Has KFC’s Secret Fried Chicken Recipe Been Discovered?

KFC’s chicken recipe is one of the most closely guarded secrets in the world of fast food. It’s so precious that a copy of the recipe is locked up in a vault in KFC’s Louisville headquarters. However, recent rumours suggest that a correspondent with the Chicago Tribune may have cracked the code and discovered the recipe.

The KFC Chicken Legend

KFC’s crispy chicken attracts droves of customers from around the world each day. The original recipe was created by KFC’s founder, Colonel Sanders who blended 11 herbs and spices to make the chicken.

In 1999, a couple who lived in Colonel Sanders’ home found scribbled notes of recipes, which they thought may have been a snippet of the chicken recipe. However, KFC claimed that it was nowhere near the original recipe.

Getting Closer?

Now, there’s another claim that the recipe has been uncovered. A writer for the Chicago Tribune visited Colonel Sanders’ nephew, Joe Ledington and found a handwritten note by Sanders, which he believes is the original chicken formula. The note was in a scrapbook owned by Ledington’s Aunt Claudia who was Sanders’ second wife.

Chicago Tribune later went on to test the recipe and, after adding a dash of MSG, found that the resulting chicken tasted pretty darn close to the original. According to the Chicago Tribune, the recipe includes two cups of flour, 2/3 tablespoons of salt, 1/2 tablespoon of thyme, 1/2 tablespoon of basil, 1/3 tablespoon of oregano, 1 tablespoon of celery salt, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of dried mustard, 4 tablespoons of paprika, 2 tablespoons of garlic salt, 1 tablespoon of ground ginger and 3 tablespoons of white pepper.

It was a routine reporting trip to Kentucky. Did the Trib return with KFC’s secret recipe? https://t.co/wm9oVJxZKt pic.twitter.com/tjdhkFUi2y

— Chicago Tribune Business (@ChiTribBiz) August 21, 2016

What’s KFC Saying?

When asked for a comment on the discovery, the KFC headquarters remained ambiguous saying “In the 1940’s, Colonel Sanders developed the original recipe chicken to be sold at his gas station diner. At the time, the recipe was written above the door so anyone could have read it. But today, we go to great lengths to protect such a sacred blend of herbs and spices. In fact, the recipe ranks among America’s most valuable trade secrets.”

Lots of people through the years have claimed to discover or figure out the secret recipe, but no one’s ever been right,” the KFC spokesperson added.

Of course, cooking methods, oil varieties, herb sources and the taste of chicken is bound to have slightly changed since Colonel Sanders originally created the recipe, so trying out this most recent one may have some minor variations in taste. Why not give it a try and see how close you can get?