The late Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe for Kentucky Friend Chicken recently found its way into the hands of Chicago Tribune journalist Jay Jones… practically by mistake.
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It all sounds silly, really.
The KFC secret recipe might just have been found. Colonel Sanders’ “Original Recipe” has been an intensely guarded secret since the early 1940s.
The writer met the colonel’s nephew, Joe Ledington, and the two got to paging through a Sanders-family scrapbook.
A commemorative representation of the 11 secret herbs and spices Colonel Harland Sanders made famous in his recipe.
“That is the original 11 herbs and spices that were supposed to be so secretive”, Ledington told the newspaper, which said that he appeared less sure about the recipe’s authenticity in a subsequent phone interview.
Last week, I was drafted to write about a Chicago Tribune story that purported to have the ingredient list of the Colonel’s 11 herbs and spices. However, KFC claimed that it was nowhere near the original recipe.
For years, KFC’s signature chicken has been steeped in mystery. It’s hard to argue with Ledington’s argument and it’s perfectly plausible that KFC might be denying the fact that its trademark recipe has been outed.
“Many people have made these claims over the years and no one has been accurate – this one isn’t either”, KFC said in a statement last week.
It reportedly took a couple of tries to get a batch of secret recipe chicken to turn out, but once they produced an edible version, the taste test began. In the end, they claim their batch of fried chicken tastes “indistinguishable” from a finger lickin’ good meal purchased at KFC. “Does KFC add MSG?”
The Chicago Tribune listed instructions and ingredients on how to make the chicken on their website. In plain blue handwriting, an anonymous author – who Lexington says couldn’t be his uncle – has written, “11 Spices – Mix with 2 Cups White Fl.” then goes on to list all 11 ingredients with measurements.
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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. Fry until medium golden brown, turning once, 15-18 minutes. Allow the oil to return to temperature before adding more chicken.
