Joe Ledington, the nephew of Colonel Harland Sanders, accidentally revealed what appears to be the original recipe for the coating of what became Kentucky Fried Chicken during an interview with the Chicago Tribune. http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/resta ... cialflowFB]Story here.
If you don't want to bother reading the story, the recipe found handwritten on the back of a document in a scrapbook, photographed by the Tribune, and reposted by Esquire magazine is as follows:
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Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
If you don't want to bother reading the story, the recipe found handwritten on the back of a document in a scrapbook, photographed by the Tribune, and reposted by Esquire magazine is as follows:
Quote:11 spices — Mix with 2 cups white flour1) 2/3 Ts salt2) 1/2 Ts thyme3) 1/2 Ts basil4) 1/3 Ts oregano5) 1 Ts celery salt6) 1 Ts black pepper7) 1 Ts dried mustard8) 4 Ts paprika9) 2 Ts garlic salt10) 1 Ts ground ginger11) 3 Ts white pepperAccording to a separate Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/re ... story.html]article, trial and error determined that the chicken should be dipped once in buttermilk and then the breading, and fried at 350 degrees F. And that a dash of MSG on the chicken just before you eat it apparently makes a big difference. The complete recipe as determined and published by the Tribune is:
Quote:Fried chicken with 11 herbs and spicesPrep: 30 minutes-- Bob
Soak: 20-30 minutes
Cook: 15-18 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
2 cups all-purpose flour2/3 tablespoon salt1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves1/2 tablespoon dried basil leaves1/3 tablespoon dried oregano leaves1 tablespoon celery salt1 tablespoon ground black pepper1 tablespoon dried mustard4 tablespoons paprika2 tablespoons garlic salt1 tablespoon ground ginger3 tablespoons ground white pepper
1 cup buttermilk1 egg, beaten1 chicken, cut up, the breast pieces cut in half for more even frying
Expeller-pressed canola oil
1 Mix the flour in a bowl with all the herbs and spices; set aside.
2
Mix the buttermilk and egg together in a separate bowl until combined.
Soak the chicken in the buttermilk mixture at room temperature, 20-30
minutes.
3 Remove chicken from the buttermilk, allowing excess to
drip off. Dip the chicken pieces in the herb-spice-flour mixture to coat
all sides, shaking off excess. Allow to sit on a rack over a baking
sheet, 20 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, heat about 3 inches of the oil in a
large Dutch oven (or similar heavy pot with high sides) over
medium-high heat to 350 degrees. (Use a deep-frying thermometer to check
the temperature.) When temperature is reached, lower the heat to medium
to maintain it at 350. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time, being careful not
to crowd the pot. Fry until medium golden brown, turning once, 15-18
minutes. Transfer chicken pieces to a baking sheet covered with paper
towels. Allow the oil to return to temperature before adding more
chicken. Repeat with remaining chicken.
A note on MSG:
A number of readers have asked how much MSG to use in the recipe above.
Although KFC has confirmed that its present-day recipe uses MSG, that
ingredient was not part of the list of herbs and spices we received from
the Colonel's nephew, so we didn't include MSG in the published recipe.
But we did taste the fried chicken with a sprinkle of MSG. If you want
to try the chicken with MSG, we suggest doing as we did: Sprinkle a
little on the finished chicken pieces right before eating.
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Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.