Lucas Delgado
KFC's blend of 11 herbs and spices is one of the best-kept secrets in the catering industry. The recipe was perfected in 1939 by Colonel Harland Sanders, and the fast-food chain has been using the same blend ever since. KFC denies that any leaked recipes are authentic, and the recipe is kept under intense security measures. However, in 2016, a journalist from the Chicago Tribune interviewed Joe Ledington, Colonel Sanders' nephew, and was shown a handwritten recipe from a Sanders family scrapbook. The recipe includes flour, salt, black pepper, basil, oregano, thyme, dried mustard, paprika, celery salt, garlic, white pepper, and dried ginger.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Ingredients | 11 |
| Ingredient Type | Herbs and Spices |
| Recipe Creator | Colonel Sanders |
| Recipe Creation Year | 1939 |
| Recipe Finalization Year | 1940 |
| Recipe Custodians | A few people |
| Recipe Security | Protected by intense security measures |
| Recipe Location | KFC headquarters |
| Recipe Form | Handwritten |
| Recipe Source | A Sanders family scrapbook |
| Recipe Authenticity | Contested by KFC |
| Recipe Authenticator | Joe Ledington, Colonel Sanders' nephew |
| Recipe Authenticity Status | Uncertain |
| Ingredients | Flour, salt, pepper, MSG, sage, savory, Tellicherry black pepper, white pepper, dried ginger, paprika, garlic, celery salt, basil, oregano, thyme, dried mustard |
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What You'll Learn
- KFC's 11 herbs and spices are a closely guarded secret
- The recipe was perfected by Colonel Sanders in 1939
- In 2016, a journalist claimed to have discovered the recipe in a family scrapbook
- KFC has never confirmed the leak, but taste tests suggest it's close
- The recipe includes white pepper, which wasn't common in the 1950s
KFC's 11 herbs and spices are a closely guarded secret
In 2016, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune was shown a handwritten recipe from a Sanders family scrapbook by Joe Ledington, Colonel Sanders' nephew. Ledington claimed that the recipe, which was called "11 Spices," contained the original 11 herbs and spices he helped Colonel Sanders blend as a boy for the restaurants. However, after sharing the recipe, Ledington expressed some uncertainty about whether it was the same one that is so closely guarded by KFC today.
KFC denied that the recipe obtained by the Chicago Tribune was authentic. A spokesperson for the company told The New York Times, "Many people have made these claims over the years, and no one has been accurate—this one isn’t either." Despite this denial, many people have tried to recreate the famous KFC fried chicken recipe at home using Ledington's recipe or other copycat recipes.
While the specific herbs and spices used in KFC's recipe remain a closely guarded secret, it is well-known that each piece of chicken is prepared by dipping it in water for seven seconds, drying it for seven seconds, and then rolling it in the spice mixture seven times before frying. This process helps to ensure that the chicken is evenly coated with the signature blend of herbs and spices before being cooked to perfection.
The KFC Original Recipe is one of the most famous trade secrets in the catering industry. The recipe is not patented because patents are published in detail and expire after a certain period, whereas trade secrets can remain the intellectual property of their holders indefinitely. This allows KFC to protect its valuable asset and maintain the secrecy of its famous 11 herbs and spices.
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The recipe was perfected by Colonel Sanders in 1939
The recipe for KFC's famous fried chicken is a closely guarded secret. The fast-food chain has been serving its signature dish since 1930, and the recipe was perfected by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1939.
Sanders' Corbin, Kentucky, gas station was so well known for its fried chicken in the late 1930s that he decided to build a restaurant and motel on the site. It was here that Sanders perfected his secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices. He discovered that pan-frying chicken was too slow, and while deep frying was faster, it produced dry and unevenly cooked meat. In 1939, he found that a pressure fryer yielded tasty, moist chicken in eight or nine minutes.
The recipe was finalized in July 1940 and was marketed as Kentucky Fried Chicken in the 1950s. The spices were mixed with flour to create the iconic KFC breading. The exact blend of herbs and spices remains a mystery, but it is one of the most famous trade secrets in the catering industry.
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 this was the original recipe. However, he later backtracked, saying he wasn't sure if it was the same recipe used by KFC today. The recipe includes white pepper, which the Colonel himself said was added to the recipe in the 1950s and wasn't a common ingredient at the time.
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In 2016, a journalist claimed to have discovered the recipe in a family scrapbook
According to Ledington, he helped Colonel Sanders blend the 11 herbs and spices as a boy for the restaurants. However, after sharing the recipe, Ledington back-pedalled, saying he wasn't sure if it was the same recipe that KFC uses today.
The Chicago Tribune conducted a cooking test of the recipe, which took several attempts to perfect. They had to determine whether "Ts" in the recipe meant tablespoons or teaspoons, which would significantly impact the resulting mix's spice content. They decided to soak the chicken in buttermilk, coat it once in the breading mixture, and fry it in oil at 350 °F (177 °C) in a pressure fryer until golden brown. They also added MSG as a flavour enhancer, producing fried chicken that tasted "indistinguishable" from KFC's.
While KFC has denied that the recipe is authentic, the company has also stated that it still adheres to Sanders' original 1940 recipe. The recipe is not patented and is instead kept as a trade secret, with only a few people knowing the ingredients.
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KFC has never confirmed the leak, but taste tests suggest it's close
KFC's 11 herbs and spices are one of the best-kept secrets in the fast-food industry. The recipe is so sacred to the company that it is kept in a vault at KFC headquarters. In 1940, Harland Sanders perfected his recipe, and KFC has been using the same 11 herbs and spices since then. The company ships the spices already mixed to its restaurants to preserve the secrecy of the recipe.
In 2016, a Chicago Tribune reporter, Jay Jones, was shown a handwritten recipe from a Sanders family scrapbook by Joe Ledington, Colonel Sanders' nephew. Ledington claimed that the recipe contained the original 11 herbs and spices he helped Colonel Sanders blend as a boy for the restaurants. However, after sharing the recipe, Ledington back-pedalled a bit and said he wasn't sure if it was the same recipe that KFC uses today.
The recipe, which is called "11 Spices," includes mixing the spices with 2 cups of flour to create the iconic KFC breading. While KFC denies that this recipe is authentic, it is unlikely that they would admit it even if it were true. The Chicago Tribune conducted a cooking test of this recipe, which they claimed tasted very close to KFC's chicken, but something was still missing. They found that adding a tablespoon of MSG did the trick, producing fried chicken that tasted "indistinguishable" from KFC's.
The herbs and spices in the leaked recipe include salt, thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, ground black pepper, dried mustard, garlic salt, paprika powder, ground ginger, and white pepper. These ingredients are basic pantry staples that create a savory and subtly spicy blend. While KFC has never confirmed the leak, taste tests suggest that it is very close to the original recipe.
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The recipe includes white pepper, which wasn't common in the 1950s
KFC's blend of 11 herbs and spices is one of the best-kept secrets in the fast-food industry. The recipe was perfected in 1939 by Colonel Harland Sanders, who discovered that using a pressure fryer produced tasty, moist chicken in eight or nine minutes. In the 1950s, when KFC began marketing its chicken, the spices were already mixed to preserve the recipe's secrecy.
While the exact recipe is a closely guarded trade secret, in 2016, a reporter was shown a handwritten recipe from a Sanders family scrapbook. Joe Ledington, Colonel Sanders' nephew, claimed that this recipe contained the original 11 herbs and spices. However, he later backtracked, saying he wasn't sure if it was the same recipe used by KFC today.
According to the Colonel himself, the addition of white pepper is what made KFC's fried chicken so popular in the 1950s. White pepper was not a common ingredient at the time, and it added a subtle heat with notes of ginger and lemon that perfectly complemented the fried chicken.
The use of white pepper in the recipe is supported by Winston Shelton, a former friend of Sanders, who claimed that the secret recipe contains Tellicherry black pepper. White pepper is a less common variety of black pepper, known for its milder heat and subtle flavour notes. By using white pepper instead of black, the recipe would have had a more nuanced and delicate flavour profile, which may have contributed to its popularity.
While we may never know the exact 11 herbs and spices in KFC's secret recipe, the inclusion of white pepper is a tantalizing detail that provides a glimpse into the unique blend that has made KFC's fried chicken so iconic.
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Frequently asked questions
KFC has never officially disclosed the ingredients of its 11 secret herbs and spices. However, in 2016, a reporter from the Chicago Tribune was shown a handwritten recipe from Colonel Sanders' nephew, Joe Ledington's family scrapbook. The recipe includes flour, salt, black pepper, basil, oregano, thyme, dried mustard, paprika, celery salt, garlic, white pepper, and dried ginger.
The Chicago Tribune conducted a cooking test with the leaked recipe and concluded that "it came very close, yet something was still missing." They found that adding a tablespoon of MSG did the trick, and the taste was "indistinguishable" from KFC's fried chicken.
KFC chicken is made by dipping each piece of chicken in water for seven seconds, drying it for another seven seconds, and then rolling it in the spice mixture seven times before frying. The chicken is fried in vegetable oil, palm oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, or corn oil, depending on the location and availability.
