 eggs, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
Vegetable oil to cover bottom of your skillet; about 1/2 inch deep.
| 1. Combine eggs and milk. Set aside.
2. Combine flour with the Italian dressing and soup mix.
3. Dip chicken pieces in milk-egg mixture and roll them in the
flour-seasoning mixture. Repeat procedure.
4. Fry pieces over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, turning often.
5. Remove from fire. Drain and serve.
Think you've got the best recipe of them all? Put it to the test at the World Chicken Frying Festival Contest in London, Kentucky.