KFC original recipe chicken, made at home as a copycat, is juicy bone-in chicken under a thin, peppery, herb-speckled crust. It is the dinner for a Sunday table, a picnic basket or a game day when you want a platter of fried chicken and have a little time to do it right.
How to make copycat KFC original recipe chicken: Soak cut-up chicken in buttermilk and egg for 20 to 30 minutes, coat it in flour seasoned with 11 herbs and spices, and rest it for 20 to 30 minutes. Fry in 350°F oil for 15 to 18 minutes, until a thermometer reads 165°F, then drain on a wire rack.
Why You’ll Love It
- Eleven herbs and spices. All of them are ordinary jars from the spice aisle.
- A coating that stays on. The rest after dredging helps the flour hold to the chicken.
- Crisp underneath too. The chicken drains on a rack, not on paper towels.
- A whole chicken, 10 pieces. Wings, legs, thighs and breast pieces, enough for 5 servings.
Is This the Real KFC Recipe?
No. The company’s formula is not public, and nothing here claims to be it. This is a home copycat: a seasoned flour coating, a buttermilk soak and a deep fry that aims for the same kind of chicken. The 11 seasonings used here are salt, thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, dried mustard, paprika, garlic salt, ginger and white pepper.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken. One whole chicken cut into 10 pieces: 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs and 4 breast pieces. Cutting each breast in two keeps the pieces closer in size.
Buttermilk and egg. One cup of buttermilk whisked with 1 large egg. The chicken soaks in it and the flour sticks to it.
All-purpose flour. Two cups, whisked with all the seasonings.
White pepper. Three tablespoons. It is the biggest seasoning by amount, along with the paprika.
Dried thyme, basil and oregano. These go through a small food processor with the other spices so no large leaf pieces are left.
Accent seasoning. Two teaspoons, and it is optional. Leave it out if you prefer.
Vegetable oil. The recipe gives no exact amount. Use enough to fully submerge the chicken.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon thyme leaves, dried
- 1/2 tablespoon basil leaves, dried
- 1/3 tablespoon oregano leaves, dried
- 1 tablespoon celery salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper, ground
- 1 tablespoon mustard, dried
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon ginger, ground
- 3 tablespoons white pepper, ground
- 2 teaspoons Accent seasoning, optional
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 chicken, cut into 10 pieces: 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs and 4 breast pieces
- Vegetable oil for frying, enough to fully submerge the chicken
How to Make Copycat KFC Original Recipe Chicken
1. Prepare the spices. Process the herbs and spices in a small food processor until they are uniform in size and the thyme, basil and oregano are no longer in larger pieces.
2. Mix the coating. Whisk the flour and processed seasonings together in a bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a second, larger bowl.
3. Soak the chicken. Add the chicken to the buttermilk mixture for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Dredge and rest. Let the excess buttermilk drip from each piece. Coat all sides in the seasoned flour, shake off the excess and set the chicken on a cookie sheet for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Fry in batches. Heat vegetable oil to 350°F in a deep fryer or a large pot at least 5 inches high, with enough oil to fully submerge the chicken. Fry in small batches for 15 to 18 minutes. Check each piece with a food thermometer; poultry must reach 165°F before it is served.
6. Drain on a rack. Transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack set over a clean cookie sheet instead of placing it directly on paper towels.
How to Keep the Coating From Falling Off
Three small steps in this recipe protect the crust. Do all three and the coating stays on the chicken and stays crisp on the bottom.
| Problem | What the recipe does about it |
|---|---|
| Coating slides off in the oil | Rest the dredged chicken on a cookie sheet for 20 to 30 minutes before frying |
| Thick, pasty patches of flour | Let extra buttermilk drip off first, then shake off the excess flour |
| Crust turns soft underneath | Drain on a wire rack over a cookie sheet, not directly on paper towels |
The rest after dredging is the step people skip. Resting dredged chicken helps the coating stick, so set a timer and leave the pieces alone on the sheet.
Crust color does not tell you the chicken is cooked. A piece can be deep golden outside and underdone at the bone. Push a food thermometer into the thickest part of each piece, away from the bone, and look for 165°F.
Tips for Success
Why fry in small batches?
The recipe calls for small batches so every piece is fully under the oil. Fry a few pieces, check them, move them to the rack and start the next batch.
What pot should I use?
A deep fryer, or a large pot at least 5 inches high. The chicken has to be fully submerged, so a shallow skillet will not do for this method.
Why process the spices?
So the dried thyme, basil and oregano are broken down to the same size as the ground spices. That gives an even coating with no large leaf pieces on the crust.
What is the secret to juicy fried chicken?
In this recipe it is the buttermilk and egg soak before dredging, and taking each piece out when the thermometer reads 165°F instead of guessing by color.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow, covered containers. Refrigerated leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days and frozen leftovers for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen chicken in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, never on the counter. Reheat leftovers to 165°F, and do not use a slow cooker to reheat them.
What to Serve With It
If you like chicken with a crisp topping, the Ritz cracker chicken casserole is an easy one for a weeknight. For more comfort food, there is chicken and dumplings with biscuits and the slow cooker 5-ingredient chicken pot pie. On nights when frying is too much, try the oven baked 3-ingredient creamy chicken, the slow cooker 4-ingredient cheddar baked chicken or the 4-ingredient slow cooker chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 11 secret herbs and spices at KFC?
The company’s own blend is not public. This copycat uses salt, thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, dried mustard, paprika, garlic salt, ginger and white pepper, with optional Accent seasoning.
How long does the chicken fry?
For 15 to 18 minutes per batch in 350°F oil. Time is only a guide. Every piece has to reach 165°F on a food thermometer.
How long does the whole recipe take?
About 105 minutes: 60 minutes of prep, which includes the soak and the rest after dredging, and 45 minutes of frying in batches.
Can I skip the rest after dredging?
It is better not to. The 20 to 30 minutes on the cookie sheet is what helps the coating stay on in the fryer.
Final Notes
I set the dredged pieces on the cookie sheet and start heating the oil only after that, so the rest happens while I wait. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat)
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Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon thyme leaves dried
- 1/2 tablespoon basil leaves dried
- 1/3 tablespoon oregano leaves dried
- 1 tablespoon celery salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper ground
- 1 tablespoon mustard dried
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon ginger ground
- 3 tablespoons white pepper ground
- 2 teaspoons Accent seasoning optional
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 chicken cut into 10 pieces: 2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs and 4 breast pieces
- vegetable oil for frying; enough to fully submerge the chicken
Instructions
- Process the herbs and spices in a small food processor until they are uniform in size and the thyme, basil and oregano are no longer in larger pieces.
- Whisk the flour and processed seasonings together in a bowl. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a second, larger bowl.
- Add the chicken to the buttermilk mixture for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Let the excess buttermilk drip from each piece. Coat all sides in the seasoned flour, shake off the excess and set the chicken on a cookie sheet for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Heat vegetable oil to 350°F in a deep fryer or a large pot at least 5 inches high, with enough oil to fully submerge the chicken. Fry in small batches for 15 to 18 minutes. Check each piece with a food thermometer; poultry must reach 165°F before it is served.
- Transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack set over a clean cookie sheet instead of placing it directly on paper towels.
