KFC Spice Mix
28g (1oz) White Pepper
28g (1oz) Black Pepper
14g (.5oz) Garlic Salt, (see recipe below)
7g (.25oz) Sage
7g (.25oz) Coriander
7g (.25oz) Ginger
7g (.25oz) Cayenne
3.5g (.125oz) Clove
3.5g (.125oz) Allspice
3.5g (.125oz) Savory*
1.8g (.0625oz) Marjoram
1.8g (.0625oz) Thyme
340g (12oz) Salt
25g MSG
Mix all the dry spices and herbs together well. If any of the herbs are too large, you can run them through a mortar & pestle or a spice grinder. I needed to do that with the sage, coriander, cloves, allspice, marjoram and savory, but if you are in the US, you can usually get all these pre-ground.
This mix makes quite a lot, and will store a long time in a tightly sealed jar.
Note 1: I could not find *savory anywhere. I just bumped up the marjoram to 2.8g and the thyme to 2.8g.
Note 2: What? It has MSG in it?? Are you eating anything that’s considered “processed food”? Yeah..it has MSG or another glutamate in it. It is an umami and incredibly useful in a huge amount of applications, including this one.
Use it. Just don’t tell anyone you do ;) However, if you really do wish to leave it out, go right ahead.
Note 3: Use less salt = I use about 1/2 the salt per batch.
KFC Chicken Recipe
The trick to making KFC chicken at home is to brine the chicken for a few hours in the KFC Spice mix. I have made the chicken both with and without brining, and it makes a HUGE difference. Try not to skip this step.
All the Ingredients listed here:
3 Teaspoons KFC Spice Mix (for brine)
3 Tablespoons KFC Spice Mix (for dredge)
4 Cups warm (not hot) water.
1 egg
2 cups milk
2 cups cake flour (see recipe below)
Mix of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces. The most I’ve made at one time is 6 leg pieces and 12 thighs for a single recipe as below.
Method:
Brine
3 Teaspoons KFC Spice Mix
4 Cups warm (not hot) water.
Mix the spice mix and water together and let it sit for about 5 minutes, so that the spices and herbs can hydrate and the salts dissolve. Mix again well before pouring it over the chicken. Depending on how much chicken you are doing, you may need more water as you want the chicken completely submerged. Cover the container and refrigerate. Use as much chicken as you wish to fry. I’ve brined 6 pounds of bone in, skin on chicken in that 4 cups of water. Leave it to brine for 2-3 hours. No more than 5 hours. Mix around at least once.
Once the chicken has brined, it’s time to get cooking. You’ll need:
Egg wash (see Note 2 below before you begin)
1 egg
2 cups milk
In bowl, mix together 1 egg and two cups of milk to make an egg wash.
Dredge
3 Tablespoons KFC Spice Mix
2 cups cake flour (see recipe below)
Mix the spice mix with the cake flour into a wide shallow dish. (I use a 8×8 cake pan).
Bring a pot of oil (canola, vegetable oil, corn) to 350ºF. You are deep frying the chicken. Do not over fill the pot. Leave quite a bit of space for oil displacement once you put the chicken in.
Dip the chicken in the egg wash, then dredge it in the flour mix, coating the chicken well. Tap excess flour off.
Carefully drop the dredged chicken away from you in the hot oil and fry for 11-15 minutes or until chicken registers 165ºF on an instant read thermometer. If your chicken pieces are large, this could take up to 18-20 minutes. Don’t be afraid to check the temp. Once chicken is removed from the pot, bring the temp back to 350 and repeat with the remaining chicken.
NOTES & MINOR RECIPES
Note 1: Don’t pre-dredge the chicken – do it just before you drop it in the oil. For example, I have the timer set to 12 minutes and at about 10 minutes I dredge the next batch.
Note 2: You do not have to do the egg wash – this step can be left out if you brined the chicken. Just take the chicken directly from the brine to the flour mix. However, feel free to do this step as it will add a layer of flavor.
Note 2.5: If you decide to do the egg wash, it is best to remove the chicken from the brine and place it on a baking rack to drip dry a bit.
Note 3: I have made this as “Popcorn Chicken”. Using boneless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces, brine for 30 minutes. Dip in flour-mix and either 1) pan fry or 2) deep fry. Both work well.
Cake Flour recipe:
To make cake flour, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour, remove two tablespoons of flour and replace with 2 tablespoons corn starch. Mix together well.
Garlic Salt Recipe:
3 Tablespoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
Mix well and store in tightly closed jar.
KFC Coleslaw (My version)
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Buttermilk Well Shaken
1/4 Cup Whole Milk
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 1/2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon White Or Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Onion Finely Grated
10 Cups Cabbage Diced
1/2 Cup Carrot Shredded
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together all but the cabbage and carrots. Mix well. Add cabbage and carrot and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 5 hours, but even better overnight. Stir well before serving
Lastly, the KFC Spice recipe comes from Youtuber Glen & Friends, who did a 15 part series on how to make it. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgOb3zseg1hR4RkgFSZFm7tUTSimCEDNO
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