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!
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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.
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:
- Combine 1 cup of flour and 1 tablespoon of the Chicken Mix in a separate bowl or resealable bag.
- Whisk together egg and the second cup of buttermilk in a separate bowl.
- 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.
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.
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
Cut into the thickest part of a drumstick. The juices should run clear and the meat should be opaque throughout.
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.
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KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat)
Equipment
- 1 electric skillet or deep, heavy skillet
- 1 Tongs
- 1 Whisk
- 3 bowls or pie pans
Ingredients
- 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 StationPrepare 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
Nutrition
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Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says
I love KFC Fried Chicken but I never tried making a copycat at home. Thanks for the recipe, will give this a try.
T says
I haven't tried a KFC copycat before, this would be awesome! Would love to try it though!
Sheereen | Cups of Coco says
This looks amazing and way better than KFC!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
This looks and sounds amazing, and I'd definitely add the Sriracha!
Tami says
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!
Sheila says
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!
Renée ♥ says
Thank you so much for checking back in to let us know how it turned out! I'm so glad you liked the recipe!! ??
Kimberly says
Yes, mouth-watering food!!! I would try this for the boys, bet they will love them.
Marlynn | UrbanBlissLife says
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!)
Renée ♥ says
I think we could probably work something out ?
Meg says
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.
Pech says
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
Renée ♥ says
Haha! I have to admit, I made a face when I read that last sentence. ?
K.C. says
This looks amazingly crunchy! I need to try this soon, except subbing a GF flour. Hope it works!
Renée ♥ says
I've had great luck with Bob's all-purpose GF.
Kiki Johnson says
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!
Marie - Not Enough Cinnamon says
Oh my goodness, I need to make these for my husband, I think he would ask me to marry him a second time ahah
Rebecca says
This is so mouthwatering!
Ben Myhre says
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.
Renée ♥ says
Thank you, Ben! This is really so much better, in my humble opinion ?