Is this the Secret KFC Recipe?

HFC

The first challenge was to determine what that capital T meant. Standard practice in abbreviating recipe measures has a capital T standing for tablespoon. But what if the person who wrote the list on a seemingly random piece of paper meant teaspoon? So we tested the spice mix both ways: with teaspoon measures and with tablespoon measures, both mixed into two cups of flour.

In comparing those first two batches, tasters immediately agreed that the answer was: T equals tablespoons. After frying, the coating with the lesser amount of herbs and spices did not have the intensity of flavour we were looking for.

But even the flavour of the favoured batch wasn’t quite right. Turns out the frying oil was too hot, causing the breading to brown too much, which overpowered the taste of the herbs and spices.

With the oil temperature just right at 350 degrees, the chicken soaked in buttermilk and coated just once in the breading mixture, we had our final tasting. How was it? Well, really good. In fact, tasters agreed the test kitchen fried chicken was even better than the Colonel’s.

But more important, did it taste like the Colonel’s secret blend of herbs and spices? It came very close, yet something was still missing. That’s when a reporter grabbed a small container of the MSG flavour-enhancer Accent (how did that get in the test kitchen?) and sprinkled it on a piece of the fried chicken. That did the trick. Our chicken was virtually indistinguishable from the batch bought at KFC. (Does KFC add MSG? A KFC spokesperson confirms that it does use it in the Original Recipe chicken.)

Ingredients

2 cups   236ml    all-purpose flour

11 herbs and spices:

1	2/3 tablespoon	10ml	salt
2	1/2 tablespoon	5ml	dried thyme leaves
3	1/2 tablespoon	5ml	dried basil leaves
4	1/3 tablespoon	5ml	dried oregano leaves
5	1 tablespoon	15ml	celery salt
6	1 tablespoon	15ml	ground black pepper
7	1 tablespoon	15ml	dried mustard
8	4 tablespoons	60ml	paprika
9	2 tablespoons	30ml	garlic salt
10	1 tablespoon	15ml	ground ginger
11	3 tablespoons	45ml	ground white pepper

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

1 chicken, cut up, the breast pieces cut in half for more even frying

Expeller-pressed canola oil

Method

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.

 

 

Source: KFC recipe challenge: Tribune kitchen puts the 11 herbs and spices to the test – Chicago Tribune