11 secret herbs and spices revealed!

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mattl

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The Trib published a story on KFC's secret recipe and did the kitchen tests to verify it.  Seems it's right on.

 

The spice recipe, as written:

11 Spices – Mix With 2 Cups White Fl.

1) 2/3 Ts Salt

2) 1/2 Ts Thyme

3) 1/2 Ts Basil

4) 1/3 Ts Origino (sic)

5) 1 Ts Celery Salt

6) 1 Ts Black Pepper

7) 1 Ts Dried Mustard

8) 4 Ts Paprika

9) 2 Ts Garlic Salt

10) 1 Ts Ground Ginger

11) 3 Ts White Pepper

 

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

 

Plus the reviewers said it really needed some MSG.  The measurements are it Tablespoons.  The chicken is soaked in egg/buttermilk wash.

 

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.

A note on MSG: A number of readers have asked how much MSG to use in the recipe above. Although KFC has confirmed that its present-day recipe uses MSG, that ingredient was not part of the list of herbs and spices we received from the Colonel's nephew, so we didn't include MSG in the published recipe. But we did taste the fried chicken with a sprinkle of MSG. If you want to try the chicken with MSG, we suggest doing as we did: Sprinkle a little on the finished chicken pieces right before eating.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/recipes/ct-kfc-recipe-test-20160818-story.html
 
Thats a lot of

salt! I guess now and then won't hurt, but you could just use ground celery seed, and plain garlic powder.
Back in the day, their chicken did actually taste very good.
I make fried chicken once in a while, and I add a few other herbs. Sage, poultry seasoning, a pinch of cayenne pepper, ground bay leaf, and coreander.
 
Now if someone can just figure out their gravy.

KFC's  mashed potatoes are instant, there's no masking THAT flavor.
 
I just found a "copycat" recipe for the gravy.
KFC Gravy Ingredients
 
4 tbsp. butter or shortening
5 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. sage
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 beef bouillon cube 
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cups water
 
Boil water in the microwave or on the stove.
Add bouillon cubes to the water and stir until dissolved.
Place butter in a pot over low heat. Heat until butter has melted, stirring as needed.
Add flour to butter, stirring continuously with a whisk. Cook until the flour mixture takes on a golden brown hue.
Pour in bouillon-flavored water to the flour and butter mixture. Continue stirring to prevent lumps.
 
Turn up the heat to medium and cook until some of the water evaporates and leaves a creamy, yet pour-able gravy sauce.    Serve while still hot over mashed potatoes.[this post was last edited: 8/26/2016-09:35]
 
Great 1976 article about the Colonel entering a KFC and telling them how they're doing it wrong.

Once in the kitchen, the colonel walked over to a vat full of frying chicken pieces and announced, ‘That's much too black. It should be golden brown. You're frying for 12 minutes—that's six minutes too long. What's more, your frying fat should have been changed a week ago. That's the worst fried chicken I've ever seen. Let me see your mashed potatoes with gravy, and how do you make them?”

When Mr. Singleton explained that he first mixed boiling water into the instant powdered potatoes, the colonel interrupted. “And then you have wallpaper paste,” he said. “Next suppose you add some of this brown gravy stuff and then you have sludge.” “There's no way anyone can get me to swallow those potatoes,” he said after tasting some. “And this cole slaw. This cole slaw! They just won't listen to me. It should he chopped, not shredded, and it should be made with Miracle Whip. Anything else turns gray. And there should be nothing in it but cabbage. No carrots!”

Mr. Singleton replied, “I just do what I'm told,. Sir,” and Colonel Sanders then said gently to the nowstunned manager, “Well, it's not your fault. You're just working for company that doesn't know what it's doing.”

“Tco bad, because it gives you a bad reputation,” he said by way of farewell.

http://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/09/archives/for-the-colonel-it-was-fingerlickin-bad.html?_r=0
 
I've been playing with this recipe for the last week or so. Frying in a skillet as the Chicago Tribune did and using my pressure cooker - mixed results, the chicken usually gets too brown and too crisp which changes the flavor. One bite actually was dead on but the rest of that piece was too brown.

I've searched youtube and there is a video of the Colonel on the Tennessee Ernie Ford Show doing a demo (link below). He says they cook the chicken in hydrogenated oil at 29 7/10 PSI!!

Today, after reading the Mirro-Matic instructions from 1958 I changed my technique. The Mirro instructions say to brown the chicken in oil, add the rack and some water, and cook at 10 psi for 20 minutes before crisping in the oven. This reminded me a little of how I often chicken cook in my Lodge Chicken Fryer: put the chicken in, brown a few minutes, then put the lid on and turn the heat way down and cook for about 30-40 minutes. It comes out tender and with a soft batter like KFC Original.

Today I only heated the oil in the pressure cooker to 300. I added the chicken and immediately put the lid on. I kept the heat low enough that the weight didn't jiggle, it just hissed. Cooked 20 minutes. It came out as beautiful of a golden brown as KFC original, soft batter, tender chicken, and a very similar flavor to KFC original. I refuse to use MSG. This might not be THE recipe, but its close and a good one. Here is a picture (I know the date on my camera is wrong).[this post was last edited: 8/28/2016-14:14]

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF4ph_gKcpI
58limited-2016082814111102336_1.jpg
 
A former boss of mine ate at KFC----He was in the hospital for over two weeks with serious food poisoning!NEVER ate at those places ever since!!!If I am going to eat chicken-will fix it at HOME!
 
David, if you want to use your Mirro-Matic cooker at 10 PSI, get one of their multiple-pressure weights.  They're not at all hard to come by.

 

$_57.JPG
 
Part of the secret to KFC chicken is it is pressure fried.

Something I would *NOT* do in any ordinary pressure cooker. Unless the thing is specifically designed and sold for pressure frying doing so can lead to harm, serious injury and other nasty things.

Fagor and Magefessa once made pressure fryers, don't know if one or both still do.

Of course if you are game there is always vintage Wearever "Chicken Bucket" pressure fryer. Those things go for big money on eBay and elsewhere with dedicated following. Have my mom's but only used it a few times then put it away never to see the light of day again. One reason is we don't eat much friend foods any longer (same at Mom's house which is how I got the thing in the first place), next it just seemed more bother and possibly dangerous than using my trusty vintage Wagner cast iron chicken frying pan. Thing is nice and deep, also once that mass of cast iron heats up it is great for keeping oil or fat at proper deep frying temp.

http://forums.roadfood.com/Fagor-and-Magefesa-Pressure-Fryers-m581457.aspx

http://www.cookistry.com/2013/09/pressure-fried-chicken.html

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/this-is-how-kfc-actually-makes-their-fried-chicken-from-1651170230
 
FIRST AND FOREMOST: I'm with Launderess on this one. Don't deep fry under pressure in a regular pressure cooker! Read several warnings about that online. All said that a special pressure fryer was needed. There are a few YouTube videos of people using a regular pressure cooker to pressure fry chicken and all have warnings not to in the comment section. I suppose, as with unsafe canning procedures, one can do it 100 times without a problem; then on the 101st attempt you get blasted with 400-degree oil. But you'll probably die in the ensuing kitchen fire, anyway, so I wouldn't worry about the horrifying disfiguration.

Broasted Chicken: Here's a link to the Broaster company. Unfortunately they only sell their pressure fryers to commercial enterprises.

http://broaster.com
frigilux++8-29-2016-09-41-11.jpg.png
 
I agree,

no small pressure cooker, and one of those single burner induction ranges will maintain the oil at 350 or 375 degrees f. regardless of how many pieces you try to fry.
I've fried chicken in my cast iron dutch oven on my gas range with a large candy thermometer fine as well.
 
I Have One

Of the KFC Fryers, it will hold 4 small chickens, I hate to disagree but KFC FIRST used a standard Presto, which I have done MANY times, heat the oil to 350, put in the chicken, when 15 pounds is reached time it 12 minutes, which is what a old time KFC man told me, remove pot from heat, take off the weight and let the pressure reduce quickly, takeoff the lid and serve, works great!
 
So it is said one cannot use a small pressure cooker to pressure fry in.

Why not?

Fear of something plugging the vent orifice or something else??
 
I can't remember the last time

I ate at KFC........but if I can be honest, I think I remember it being pretty good. Maybe I just got lucky. I hardly ever eat out. I know I always LOVED their cole slaw.
 
I haven't had KFC in probably about 12 yrs, but I used to really love the original recipe breasts, they were very moist and flavorful. But their corn, 2 thumbs down, ditto the mashed potatoes and gravy. The biscuits, cole slaw and fries were always pretty good. Anyone remember that when it was Colonel Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken they served yeast rolls instead of baking powder biscuits?

Many yrs ago, when a teenager still living at homeI tried to make fried chicken in a 6 qt. Wearever PC using the recipe that was in the Wearever cookbook that came with it. Ach, mein got in Himmel, was it ever terrible! The bones actually got almost soft enough to bend, it tasted nasty and greasy. I always made pretty good fried chicken before that and after, the old fashioned way in a frying pan. My maternal Grandma was from Kansas, she always heavily salted the cut up chicken and covered it with cold water and let it soak for a few hours or overnight. When I asked her why she did this, she said it would draw the poison out of it. These was long before brining became popular. Of course she would then dredge it in lightly seasoned flour and then fry it. I've done it this way and it comes out so tender and juicy. The women in my family were all from the Mid West and they could all get a good scald on the chicken. And no one could make milk gravy like my Mom, I come close, but hers was heavenly.
Eddie
[this post was last edited: 8/30/2016-00:10]
 
When I grill a whole chicken I always soak it in cold water for a hour or two, as my mother taught me.  Then I rub it with olive oil and season it heavily inside and out with salt and Mrs. Dash.  Let it sit overnight in the fridge then onto the grill the next day.   Always has great flavor, and am often asked how I get my chicken to taste so good.

 

My mother used to fry chicken, recall as a little kid she made a massive amount for a neighbor's daughter's graduation party, never saw so much home fried chicken.
 
Reason why so many purchase Kosher chicken

Even if not observant Jews is that it has already been put through the brining process. Tried a pack or two several months ago and found the chicken too salty tasting for my preferences.

However yes, brining before cooking most poultry will give excellent results. Same as marinating pork and some other meats before cooking.

Thing about pressure frying (besides safety of the device being used) is that you need a powerful heat source to keep oil/fat in the proper range for large amounts of chicken being done at one time.

Frying chicken in a pan you can spread things out, move them about and take out individually when done. A pressure fryer like deep frying suffers from immersing many pieces of chicken at once; this will cause the oil to rapidly drop and must then recover. The key to successful frying of any food is to keep the fat/oil within a certain range. This is what makes the difference between crispy and delicious results versus a grease laden and soggy hot mess.

Commercial broaster/pressure fryers work at about 15psi and can be heated by gas or electric. Either source requires more power/fuel than can be supplied by standard domestic service I shouldn't wonder.

Other thing about domestic pressure cookers is that the vintage ones have long gone out of production, so finding new gaskets may prove difficult if not impossible. Because of time and use the gaskets take a beating and should be replaced as needed. Even a NOS Wearever Chicken Bucket that has been sitting on a shelf for twenty or more years may need a new gasket as the original is dried out and cracked. [this post was last edited: 8/31/2016-18:49]
 
So it is said one cannot use a small pressure cooker ...

Oil under pressure and high heat has different properties than water. Frying under pressure in a vessel not designed for such a procedure can cause serious harm.

Wearever rethought the pressure cooker for their "chicken bucket" in that only a small amount of oil is used, and at temp of only 350F. The gasket is of a material designed to withstand repeated contact with hot oil, and pressure is kept to low level.

Cooking under pressure is usually done at either 15psi or around 5-9psi. Most domestic pressure cookers only have one setting, 15psi (high). Others have both a high and low setting which can be reached by adjusting/changing settings/weights. My Magefessa stainless steel set has both a "high" and "low" setting but the weight/control is built in.

http://www.hippressurecooking.com/pressure-cooker-psi-faq-the-stuff-you-didnt-think-to-ask/

While commercial pressure fryers can and often are rated for 15psi (high), Wearever and others use lower (around 9psi) for safety reasons. Attempting to put even just several ounces of fat or oil heated to 400F under 15psi for a domestic pressure cooker is asking for trouble.

Because commercial broasters reach a much higher PSI they can do larger batches of food quickly. OTOH the Wearever Chicken Bucket only allows for a few pieces at one time. This is one of the reasons didnt' really bother much with the thing after a few uses. Could fry more chicken faster and with less bother in a cast iron skillet.

Suppose if you were only doing enough chicken for one or two people the thing might be ok. But when I fry chicken it is maybe one, two or more whole birds (depending upon how many being served, and of course everyone loves leftover fried chicken the next day....). So doing about three pieces at a time is just not going to fly.
 
Back on topic

Those "secret" "eleven herbs and spices" are pretty much generic to what most persons season chicken with IMHO. Use Bell's poultry seasoning which has most of the things listed. A bit of Lawry's seasoned salt and some other "tricks" then you are good to go.

For some really great flavored roasted or grilled chicken try putting some crushed basil leaves mashed together with a bit of butter under the skin before cooking.
 
I have always liked KFC chicken, and I still do, as long as it comes from a properly-staffed location.  I also like their slaw, but we don’t buy any other sides.  The potatoes in particular are revolting.

 

I’m kind of proud of myself for coming up with almost everything on that list from my own effort to copy the recipe.  I never guessed dried basil, but I got all the rest and came up with a pretty good mix.  The one flavor that I knew was in there but that I couldn’t quite measure correctly was the dried ginger.  I always ended up with too much or too little.  Now I can’t wait to try the proportions given here.

 

Full disclosure: I would have known without ever tasting the chicken that most of those ingredients would be included.  They are classic fried-chicken ingredients, especially in recipes from the 1950s, when the colonel got started.  But from tasting, I also knew there was ginger in there, but no one believed me till they tasted my recipe.

 

Brining has a funny history for me.  My great-aunt, like a lot of people of her generation, always dropped the chicken into salt water for several hours or overnight.  She said it was to draw out the blood, and it did do a bit of that.  I never thought of it as affecting the flavor, other than getting the salt into the meat and not just on the surface.  But as it turns out, brining was the real secret to her success.  Now we all know why grandma’s chicken was the best!!
 
I soak my chicken

In buttermilk...As for pressure frying, the Colonel started out with a model 40 Presto..then went to Mirro Matics, the one I have is a standard 16 quart model, the only difference is the weight on top..it has a screw in the middle so you can let off the pressure quickly.
 
Dumb question here:

When pressure frying, not that I would try it because I'm chicken, do you bring the oil up to temp then put the chicken in and seal the cooker?   How much oil is used?  I would assume the chicken is immersed. 

 

My Grandma used to fry her chicken after soaking in buttermilk overnight.  then she would steam it for about 15 minutes, then put it back I the grease and crisp it up. 

 

I can't ever get this to work, if I try steaming, I end up with the breading falling off.  I just fry it and then finish in the oven. 
 

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