Jul 21, 2024 21:00:00

There is a spice blend on the market that is as close as possible to KFC's secret recipe.

The spice and herb blends used by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) are kept secret, and it is said that

only three people in the world know the exact recipe. As a result of collecting information about KFC's recipes by the YouTube channel Glen And Friends Cooking , it has become clear that spice blends that are very close to the KFC recipe are available on the market.

KFC's Secret Ingredient Revealed as Glen and Friends Cook - YouTube

Glenn of Glen And Friends Cooking, who has worked on KFC advertising in the past, has been releasing a 'video series exploring KFC recipes' since 2019. In January 2021, as the final chapter of the series, he released information on 'KFC's spice mix revealed by information provided' and 'commercial products that are very similar to KFC's spice mix.'

Glenn's sources include 'the son of Pat Grace, who got the recipe from Colonel Sanders and developed a fried chicken franchise in Ireland,' and he was able to obtain quite reliable information. However, although he knew the 'types of spices and herbs,' he did not know the amounts of them.

Below is a list of spices and herbs used in KFC's original chicken, as summarized by Glenn. The amount of each ingredient is unknown, but the more abundant the ingredient, the more likely it is to be listed at the top.
・Fine Salt
Finely ground black pepper
Coarsely ground black pepper
・Crushed black pepper
Finely ground white pepper
・Allspice or Summer Savory
・Crushed coriander
・Ground ginger
・MSG (monosodium glutamate)
・Mash thyme
Crushed sage
・Mash marjoram

And there are two commercially available spice blends that seem to be very close to the KFC recipe: the blue bag is ' Grace's Strong Blend Chicken Breading ' sold by the commercial seasoning sales company founded by the aforementioned Pat Grace, and the container in front is ' Chicken Seasoning 99-X ' sold by Marion Kay Spices.

Grace's Strong Blend Chicken Breading is a product made by mixing 12 kinds of spices and herbs with bread crumbs. According to the official page , 'Grace's Strong Blend Chicken Bread is related to Colonel Sanders, but it is not an original recipe.' Nevertheless, Glenn evaluates it as 'as close as possible to the KFC recipe' based on the historical background.

Grace's Strong Blend Chicken Breading 1kg (includes shipping) - Grace's Perfect Blend USA
https://gracesperfectblendusa.com/product/graces-strong-blend-chicken-breading-1kg/

Chicken Seasoning 99-X is a type of product that does not contain breadcrumbs. It is known that Colonel Sanders was dissatisfied with the franchised KFC, saying that 'the taste has deteriorated because of the emphasis on cost,' but during this period, he sometimes provided his own recipes to franchisees. Glenn speculates that Chicken Seasoning 99-X is 'a product of the recipes provided by Colonel Sanders.'

Chicken Seasoning 99-X - Marion Kay Spices
https://marionkay.com/product/chicken-seasoning-99-x/

Glenn also demonstrates how to make fried chicken using Grace's Strong Blend Chicken Breading. First, make a 'milk and egg mixture' to soak the chicken.