How These Michelin Star Chefs Make KFC Chicken At Home

The succulent splendor of KFC's signature chicken is renowned in households across the land. With its gleaming, tender white meat and crunchy, irresistible batter, frequent and intense cravings are incredibly difficult to ignore. But, despite KFC's immense popularity, the details of its Original Recipe chicken remain a secret (via KFC's website).

In an effort to discover the truth behind KFC's chicken, two celebrity chefs have created their own versions (via Indy100). Using only their beliefs of what the genuine recipe – famed to contain a combination of 11 herbs and spices – may include, chefs Tom Aikens and Alex Bond utilized all of their Michelin star knowledge (via Great British Chefs) to create their personal interpretations of Colonel Sanders' recipe.

Aikens devised a plan of dunking chicken pieces in saltwater brine, boosting flavor. He then mixed together thyme, basil, oregano, ginger, paprika, mustard powder, pepper, and salt, before dipping the chicken pieces in a swill of buttermilk and egg. Finally, he sprinkled the chicken with flour, dropping it – along with the herbs mixture – into heated oil.

Bond has suggested an alternative (and seemingly far simpler) recipe, however. Mixing up salt, pepper, garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, mustard powder, cayenne, onion powder, ginger, paprika, cornflour, sugar, cornflour, and flour, he recommends dabbing chicken pieces with the swirl of spices, then frying the freshly coated chicken (via Indy100).

The brilliance of these inspirations is that they appear fairly easy to produce at home – even for the humble among us who lack the benefits of luxurious, expansive kitchens and the accreditation of Michelin stars (and the skill sets that such awards showcase).

All of the processes are certainly more straightforward than the actual one chosen by KFC. According to The Daily Meal, the genuine chicken recipe is secured in a vault at KFC's Louisville headquarters, and the two companies that now manufacture the legendary blend only create half each, preventing either from being able to harness the full Kentucky Fried Chicken power.