KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN ORIGINAL RECIPE (CopyCat)

Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC, whatever you call it, those 11 herbs and spices have remained a long sought after mystery. Unfortunately for those of us who secretly sneak a piece now and then, The Colonel took the secret with him to his grave. Heublein Company, the current owner of KFC, no longer makes the recipe that The Colonel made famous. Obviously they have the original 11 herbs and spices recipe, they have made changes in the recipe, probably to save money. The Original Recipe chicken you can now purchase at your neighborhood KFC just isn't what it use to be. Some have tried to break the code to no avail. There are too many Copycat recipes out there to count. Some look good and others can't evenbe close. We all know part of the secret is the 2%-3% msg and a large amount of salt and a large amount of pepper. Here is one more attempt to find the secret. The Colonel used a pressure fryer. If you don't have one, do not use a pressure cooker as this can be dangerous. A deep fryer will have to do. The flour used in this recipe is self-raising, something you would find in most Southern kitchens in the 40's and 50's. Southern cooks like that tiny shortcut of having salt and baking powdered already mixed with the flour. Go figure. Also, restaurants and many Southern cooks used lard to fry with, so if you have no objestions to using lard, go for it. It may be the answer to the elusive secret recipe taste. The Original Recipe claim is not mine!

Kentucky Fried Chicken Original Recipe (CopyCat)

Chicken
6 pieces chicken-cleaned and trimed of excess fat

Brine
Water to cover chicken
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 teaspoon MSG (optional)

Flour
1 1/2 cup self-raising flour

Egg Wash
2 eggs-beaten
1/3 cup milk

Kentucky Fried Chicken Spice
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
1 tablespoon powdered sage
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons garlic salt
2 tablespoons onion salt
1 teaspoon accent or msg (OPTIONAL)

Add 2-3 Tablespoons mix to every 1 1/2 cup of flour for coating chicken.


OIL
6-8 cups Crisco shortening - This will depend on your deep fryer

Directions
Place all those 11 herbs and spices ingredients in a grinder or in a blender and pulse for 3-4 minutes to pulverizer. Store in an airtight container. Once ground spices will lose their flavor faster than when they are whole. This makes about 3/4 cup.

Flour
Add 2-3 tablespoons of the spice mixture to flour whisking well. Remove 1/2 cup flour/spice mixture and place in bowl or a plastic or paper sack for first coating of chicken. Add the remaining 1 cup flour/spice mixture in 2nd bowl or sack.

Egg Wash
Mix together in medium bowl for dipping chicken pieces.

Let's get started.
Chicken - Step 1
In a large bowl place cleaned chicken in salted (1 Tablespoon salt + 1 teaspoon MSG, still optional) water to cover chicken. Let soak at least 2 hours in refrigerator.
Step 2
Dry chicken with paper towels. Dredge in 1/2 cup of the flour mixture, shaking off excess. Do all pieces of chicken, one at a time and set on rack until next step. If you have any remaining flour mixture from this 1/2 cup portion add to 2nd sack.
Step 3
Dip into egg/water mixture, allowing excess to drip off.

Step 4

Add any left over flour from the 1/2 cup used for the first coating step into bag with the 1 cup flour/seasoning mixture. Place chicken pieces one at a time, in bag with flour mixture and shake to coat well. Arrange chicken pieces on rack over large cookie sheet and let dry up to 30 minutes.

For extra crispy coating, repeat egg wash and flour mixture.

Frying
Add FRESH Crisco to the deep fryer (or pressure fryer). Heat oil 350 degrees, gently add chicken to oil, 1piece at a time. Do not add more than 3 pieces to each batch. Fry 12-15 minutes, until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Drain chicken and keep in warm oven while frying remaining chicken. Cooking time may vary especially if using a pressure fryer.