Michelin starred chefs reveal how to make KFC at home

Two Michelin-starred chefs have revealed their recipes to recreate KFC’s famous 11 Herb & Spice combination at home.

Tom Aikens, who runs Muse in Belgravia, central London, joined French Maître d’hôtel Fred Sirieix and fellow Michelin-starred chef Alex Bond, who runs Alchemilla in Nottingham, for the first episode of the new series of Snackmasters, which airs tomorrow on Channel 4.

Throughout the series, presented by Fred Siriex, the chefs try to recreate famous snacks using their own recipes, with previous episodes highlighting Burger King Whoppers and KitKats.

But in the latest episode, the chefs try to create KFC’s famously secret spice blend, using their expert palates to decipher the spices.

Tom mixes thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, dried mustard, paprika, garlic salt, ground ginger and ground white pepper to coat his fried chicken, and also uses buttermilk and flour to help the marinade stick. 

Meanwhile, Alex uses black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano, paprika, thyme, celery salt, mustard powder, ginger, onion powder, basil and cayenne, which he mixed with cornflour, flour, sugar and salt. 

After he died in 1980, Colonel Sanders 11 herbs and spice recipe was locked in a vault and to this day is only handed out on a strict ‘need to know basis’.

Many chefs have attempted to make their own version of the dish over the years,  but KFC have stayed tight lipped over the ingredients.

In 2016, The Chicago Tribune  published a recipe that was found in a scrapbook belonging to the Colonel, that had been discovered by his nephew.

Joe Ledington, a nephew of the colonel by marriage, said he’s ‘pretty sure it’s close to the original’. 

The recipe contained dried thyme leaves, dried basil leaves, dried oregano leaves, celery salt, ground black pepper, dried mustard, paprika,  garlic salt, ground ginger and ground white pepper as well as  all-purpose flour and salt.  

Last year, a British man was deemed a ‘modern day hero’ after spending 18 months perfecting KFC’s secret recipe.

Dan Fell, from Warwickshire, revealed his version of the famed 11 herbs and spices mix to Twitter following the closure of the fast food chain amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

The music composer claims that after more than a year of experimenting with different recipes to replicate the popular takeaway, he’s now got it ‘spot on’.

The recipe includes five cups of plain flour, four tablespoons of paprika, two tablespoons of white pepper and garlic powder, plus one tablespoon of ground ginger. 

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To the mixture, Dan also adds one tablespoon of mustard powder, celery salt and black pepper, half a tablespoon of oregano and thyme and one-third of a tablespoon of sea salt.

The chicken lover explained that basil was the 11th ingredient but that he often leaves it out as it doesn’t add much flavour to the jam-packed recipe.

Use three parts of the mix to one part of self-raising flour and give the chicken an egg wash before rolling it in the seasoning and frying it in a deep fat fryer or hot oil at 160C to 165C.

 Fry the chicken for five to six minutes before placing it in a pre-heated 80C oven, then give it a final 90-second fry prior to serving.

 Meanwhile, last year Ernestina Agyei, 31, from London, revealed she mixes flour and spices before deep frying in oil to make the delicious chicken treat at home -and even gained a 9/10 rating from KFC themselves.

Her recipe included  1 cup of flour, with one tablespoon of the following: – sea salt, thyme, oregano, garlic salt, ground ginger, black pepper, onion powder, slap ya mamma (which is a mix of black pepper, red pepper and garlic) and two tablespoons of paprika. 

• Snackmasters Series 3 airs tomorrow on Channel 4 at  9.20pm

Source: Food Recipes and News