Sometimes you feel sad and need some fried chicken to bring joy back into your life. Instead of buying a bucket, try this homemade KFC fried chicken recipe.
Fried Chicken when you’re feeling the moody blues
Rather than heading straight for the bucket of KFC fried chicken to bury your sorrows in, why not make this version yourself?
Oh, but it’s so much work.
Yes, but…
The difference between making this at home versus getting it from the Colonol is that you can use a better quality chicken.
(As in a chicken that was free range, organic, or didn’t have so many hormones and antibiotics stuffed into it.) Doesn’t that trés tempting?
Make chicken, not war
Yes, there will be dishes to wash. Such as the flour bowl, egg bowl, whisk, rack, sheet pan, tongs, measuring spoons and cups, and pot of hot oil.
However, when your facing a case of the moody blues, t’is better to put your hands to work, instead of laying comatose on the couch while watching the Bachelor in Paradise.
Get your mind off something else besides the lack of love in your life and put some love back into KFC fried chicken.
Make it yourself, and you will feel some sense of accomplishment. Imagine that.
After flouring the chicken, give the chicken and flour some time alone to bond. This will make the coating stick to the chicken better after it’s fried.
The KFC Secret Recipe
The original recipe for KFC fried chicken has been a closely guarded secret.
However, the Chicago Tribune published the recipe with its secret blend of 11 herbs and spices.
What the Colonol did:
Mix into 2 cups of flour: 2/3 Ts Salt, 1/2 Ts Thyme, 1/2 Ts Basil, 1/3 Ts Oregano, 1 Ts Celery Salt, 1 Ts Black Pepper, 1 Ts Dried Mustard, 4 Ts Paprika, 2 Ts Garlic Salt, 1 Ts Ground Ginger, and 3 Ts White Pepper.
12th Magic ingredient: MSG
Yes, according to the article, KFC confirmed that the spice blend does contain trace amounts of MSG, the magic flavor enhancer that makes everything taste a little bit better but you don’t want to tell anyone you used it.
What the Fried Chicken Slut is doing:
- Not buying 11 herbs and spices.
- Using Italian seasoning as a substitute for the thyme, basil, and oregano.
- Skipping the celery salt and garlic salt and using some garlic powder instead.
- Using chicken bouillon powder instead of MSG. While it does contain some MSG, it also comes with extra chicken flavor too and has many other uses in the kitchen.
See that dark spot on the bitten drumstick? That’s what happens when the chicken sinks to the bottom of a thin bottomed frying pan instead of floating in oil. Not ideal but still edible.
What makes the chicken taste extra good?
The salty, savoriness of the coating should carry through to the meat of the chicken.
Achieve this by brining the chicken with a some salt and sugar preferably overnight.
When is the chicken cooked?
If you had a thermometer, you would temp the chicken and look for 140 degrees in the thickest part of the meat.
If you don’t have one, you can prick open a piece. The juices should run clear.
If the juices are slightly pink, keep cooking.
The coating will continue turn from a lighter, golden brown to a darker, golden brown.
Original or Extra Crispy?
The chicken will stay very crispy for the first hour.
As it cools, it will turn into Original style KFC chicken.
If you like Original, then this chicken recipe can be cooked ahead of time and reheated.
If you want to do other things before eating, you can also keep the chicken warm in a 200 degree oven.
Is this really worth the mess and hassle of making it at home?
Yes, there will be a pot of oil to dispose of and grease splatters to sponge away.
There will be the time it takes to brine the chicken and then let the flour coating rest on the chicken.
Then there is the time to fry it in the pot. Do you really need to go through all the trouble?
As with most recipes, the homemade version, usually tastes better.
While I generally don’t advocate recipes that are messy and involved, fried chicken is the exception.
It is more work, but I snack on it for days afterwards.
Taking out leftover pieces from the fridge, reheating the microwave, and making myself feel better after a long day.
Tempting Priscilla, who’s been hiding in her cubby hole for days, with a fresh batch of Homemade KFC Fried Chicken.
Lovely Tips:
- Bake until a thermometer registers 140 degrees in the thickest part of the meat.
- If you prick open a piece, the juices should run clear. If they are tinged pink, the chicken needs to cook longer. Check again in 5-10 minutes.
- The chicken will stay very crispy for the first hour after cooking.
- Store in a 200 degree oven to stay warm, and eat within a couple hours.
- After the first hour, the chicken will be less cripsy but still tasty.
Homemade KFC Fried Chicken
This recipe is adapted from the original KFC Fried Chicken recipe published in the Chicago Tribune. Instead of 11 herbs and spices, it is simplified to fewer ingredients without sacrificing flavor.
Ingredients
Marinate overnight or at least 2 hours in the fridge
- 3 lb chicken parts about 1 whole chicken
- 1 Tb salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Whisk together in a separate bowl:
- 1 1/2 c all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 Tb salt
- 2 Tb paprika
- 2 Tb garlic powder
- 3 Tb Italian seasoning
- 1 Tb black pepper
- 1 Tb dried mustard
- 1 Tb ground ginger
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 2 Tb white pepper
Wet ingredient for dredging in a separate bowl
- 1 1/2 c buttermilk
For frying
- 4 c oil
Instructions
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Mix up the chicken with the salt and sugar. Let marinate at least 2 hours to overnight. This will impart extra flavor to the chicken, so each bite is juicy and flavored.
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Whisk together all the flour ingredients in a large bowl. Coat each chicken piece with flour. Have a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or foil to put the coated chicken in.
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Dip chicken pieces in buttermilk, then pack in the flour, and back to the lined sheet pan.
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Let chicken rest for 30 minutes so the flour coating sticks to the chicken. You can put the chicken in the fridge or at room temperature.
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Heat oil in a pan to 375 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, it will start to look swirly. You want to catch the oil before it starts smoking. You can test the oil by dropping a bit of flour crumb into the oil to see if it starts bubbling. If it does nothing and sinks to the bottom, the oil is too cold.
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Drop chicken pieces into hot oil in 1 layer. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches depending on how big your pan is. Fry for 4-5 minutes, flip with tongs, and fry until golden brown. It may look light golden, but you really want to leave the chicken inside the oil until it is a rich, dark golden brown.
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Remove chicken from oil onto a rack or paper towels to drain excess oil. Let chicken cool for 5-10 minutes before the first bite to avoid burning your tongue.
Recipe Notes
- Bake until a thermometer registers 140 degrees in the thickest part of the meat.
- If you prick open a piece, the juices should run clear. If they are tinged pink, the chicken needs to cook longer. Check again in 5-10 minutes.
- The chicken will stay very crispy for the first hour after cooking.
- Store in a 200 degree oven to stay warm, and eat within a couple hours.
- After the first hour, the chicken will be less cripsy but still tasty.