Lucas Delgado
KFC's blend of 11 herbs and spices is one of the world's most famous trade secrets. The recipe is kept in a vault in KFC's headquarters in Louisville and is only known by a few people. In 2016, a reporter was shown a handwritten recipe from a Sanders family scrapbook, which was said to contain the original 11 herbs and spices. The recipe was tested and, with the addition of MSG, produced fried chicken that was indistinguishable from KFC's.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Secrecy | KFC's recipe is kept in a vault in KFC headquarters and is only known by a few people. |
| Original creator | Colonel Harland Sanders |
| Year of creation | 1939 |
| Recipe holders | KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands |
| Recipe testers | Chicago Tribune, Tribune staffers, William Poundstone, Todd Wilbur, Recipe tester and stylist Lisa Schumacher, Allrecipes.com, Food.com, Dexerto.com, r/bingingwithbabish on Reddit |
| Ingredients | Flour, salt, black pepper, white pepper, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sage, savory, Tellicherry black pepper, buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, palm oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil |
| Preparation | Chicken is dipped in water for 7 seconds, dried for 7 seconds, and rolled in the mixture 7 times before frying. |
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What You'll Learn
KFC's 11 herbs and spices is a closely guarded secret
KFC's blend of 11 herbs and spices is one of the world's biggest culinary mysteries. The recipe is a closely guarded secret, with KFC going to great lengths to protect it. The original, handwritten recipe is kept securely inside a vault at KFC's headquarters in Louisville. In addition, KFC employs various companies to contribute different ingredients, ensuring that no one supplier knows the full recipe.
In 2016, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune was shown a handwritten recipe from a Sanders family scrapbook. Joe Ledington, Colonel Sanders' nephew, claimed that the recipe contained the original 11 herbs and spices he had helped his uncle blend as a boy. However, Ledington later expressed uncertainty about whether the recipe was the same one still used by KFC. The recipe, which includes two cups of flour in addition to the spices, was put to the test by the Tribune's kitchen staff. They concluded that it came very close, yet something was still missing. The addition of MSG as a flavour enhancer was found to be the missing ingredient, producing chicken that was virtually indistinguishable from KFC's.
Despite the various attempts to uncover the recipe, KFC has never confirmed its accuracy. A spokesperson for the company stated, "Lots of people through the years have claimed to discover or figure out the secret recipe, but no one's ever been right." The secrecy surrounding the recipe has undoubtedly contributed to its appeal, with former KFC owner John Y. Brown, Jr. calling it "a brilliant marketing ploy."
While the exact ingredients remain a mystery, there have been some insights into the herbs and spices used. It is well-known that the recipe includes black pepper, with some sources specifically mentioning Tellicherry black pepper. Colonel Sanders himself acknowledged the importance of white pepper in the blend, which he began using in the 1950s before it was a common ingredient. Winston Shelton, a former friend of Sanders, revealed that the recipe also contains sage and savory, which Sanders learned from his mother were good seasonings for chicken.
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$17
The recipe was leaked by Colonel Sanders' nephew in 2016
The recipe for KFC's Original chicken has been a closely guarded secret since the 1930s. The recipe, a mix of 11 herbs and spices, was perfected by Colonel Sanders in 1939. Sanders himself claimed that the ingredients "stand on everybody's shelf". However, KFC has always maintained that only a few people know the recipe, which is kept under intense security.
In 2016, the closely guarded recipe was leaked by Colonel Sanders' nephew, Joe Ledington. Ledington shared the recipe with a reporter from the Chicago Tribune, claiming that it was the original blend he had helped his uncle create as a boy. The recipe was handwritten and found in a family scrapbook that belonged to his late aunt, Claudia Sanders, the Colonel's second wife. Ledington noted that the main ingredient was white pepper.
The recipe is called "11 Spices" and includes two cups of flour to create the iconic KFC breading. While Ledington was confident that the recipe was the original, he later expressed some doubt, saying he wasn't absolutely sure if it was the same one that KFC uses today.
The Tribune test kitchen put the recipe to the test, and the resulting chicken tasted very similar to KFC's Original Recipe. The testers noted that the addition of MSG as a flavour enhancer made the chicken virtually indistinguishable from the KFC batch.
While KFC has denied that the leaked recipe is authentic, the incident sparked interest in the world-famous fried chicken recipe and added to the mythology surrounding Colonel Sanders and his age-old secret blend of herbs and spices.
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The recipe is kept in a vault at KFC's headquarters
The recipe for KFC's famous fried chicken is a closely guarded secret. The original recipe, consisting of 11 herbs and spices, is kept under lock and key in a vault at KFC's Louisville headquarters. The recipe is said to be so valuable that KFC has gone to great lengths to ensure its security.
The story of the 11 herbs and spices began in the late 1930s when Harland Sanders, also known as Colonel Sanders, started serving fried chicken from his gas station in Corbin, Kentucky. As his chicken gained popularity, Sanders decided to open a restaurant and began perfecting his recipe. He found that deep-frying the chicken produced a dry and unevenly cooked product, so he experimented with different methods until he settled on using a pressure fryer in 1939, which resulted in tasty and moist chicken.
By July 1940, Sanders had finalized his Original Recipe, which included 11 herbs and spices that he kept secret. He began marketing his chicken as Kentucky Fried Chicken in the 1950s and shipped the spices already mixed to restaurants to preserve the secrecy of his recipe. Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to replicate the recipe, and in 2016, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune claimed to have obtained a copy of the original recipe from Colonel Sanders' nephew, Joe Ledington.
Today, KFC continues to protect the secrecy of its recipe by employing two different companies, Griffith Laboratories and McCormick & Company, to formulate the blend. Each firm is given only half of the recipe to ensure that no one outside of KFC knows the full formula. The recipe is also not patented, as patents are published and have an expiration date. Instead, it is protected as a trade secret, allowing KFC to maintain ownership of the recipe indefinitely.
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The recipe includes flour, buttermilk, egg, and MSG
KFC's 11 herbs and spices recipe is a closely guarded secret, with the original recipe kept in a vault at KFC's headquarters in Louisville. However, in 2016, Colonel Sanders' nephew, Joe Ledington, revealed what he claimed to be the original recipe, which included flour, buttermilk, egg, and MSG.
Ledington shared that he used to help his uncle blend the spices for his world-famous fried chicken. The recipe, which was found in a family scrapbook, is called "11 Spices" and includes instructions to mix the spices with 2 cups of flour to create the iconic KFC breading.
While KFC denied the authenticity of the recipe, Ledington's claim gained support when a reporter from the Chicago Tribune tested it and found that it came very close to the original KFC taste. The missing ingredient was believed to be MSG, as adding a small amount of MSG to the recipe made the chicken virtually indistinguishable from the batch bought at KFC.
While the exact measurements and ingredients of the 11 herbs and spices remain a secret, the recipe shared by Ledington and the addition of MSG provide a close approximation of the iconic KFC flavor.
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KFC has used the same 11 herbs and spices since 1939
KFC has been serving its world-famous fried chicken since 1930 and has been using the same 11 herbs and spices since 1939 when Colonel Sanders perfected his recipe. The original handwritten recipe is securely kept inside a vault at KFC's headquarters in Louisville. KFC employs various companies to contribute different ingredients to the recipe, so even they don't know the full recipe.
The recipe was kept so secret that the chicken pieces were dipped in water for seven seconds, dried for seven seconds, and then rolled in the mixture seven times before frying. The recipe was so closely guarded that KFC shipped the spices already mixed to restaurants to preserve the recipe's secrecy.
In 2016, a reporter was shown a handwritten recipe from a Sanders family scrapbook. Joe Ledington, Colonel Sanders' nephew, claimed that the recipe contains the original 11 herbs and spices he helped his uncle blend as a boy for the restaurants. However, after sharing the recipe, Ledington back-pedalled a bit and said he wasn't absolutely sure if it was the same recipe that is so closely guarded at KFC headquarters today.
The recipe was put to the test by the Chicago Tribune test kitchen, and it came very close, but something was still missing. It was discovered that adding a flavour enhancer like MSG did the trick, and the chicken was virtually indistinguishable from the batch bought at KFC.
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Frequently asked questions
KFC's 11 herbs and spices are a closely guarded secret, but in 2016, a recipe was leaked by Colonel Sanders' nephew, Joe Ledington. Ledington claimed it was the original recipe he helped his uncle blend as a boy.
The leaked recipe is called "11 Spices" and includes two cups of flour, but the exact herbs and spices are unknown. It is believed that the recipe contains white pepper, and possibly sage and savory.
To make KFC-style fried chicken at home, soak the chicken in a buttermilk and egg mixture for 20-30 minutes. Then, dip the chicken pieces in the herb-spice-flour mixture, shake off the excess, and repeat this process six more times. Finally, fry the chicken in oil at 350 °F (177 °C) until golden brown.
KFC's recipe is so secret because it is one of the company's most valuable assets. By keeping it a secret, they can maintain its value and create a sense of exclusivity that attracts customers.
Yes, there have been several attempts to replicate the KFC recipe, including by the Chicago Tribune test kitchen. While most attempts have come close, the addition of MSG as a flavour enhancer has been suggested as the possible missing ingredient.
