KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat) (2024)

This KFC chicken copycat recipe, with an herb-and-spice mix straight from the Colonel's own nephew, is buttermilk-soaked, skillet-fried, and oven-finished perfection!

What's the Story Behind this Recipe?

Back when I was a kid, I remember driving out to "The Speck" in southeast Portland with my Pop to pick up Kentucky Fried Chicken for our Sunday family dinner. It was always a summer treat, when temperatures soared and no one wanted to cook. Pop would go inside to order, and I'd wait in the car until our food was ready; six-year old me melting on the front bench of the giant green Plymouth.

Just when I was certain I was going to die in the sweltering heat, Pop would come back with a big red and white bucket of chicken, along with the obligatory mashed potatoes, containers of brown gravy and coleslaw, and an order of gizzards (which I would not touch).

We'd get home, and I would immediately lay claim to one of the legs: my favorite chicken piece, by virtue of its handle. I loved that Original Recipe chicken.

Skinless KFC Chicken

The only thing I didn't like about it was the chicken skin. Can't stand chicken skin: never have, never will.(I won't go into the reasons. You either get it or you don't.)

With my chicken leg laying on my plate, I would carefully remove all the delicious peppery golden coating and set it on my plate at the foot of my mashed potato hill. Then I would turn my head sideways and pull off the chicken skin and roll it up in a paper napkin so I never had to look at it again.

Then I'd take a bite of chicken and a little bit of coating and eat them together for full effect. Perfection. (These days, I don't eat a lot of take-out chicken, but when I do, yeah - I still do that.)

Original Recipe Roots

The foundation for thisNaked KFC Chicken copycat recipe is based on the culturally iconic 11 Secret Herbs & Spices recipe from the original Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants, allegedly discovered in the personal affects of Colonel Harland Sanders' nephew, as reported in the Chicago Tribune in 2016. (Thanks, Trib!)As always, we have tinkered with the process and amounts for this recipe to fit our personal tastes.

With personal tastes in mind, it should be no surprise that we usually use skinless chicken for this recipe by default. However, if you love the skin on your fried chicken, fear not - this recipe will work for you, too! Just... wait for it... use chicken with the skin still on it instead of skinless. (!)

How to Make KFC Chicken at Home

Buttermilk Presoak

Combine 1 cup buttermilk and 1 teaspoon Sriracha. The Sriracha it totally optional, but I think it adds another subtle layer of heat to the chicken.

Soak skinless chicken pieces in buttermilk mixture for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

Chicken Mix

Combine the dry herbs, spices, and brown sugar in the jar of a small food processor (or clean coffee grinder) and pulverize until uniform in texture.

In a large self-sealing plastic bag or medium bowl, combine flour and pulverized spice mix. Set aside.

Dredge-Dip-Dredge

Remove chicken from buttermilk pre-soak and pat dry with paper towels. Discard any remaining buttermilk soaking mixture.

3-Step Dredging Station

Prepare a dredging station, as follows:

1. Combine 1 cup of flour and 1 tablespoon of the Chicken Mix in a separate bowl or resealable bag.
2. Whisk together egg and the second cup of buttermilk in a separate bowl.
3. Place the remainder of the Chicken Mix into in a separate bowl or resealable bag.

For each piece of chicken:

Drag or dust chicken with the flour mixture, coating evenly. Shake off excess.

Using tongs, dip each piece of chicken in the egg and buttermilk mixture and shake once to remove excess.

Drop buttermilk-coated chicken piece into the resealable bag or bowl of Chicken Mix and dredge to coat.

Remove chicken pieces from the Chicken Mix with tongs and rest on wire rack while you complete dredging the rest of the chicken pieces.

Rest chicken on wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

Allowing the chicken to rest after dredging, even a short time, dramatically improves how well the coating adheres to the chicken when you go on to the frying steps.

If time allows, stop and put the chicken, rack and all, into the fridge for an hour or two. You can even dredge the chicken the day before and leave it overnight.

Cook Chicken

Warning: Hot oil can be very dangerous! Please take all precautions necessary to ensure the safety of yourself and those around you.

Preheat oven to 350°F | 175°C. Line a heavy sheet pan with foil and set aside. Spray the foil with a little cooking spray to alleviate sticking. Set aside.

Fry Chicken

For this step, you will need either a large heavy skillet or an electric skillet. You will also need tongs, and a deep-fry/meat thermometer. We suggest using using vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil for frying.

Pour ½-inch of oil into an electric skillet or a deep, heavy skillet.

Initially heat the oil 340°F - 350°F (170°C - 175°C) to allow for the natural drop in temperature when the chicken is added to the oil, then reduce the heat to 325°F (163°C).

For best results, maintain a constant temperature of 325°F (163°C) when for frying chicken.

Using tongs, carefully lower the coated chicken pieces into the hot oil.

Fry chicken in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until they turn crispy and golden. Turn them as they brown and do not let them touch each other while frying.

Remove fried chicken from oil and set on wire rack while you finish the rest of the chicken.

Allow oil to come back up to temperature between batches.

Oven Finish

Place the fried chicken on the prepared sheet pan and place in preheated oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until chicken is done and juices run clear.

• Breasts: 30-40 minutes
• Legs & Thighs: 20-25 minutes
• Wings: 10-15 minutes

After finishing in the oven, remove chicken to a clean wire rack and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken is done when it registers an internal temperature of 165°F. We aim to take the chicken off the heat when it registers a temperature of 160°, and allow carryover cookingto bring it up to temperature as it sits on the wire rack.

Serve with coleslaw and a fluffy buttermilk biscuit for the full effect!

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