Most companies try not to let their restaurant recipes get into the hands of the general public. Few companies go through as much as Kentucky Fried Chicken to keep their recipes secret. The original recipe developed by Col. Sanders is now kept in a vault in their headquarters. Its guarded 24 hours a day and only 2 people in the company know the complete recipe.

Because of the secrecy of KFC’s Original Recipe, nobody can honestly claim to know they can make this at home. But, I can get you extremely close. So close, few will be able to tell the difference between your recipe and that of the Colonels. This is the recipe that gets you closer than all the rest. Remember, one of the secrets Colonel Sanders had been his pressure fryer cooking method. This locks in juices and cooks the chicken in less time, keeping it moist and less greasy.

Ingredients

- 2 envelopes dry tomato soup mix (Lipton cup-o-soup works perfect)
- 2 envelopes Italian dressing mix
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried chervil (it’s a lot like parsley, but don’t try to substitute)
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon sage
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups pancake mix, (Bisquick works well)
- 3 cups buttermilk (enough to soak the chicken)
- 4 cups oil (southerners love using lard but you may want to substitute)

Directions

1. Blend all of the dry ingredients for the coating in a blender.
2. Soak the chicken pieces in buttermilk for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
3. Remove chicken from buttermilk and roll in the chicken coating mixture above.
4. Let chicken sit at room temperature while waiting for the oil to get hot.
5. Use a pressure fryer if possible for the most authentic copy of the original KFC recipe. If that is not possible, use a cast iron skillet. Do not crowd the chicken when placing into the skillet.
6. Brown the chicken in the skillet on high heat. Then turn down the heat and cover the pan. Cook until the fried chicken is done, about 30 minutes.
7. During the last 5 or 10 minutes, uncover the pan and turn up the heat. This will crisp up the fried chicken. Be careful not to burn the chicken during this last step.
8. Remove the fried chicken and drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

If you’re not convinced that the recipe above tastes just like what you bought at a local KFC, try this alternate version. Between these two, you should either expect to save a fortune from buying the KFC brand, or launch your own copycat franchise.

Ingredients

- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup fine bread crumbs
- 1 tsp. Knorr chicken bouillon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder (not salt)
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/3 tsp. Bell Seasoning
- 1 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. Wondra flour
- 1/2 tsp. Monosodium Glutamate (optional)
- additional flour for separate pre-coating
- 5-6 cups Crisco cooking oil
- 1 frying chicken, cut in pieces

Directions

1. Pour the oil into the pressure fryer or deep pan suitable for frying, and then heat over medium heat to about 360 degrees.
2. In a small bowl beat the egg, milk, and soy sauce, then stir in 1/2 tsp. Knorr chicken bouillon (save the other 1/2.. Put the garlic cloves through a garlic press and add into the egg mixture. Add half of the parsley and 1 tbsp. Wondra flour. Stir well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the 1 cup flour and the bread crumbs, and the remaining ingredients. Mix well with a fork.
4. Put about 1/2 cup additional flour in a separate small bowl. Use this to dip each chicken piece, prior to dipping in the milk and seasonings.
5. Roll each piece of chicken around until well covered, first in plain flour, then in milk mixture, then in flour/bread crumbs mixture.
6. Gently lower the chicken pieces into the hot oil and allow to become a golden color (add the bigger pieces first..

Note: A special pressure fryer is the only type of pressure cooker that you can fry in safely. Read your manufacturer’s instructions before frying in a pressure cooker. If you don’t have your instruction manual, then prepare this chicken in a deep fryer instead.