KFC Recipe

Kentucky Fried Chicken was started by Harland Sanders in North Corbin, Kentucky at a gas station he owned. At the time it wasn't called Kentucky Fried Chicken, but rather, "Sanders Court & Cafe." Harland Sanders would cook the chicken in an iron skillet and it quickly became a popular stop for travelers and locals alike.

In 1936, the Governor of Kentucky recognized the contribution Harland Sanders was making to the economy of the state and made him an honory Kentucky Colonel. Sanders eventually bought a motel across the street from his gas station and put an actual restaurant inside. Unfortunately, with this increased customer base, Col. Sanders was no longer able to cook his chicken in the iron skillet he had used for so long. This is when he devised a recipe using a pressure fryer to cook his chicken. This gave birth to the Colonels Original Recipe.

Colonel Harland Sanders continued his successful chicken restaurant catering to travelers through the area. When highway 75 was put in, bypassing Corbin, Kentucky, Sanders realized his business was going to suffer greatly from the decreased traveler business, so he closed up shop and traveled the country setting up franchises. The very first franchise known as "Kentucky Fried Chicken" opened up in 1952 in South Salt Lake, Utah.

Most companies try not to let their restaurant recipes get into the hands of the general public. Few companies go through as much as KFC to keep their recipes secret. The original recipe developed by Col. Sanders is now kept in a vault in the KFC headquarters. It's guarded 24 hours a day and only 2 people in the company know the complete recipe.

Because of the secrecy of KFC's Original Recipe, nobody can honestly claim to know they can make this at home. But, we can get you extremely close. So close, few will be able to tell the difference between your recipe and that of the Colonels. This is the recipe that gets you closer than all the rest. Remember, one of the secrets Colonel Sanders had was his pressure fryer cooking method. This locks in juices and cooks the chicken in less time, keeping it moist and less greasy.

• 2 envelopes dry tomato soup mix (Lipton cup-o-soup works perfect)
• 2 envelopes Italian dressing mix
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried chervil (it’s a lot like parsley, but don’t try to substitute)
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon powder
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups pancake mix, (Bisquick works well)
• 3 cups buttermilk (enough to soak the chicken)
• 4 cups oil (southerners love using lard but you may want to substitute)

1. Blend all of the dry ingredients for the coating in a blender.
2. Soak the chicken pieces in buttermilk for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
3. Remove chicken from buttermilk and roll in the chicken coating mixture above.
4. Let chicken sit at room temperature while waiting for the oil to get hot.
5. Use a pressure fryer if possible for the most authentic copy of the original Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe. If that is not possible, use a cast iron skillet. Do not crowd the chicken when placing into the skillet.
6. Brown the chicken in the skillet on high heat. Then turn down the heat and cover the pan. Cook until the fried chicken is done, about 30 minutes.
7. During the last 5 or 10 minutes, uncover the pan and turn up the heat. This will crisp up the fried chicken. Be careful not to burn the chicken during this last step.
8. Remove the fried chicken and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.