• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Good Hearted Woman logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers, Small Bites & Snacks
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Comfort Food
    • Ingredients & Techniques
    • Condiments
    • German Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Sourdough
    • Desserts & Sweets
    • 30-Minute Meals
  • Cozy Living
    • Arts & Crafts
    • For Music Lovers
  • US Travel
    • Rocky Mountains
    • Southwest
    • The South
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Cozy Living
  • Food Holidays
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Cozy Living
    • Food Holidays
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat)

    Published: Mar 12, 2018 · Modified: Sep 20, 2022 · by Renée B. · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    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!

    Fried chicken in a paper-towel lined red plastic serving basket, with coleslaw in the background.
    Jump to:
    • What's the Story Behind this Recipe?
    • How to Make KFC Chicken at Home
    • FAQs & Expert Tips
    • More Chicken Recipes
    • KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat)

    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 this Naked 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.

    Collage showing chicken mix before ad after blitzing in blender.

    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.

    Dredged chicken pieces resting on a wire rack.

    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.

    Overhead shot of electric skillet with oil in it. Text overlay reads: IMPORTANT: Keep oil at 325°F (163°C) throughout cooking process.

    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 cooking to bring it up to temperature as it sits on the wire rack. 

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

    FAQs & Expert Tips

    How do you test chicken for doneness without a thermometer?

    Cut into the thickest part of a drumstick. The juices should run clear and the meat should be opaque throughout.

    Can I just fry the chicken in the skillet until it's done?

    Well, of course you can - you can do anything you want! Just so you know, KFC finishes their Original Recipe fried chicken in a pressure cooker (or at least they did when I was a kid). I like to take the extra step and finish it in the oven.

    Chicken needs a lot of room to fry, and you should never crowd pieces in your skillet. Finishing chicken in the oven allows you to give the it the room it needs and still get a lot of chicken done all at the same time. Moreover, cooking this way, the chicken gets done to the bone. This means you won't have any pink chicken surprises when you sit down to eat.

    Closeup of fried chicken in a paper-towel lined red plastic serving basket, with a small serving of coleslaw in the background.

    More Chicken Recipes

    • Closeup of Chicken tagine, garnished with fresh herbs and pine nuts.
      Apricot Chicken Tagine with Ginger & Mint
    • Fried chicken quarter on a slice of white bread, topped with a pickle, served in a brown paper lines basket.
      Hattie B's Nashville Hot Chicken (Step-by-Step)
    • Caribbean Chicken Stew
    • Overhead shot of cooked Arroz con Pollo in a large skillet, garnished with chopped cilantro.
      Arroz Con Pollo (Puerto Rican Chicken & Rice)

    Want More Free Recipes?

    Subscribe to our newsletter to get family-friendly recipes and cozy living ideas in your inbox each week!
    Find us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too.

    Fried chicken in a paper-towel lined red plastic serving basket, with coleslaw in the background.
    5 from 9 votes

    KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat)

    This KFC chicken copycat recipe, straight from the Colonel's own nephew, is buttermilk-soaked, skillet-fried, and oven-finished perfection!
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Retro-American
    Prep Time:30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time:1 hour hour
    Presoak:4 hours hours
    Total Time:5 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10 servings
    Calories: 325kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 electric skillet or deep, heavy skillet
    • 1 Meat Thermometer
    • 1 Tongs
    • 1 Heavy Baking Sheet
    • 1 wire cooling rack
    • 1 Whisk
    • 3 bowls or pie pans

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    • 10 chicken pieces One cut chicken, or the equivalent
    • oil for frying vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil
    Buttermilk Presoak
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • 1 teaspoon Sriracha optional
    Chicken Mix
    • 3 tablespoons paprika I usually use Smoked Paprika, but regular works fine, too.
    • 2 tablespoons garlic salt
    • 2½ tablespoons white pepper
    • 1½ tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon celery salt
    • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
    • 1 tablespoon dried mustard
    • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
    • 1½ teaspoons dried basil
    • 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
    • 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 cups flour
    Dredge & Dip
    • 1 cup buttermilk
    • 1 large egg lightly beaten
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour

    Instructions

    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 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 2 cups of flour and the pulverized spice mix. Set aside.

    Dredge-Dip-Dredge

    • Remove chicken from buttermilk pre-soak and pat dry with paper towels. Discard any remaining buttermilk Soak Mixture.
      3-Step Dredging Station
      Prepare a dredging station, as follows:
      A. Combine 1 cup of flour and 1 tablespoon of the Chicken Mix in a separate bowl or resealable bag.
      B. Whisk together egg and the second cup of buttermilk in a separate bowl.
      C. 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.

    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.
    • 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.
    • Place the fried chicken on the prepared sheet pan and place in preheated oven.
      Bake 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.

    Notes

    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, you can stop there 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. 

    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 cooking to bring it up to temperature as it sits on the wire rack. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1piece | Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 2502mg | Potassium: 524mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1205IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Thank you for visiting the Good Hearted Woman. Remember to bookmark this site, and come back soon!

    More Main Dish Recipes

    • Two German Beef Rouladen rolls sliced on plate to show layered pinwheel, with sour cream and spätzle on the side.
      Authentic German Beef Rouladen (Rinderrouladen)
    • Bowl of cooked spaghetti noodles with a pile of baked meatballs in the center, garnished with chopped parsley.
      Classic Baked Ricotta Meatballs
    • Oven roasted turkey on a platter, encircled with sage and garnished with orange slices and pomegranate arils.
      Simply Perfect Roast Turkey
    • Closeup of pumpkin pasta garnished with parmesan and fresh sage; ready to serve.
      Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan & Sage
    1188 shares
    • Share
    • Flipboard

    About Renée B.

    Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 9 votes

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says

      June 05, 2019 at 1:48 pm

      5 stars
      I love KFC Fried Chicken but I never tried making a copycat at home. Thanks for the recipe, will give this a try.

      Reply
    2. T says

      June 05, 2019 at 7:07 am

      I haven't tried a KFC copycat before, this would be awesome! Would love to try it though!

      Reply
    3. Sheereen | Cups of Coco says

      June 05, 2019 at 5:52 am

      This looks amazing and way better than KFC!

      Reply
    4. Patricia @ Grab a Plate says

      June 04, 2019 at 8:29 pm

      This looks and sounds amazing, and I'd definitely add the Sriracha!

      Reply
    5. Tami says

      June 04, 2019 at 4:34 pm

      Awe, KFC is my favorite fried chicken. My fried chicken usually flops but if I can copy KFC, I'm eager enough to give it another shot. Yum!

      Reply
    6. Sheila says

      March 28, 2018 at 12:08 pm

      Dropping by to say thank you. I was so happy to follow this recipe. I can't believe that I made a KFC fried chicken at home. Everyone loved it as we're huge fans of KFC's chicken. Once again, thank you for sharing the recipe. You're awesome!

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        March 28, 2018 at 5:32 pm

        Thank you so much for checking back in to let us know how it turned out! I'm so glad you liked the recipe!! ??

        Reply
    7. Kimberly says

      March 24, 2018 at 8:12 pm

      5 stars
      Yes, mouth-watering food!!! I would try this for the boys, bet they will love them.

      Reply
    8. Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says

      March 14, 2018 at 1:49 pm

      5 stars
      Well we either can no longer be friends or we will become better friends, because I LOVE love love chicken skin! My cousin would always remove the skin from her fried chicken and give it to me. So maybe you and I could have the same food arrangement 😉 This recipe looks delicious, Renee! That fried chicken looks better than KFC! (even without the skin!)

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        March 15, 2018 at 11:28 am

        I think we could probably work something out ?

        Reply
    9. Meg says

      March 13, 2018 at 5:17 pm

      5 stars
      Looks great! I think my boyfriend would like this since he doesn't care for chicken skin. I must admit, I'm a fan! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

      Reply
    10. Pech says

      March 12, 2018 at 5:59 pm

      5 stars
      I will probably never make fried chicken at home - Not really worth all the work when DH is vegetarian - but I'm always happy to eat fried chicken by pretty much everyone else! My brother used to remove the cheese from tacos and skin from chicken and I'd just follow his pile of wrappers and eat the cheese or skin!! :O

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        March 12, 2018 at 6:48 pm

        Haha! I have to admit, I made a face when I read that last sentence. ?

        Reply
    11. K.C. says

      March 12, 2018 at 10:51 am

      5 stars
      This looks amazingly crunchy! I need to try this soon, except subbing a GF flour. Hope it works!

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        March 12, 2018 at 1:07 pm

        I've had great luck with Bob's all-purpose GF.

        Reply
    12. Kiki Johnson says

      March 12, 2018 at 10:17 am

      5 stars
      The spice mixture sounds amazing! It looks like you have put a lot of research and effort into getting the perfect recipe and I would be crazy not to try it! My mouth is watering just looking at that chicken!

      Reply
    13. Marie - Not Enough Cinnamon says

      March 12, 2018 at 10:14 am

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness, I need to make these for my husband, I think he would ask me to marry him a second time ahah

      Reply
    14. Rebecca says

      March 12, 2018 at 9:47 am

      This is so mouthwatering!

      Reply
    15. Ben Myhre says

      March 12, 2018 at 9:41 am

      5 stars
      I am almost positive that if I was blindly given this and a serving of KFC, I would say this looks 10 times better. While I do like some KFC on occasion, I am guessing the same for taste.

      Reply
      • Renée ♥ says

        March 12, 2018 at 9:48 am

        Thank you, Ben! This is really so much better, in my humble opinion ?

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Headshot of adorable middle-aged couple in forest setting.

    Hi, I'm Renée!

    Welcome to The Good Hearted Woman, a food blog dedicated to contemporary and heirloom comfort foods, including easy family meals, seasonal and regional dishes, homemade breads, BBQ and potluck favorites, and delectable desserts.

    More about Me & Mr B →

    Follow Us

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • https://twitter.com/rosewayrenee

    newest recipes

    • Breakfast casserole muffin on a plate with arugula and chopped avocado.
      Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Muffins

    • A bowl of pecan granola in a small bowl, setting on an outdoor bistro table.
      Healthy Maple Pecan Granola

    • Two German Beef Rouladen rolls sliced on plate to show layered pinwheel, with sour cream and spätzle on the side.
      Authentic German Beef Rouladen (Rinderrouladen)

    • Small glass jar filled with habanero syrup, with one small habanero pepper sitting to the side.
      Habanero Simple Syrup

    • Two pink cocktails in martini glasses, with five raspberries and a habanero pepper at the base of one glass.
      Sparkling Raspberry Habanero Cosmo

    • 9-panel collage showing images of food and recipes from German Dessert Recipes roundup.
      German Dessert Recipes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Statement

    Follow

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Meet Me & Mr B

    Content on this website may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we earn from qualifying purchases. Please check out our privacy Policy for more details.

    Copyright © 2025 The Good Hearted Woman. All rights reserved.

    1188 shares
    1.2K shares
    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.