Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, was renowned for his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices used to flavor his Original Recipe chicken. While the exact ingredients remain a closely guarded trade secret, there has been much speculation over the years about what herbs and spices make up the Colonel’s famous seasoning mix. This article will examine what is known and unknown about the unique blend of herbs and spices that helped turn KFC into one of the largest and most successful fast food chains in the world.
The Origins of the Secret Recipe
Colonel Sanders began selling fried chicken made with his blend of 11 herbs and spices to travelers at his gas station in Corbin, Kentucky in 1930. At the time, Sanders prepared the chicken in an iron skillet and served it with sides and biscuits on a tablecloth-covered picnic table. The seasoning mix helped distinguish his chicken from competitors and became an integral part of his business model when he began franchising Kentucky Fried Chicken in the 1950s.
As KFC expanded across the United States and internationally, Sanders’ secret blend of 11 herbs and spices allowed the company to achieve remarkably consistent flavor and quality across all locations. Protecting the recipe from competitors and imitators became of paramount importance. Today, only a handful of people know the exact recipe, which is kept in a locked safe at KFC’s headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky.
Clues About the 11 Herbs and Spices
While the ingredients of the secret blend remain confidential, a few clues about the 11 herbs and spices have emerged over the years:
Colonel Sanders’ Own Hints
In his autobiography, Colonel Sanders provided a few hints about the recipe:
– Salt and pepper are two of the ingredients.
– The blend includes thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, and chili powder.
– MSG is not used.
Reverse Engineering Attempts
Over the decades, various attempts have been made to reverse engineer or replicate the secret blend through chemical analysis or taste tests. Here are some of the herbs and spices that commonly emerge from these efforts:
– White pepper
– Paprika
– Garlic powder
– Onion powder
– Sage
– Marjoram
– Savory
– Coriander
– Ginger
– Nutmeg
Joe Ledington’s Recipe
In 1980, Joe Ledington, a nephew of Colonel Sanders who claimed to have helped mix herbs and spices in the early days of KFC, disclosed a recipe to a Kentucky newspaper that he said was close to the original blend. It included:
– 2 tbsp salt
– 2 tbsp thyme
– 1 tbsp basil
– 1 tbsp oregano
– 1 tbsp celery salt
– 1 tbsp black pepper
– 1 tbsp dried mustard
– 4 tbsp paprika
– 2 tbsp garlic salt
– 1 tbsp ground ginger
– 3 tbsp white pepper
While this recipe has made the rounds for years as a clone of Colonel Sanders’ blend, KFC maintains it is not accurate.
The Mystery Continues
Despite these clues, food scientists who have analyzed KFC herbs and spices blends agree that no one has fully cracked the secret recipe. The exact blend of 11 herbs and spices remains one of the most confidential trade secrets in the food industry. According to KFC, even their suppliers do not know the full list of 11 herbs and spices. Different suppliers provide a customized blend of certain herbs and spices that when combined with blends from the other suppliers, make up the unique Original Recipe seasoning mix.
Why Secrecy Around the Blend Matters
Maintaining secrecy around the proprietary blend of 11 herbs and spices has been a priority for KFC for several reasons:
Protecting Competitive Advantage
The secret blend of herbs and spices is a key competitive advantage that sets KFC apart from other fried chicken chains. Keeping the ingredients secret makes it impossible for competitors to copy the exact flavor profile that makes the Original Recipe chicken unique and distinctive. This prevents competitors from eroding KFC’s competitive position in the market by selling identical chicken.
Preserving Brand Mystique
The aura of mystery surrounding the 11 secret herbs and spices is an invaluable marketing and brand building asset for KFC. It provides a compelling origin story that consumers find fascinating and continues to generate free publicity and media coverage for the company.
Maintaining Quality Control
Keeping the recipe secret ensures no franchisee or restaurant operator can alter or deviate from the Original Recipe chicken approved by Colonel Sanders himself. This allows KFC to maintain remarkably consistent product quality across over 25,000 locations around the world.
Verifying Supplier Relationships
By entrusting only a few supplier partners with customized blends of certain herbs and spices, KFC maintains control over its supply chain and the ability to verify whether suppliers are authorized distributors of its secret recipe.
Failed Copycat Recipes
Over the years, various alleged copycat recipes for replicating KFC’s 11 Herbs and Spices have circulated. However, none of these supposed secret formulas have succeeded in perfectly duplicating the unique flavor profile of the Colonel’s Original Recipe chicken.
Some failed attempts include:
Todd Wilbur’s Famous 11 Herbs and Spices
In his book “Top Secret Recipes,” Todd Wilbur published a recipe billed as a clone of KFC’s blend. It included:
– 1/4 cup salt
– 1/4 cup thyme
– 1/4 cup basil
– 1/4 cup oregano
– 1 tbsp celery salt
– 1 tbsp black pepper
– 1 tbsp dried mustard
– 4 tbsp paprika
– 2 tbsp garlic salt
– 1 tbsp ground ginger
– 3 tbsp white pepper
However, when cooked, tasters found the chicken lacking the distinct notes found in genuine Original Recipe chicken.
Franklin’s 11 Herbs and Spices
Eagle-eyed viewers of an episode of the TV show Franklin claimed a secret message flashed on screen revealing 11 herbs and spices. However, KFC said the recipe shown was not accurate.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Oregano | 1 tbsp |
| Basil | 1 tsp |
| Marjoram | 3 tbsp |
| Sage | 1 tbsp |
| Savory | 2 tsp |
| Rosemary | 2 tsp |
| Thyme | 1 tbsp |
| Celery salt | 1 tbsp |
| Pepper | 2 tbsp |
| Onion salt | 1 tbsp |
| Paprika | 2 tbsp |
Other Internet Recipes
Various recipes floating around the internet claiming to clone or crack the secret 11 herbs and spices have also fallen short, with testers reporting the chicken lacks the unique KFC flavor.
The Hunt Continues
Despite failure by competitors to match the exact blend of 11 herbs and spices so far, the race is still on to unlock the mystery of Colonel Sanders’ secret Original Recipe. Food scientists continue using techniques like gas chromatography mass spectrometry to try and determine the precise ratio of herbs, spices, and seasoning that give KFC its signature taste.
However, with such stringent secrecy around the formula, and only partial information available from chemical tests, it seems increasingly likely that reproducing the Colonel’s 11 secret herbs and spices may remain an elusive goal.
Conclusion
Colonel Sanders’ legendary blend of 11 herbs and spices has achieved iconic status as a proprietary trade secret responsible for KFC’s global success. While some of the herbs and spices used have been revealed over the years, the exact recipe remains a mystery tightly guarded by the company.
Numerous attempts to crack the secret blend through reverse engineering, clone recipes, and chemical analysis have all come up short so far. The allure of unraveling one of the food industry’s most coveted secrets continues to fascinate spice blenders, chemists, and fried chicken lovers around the world. But for now, the full list of 11 herbs and spices remains as elusive and sought after as ever.