Oven-fried Copycat KFC Chicken? Is it authentic spices? This is the alleged original KFC™ spice blend found in a family album by Colonel Sander's nephew—you judge.
Using an oven-fried chicken method that is home-friendly and much healthier, this is a recipe you must try.
🐓Ingredients
Chicken—skinless boneless chicken breasts
Buttermilk or regular milk
Egg
Flour—all-purpose flour
Butter
The 11 spices—salt, thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, dried mustard, paprika, garlic salt, ground ginger, white pepper
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Featured Comment from Robin:
"I just made this tonight, and it was delicious! I broke down a chicken into 10 pieces, and after cooking, they had quite a KFC flavour but were much healthier."
This copycat recipe has the great KFC®️ like flavor that many feel is the real spicing—it is finger-lickin'®️ good and has the promised "eleven herbs and spices," fits the era of development, and tastes just right. If not the authentic formula, then it is very close.
This recipe uses the "higher" spiced version of the leaked recipe. It is an excellent oven-fried chicken recipe that the whole family will love.
👨🍳How to Make Oven Fried KFC®️ Chicken
Start with trimming two skinless boneless chicken breasts. Try to use breasts of about the same size. If thick, flatten to ¾ inch thick with a meat mallet or heavy pan.
Mix 2 cups buttermilk and the egg. Add the chicken and allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute by adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to 2 cups of milk and let it sit for a few minutes. Or just use milk.
Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional. Mix the 11 spices with the flour.
Prepare an oven-safe pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Remove chicken breast from the milk one at a time, allowing the excess marinade to drain off. Dip in the spice/flour mix, cover completely, shake to remove excess, and on a rack.
Allow to sit for 20-30 minutes. This will help the coating stick. While the chicken is resting, place the baking sheet or pan with the butter into the oven for about 5 minutes to melt the butter. Remove and coat the pan with the melted butter. Give any of the coating on the breasts that looks dry a light spray of PAM and move into the pan with melted butter.
After baking for 20 minutes, carefully flip the chicken with a fork near the edge of the chicken. Bake until internal temp of 165°, about 35-40 minutes total. Cooking time will vary due to oven variations, the pan, and the size and thickness of the chicken.
If you want gravy, remove the chicken from the pan. Mix 1 cup of chicken broth with 4 tablespoons flour either by whisking or in a shaker. Over medium-high heat, add 1 more cup of chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Slowly add the flour mixture while whisking continuously until thickened and then a few more minutes. If some of the breading comes off the chicken, leave it in the gravy for extra flavor.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
✔️Tips to make it right every time
- Try to use breasts of almost the same size if possible. If they are thick, flatten the thickest part to about ¾ inches thick with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan.
- If you skip the marinade, dry the chicken well with paper towels. Dip in the spice/flour mixture, then an egg coating of a whipped egg with a bit of water. Shake off and coat again with the flour/spice mixture.
- Gravy is optional but highly recommended. I'm using a "slurry" method. See How To Make Gravy at Home for detailed instructions.
- The cooking of the chicken at the restaurant involves a pressurized fryer and other things. We are not trying to duplicate that. We are going for a healthier, tender chicken breast with the same or similar spicing.
- Make up a batch of the KFC™ spice mix and keep it around for other chicken recipes like chicken tenders.
- It is easier and probably cheaper to go to the restaurant. But this is interesting. And if you like it, mix up a batch of spices for the pantry.
Oven-baked chicken recipes
Don't miss out on other baked chicken recipes, like Melt in Your Mouth Chicken, Pan Seared Oven Baked Chicken Breast, Roast Chicken Breasts in a Convection Oven, Baked Chicken Legs, and Baked Chicken Thighs.
Serving
Serve with Crispy Baked French Fries and a fresh salad like Spinach Salad with Bacon. I love it with Cornbread or Cornmeal Biscuits.
Storage and reheating leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days, but it is better if only 1-2 days. You may also freeze for 3 months.
Reheat in the oven or an air fryer. A microwave may be used, but it may change the texture of the chicken.
❓FAQs
This recipe is very high in sodium, typical for the 1940s. In addition to the salt, it is hidden in garlic salt and celery salt. You can make substitutions that will retain the taste but eliminate the sodium.
You can use ½ the volume of the celery salt as the celery seed powder. And ¼ of the volume of garlic salt as garlic powder. That cuts the sodium way down to about 600.
The nephew who leaked the recipe felt the primary "secret ingredient" was the white pepper. I think he is right.
Some others speculate it is MSG (monosodium glutamate). It is in the chicken at the restaurant, other chicken restaurants, and other foods. If you want to try MSG along with the 11 spices, sprinkle a little on at serving.
📰The Story of the Leaked Original KFC®️ Recipe
The original secret recipe is a closely guarded secret in a vault at the company's headquarters. Handwritten by the Colonel himself, it is said.
This story is about the nephew of Colonel Sanders, Joe "H.D." Lexington, and a family album he inherited. In the album is his aunt's will, and on the back of the will is a handwritten note titled "11 spices". He believes it is real and mixed tons of this at his uncle's restaurant as a child. I tend to believe, especially after my trial cooking.
Check out the original article, the Tribune. It is a fascinating read and has a picture of the note. But also check out their test cooking of the recipe.
📋What is on the note?
The 11 spices Mix with 2 cups white fl
- ⅔ Ts salt
- ½ Ts thyme
- ½ Ts basil
- ⅓ Ts oregano
- 1 Ts celery salt
- 1 Ts black pepper
- 1 Ts dried mustard
- 4 Ts paprika
- 2 Ts garlic salt
- 1 Ts ground ginger
- 3 Ts white pepper
******************************
I'm sure you see a problem right away. What the heck is "Ts"? Is it tablespoons or teaspoons? The Tribune tried both and concluded tablespoons. I tried both, also. I believe in tablespoons, but my wife preferred the lighter spiced teaspoon version.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
📖 Recipe
Copycat KFC Chicken—Oven Fried
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Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
Marinade
- 2 cups buttermilk or milk
- 1 egg - optional
Coating
- 1 cups AP flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon thyme
- ¾ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon celery salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried mustard
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 ½ teaspoons white pepper
In Pan for Oven
- 2 tablespoons butter
Gravy - optional
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Start with trimming two skinless boneless chicken breasts. Try to use breasts of about the same size. If thick, flatten to ¾ inch thick with a meat mallet or heavy pan.
- Mix 2 cups buttermilk or milk and the egg. Add the chicken and allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional. Mix the 11 spices with the flour.
- Prepare an oven-safe pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Remove chicken breast from the milk one at a time, allowing the excess marinade to drain off. Dip in the spice/flour mix, cover completely, shake to remove excess, and on a rack.
- Allow to sit for 20-30 minutes. This will help the coating stick. While the chicken is resting, place the baking sheet or pan with the butter into the oven for about 5 minutes to melt the butter. Remove and coat the pan with the melted butter. Give any of the coating on the breasts that looks dry a light spray of PAM and move into the pan with melted butter.
- After baking for 20 minutes, carefully flip the chicken with a fork near the edge of the chicken. Bake until internal temp of 165°, about 35-40 minutes total. Cooking time will vary due to oven variations, the pan, and the size and thickness of the chicken.
- If you want gravy, remove the chicken from the pan. Mix 1 cup of chicken broth with 4 tablespoons flour either by whisking or in a shaker. Over medium-high heat, add 1 more cup of chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Slowly add the flour mixture while whisking continuously until thickened and then a few more minutes. If some of the breading comes off the chicken, leave it in the gravy for extra flavor.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Use the chicken you want, but I suggest skinless boneless chicken breasts.
- Try to use chicken breasts of about the same size, and if thick, flatten to about ¾ inches thick with a meat mallet or heavy pan.
- The most important spice is white pepper. You can adjust spices if you want, but you are fighting with the Colonel.
- I suggest making more spice mix for future use to save time. Remember that 3 teaspoons are 1 tablespoon.
- Letting the coating set on the chicken before baking is a must to keep the coating sticking well.
- The gravy is optional but recommended.
- Sodium note - You can use ½ the volume of the celery salt as the celery seed powder. And ¼ of the volume of garlic salt as garlic powder. That cuts the sodium way down to about 600.
- This is the "heavy" spice version. You can cut the spices in half and have great results, also. Discussed in the post above.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published . Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Mary Brennan says
Hi. I'm confused by the instruction to put oil in the pan, place the dredged chicken in the pan, then wait 20 to 30 minutes. So one side is sitting in oil all that time? And the other side gets PAM? Am I missing something?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Mary,
Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed reply but I had surgery and typing that makes sense on narcotics does not work well.
I have updated the recipe slightly to reply to you question and clarify to how I currurtly recommend doing this. I coat the chicken and let it sit on a rack or plate for 15 minutes or a bit more to help the coating stick. Then I move it into the pan with melted butter and a light touch of PAM if there are spots of the coating that look dry.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Mary says
Thank you. Dan!