Culture

This week, I did an experiment to recreate Colonel Sander’s infamous fried chicken. At 65 years old, and on a benefit income, Colonel Sanders built what would become the second largest fast food chain in the world. The recipe was one of the biggest trade secrets of our time, until it was recently leaked by Sander’s nephew. Of course when something is kept so private and hyped for so long, I had to try it. 

However, I found out that drumsticks are hard to fry cook to the bone. You need a pressure fryer, hence why this is a recipe for chicken breasts which were a lot easier to recreate at home.

The only thing I’m missing from the spice mix is celery salt, which I can’t find anywhere. Who knew you could even get salt from celery? Even without the celery salt this spice mix has that great finger-licking good balance of seasonings I was looking for. Although not totally identical (maybe it needs some MSG) I actually prefer my homemade attempt. 

Mix up a flat dinner, tell the flatties you got KFC, make this and see if they can tell the difference.

11 secret herbs & spices

• ⅔ tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• 1/3 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon celery salt (optional, or substitute for ½ tablespoon onion powder) 
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried mustard
• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 3 tablespoons ground white pepper

For the coating and frying:

• 2 cups white flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten
• Chicken breasts 
• Canola oil (best for frying)

Method

1. Tenderise chicken with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin. You don’t want your chicken pieces to be too thick otherwise it will take longer to cook through. Mix the buttermilk and egg together in bowl until combined. Soak the chicken in the buttermilk mixture at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix the flour in a separate bowl with all the herbs and spices. Depending on how much chicken you are frying, you won’t need all of this mixture, you need just enough to roll the chicken around in. I recommend putting some of the mixture on a plate then storing the rest in an airtight container for later use.
3. Roll chicken pieces in flour mixture until coated on all sides. Wait a few minutes before you fry to let the buttermilk absorb the spice mix.
4. Heat up enough oil in an appropriate size pot for each chicken piece to be fully immersed when frying. Fry the chicken in small batches (2-4 pcs at a time, depending on size of your pot) and don’t overcrowd the pot. You want it over a medium heat. Once it gets hot enough, you’ll need to keep the heat constant while frying.
5. Fry until crispy golden brown, turning the chicken if required. Transfer onto a dish with paper towels to soak excess oil. Repeat frying for remaining chicken.