Featured Image Credit: Andrew Barker / Alamy Stock Photo / Tribune
KFC is one of the world's most popular fast-food joints and a lot of its success is down to the hype of its 'finger-lickin' chicken.
The classified information of what exactly goes into the mysterious '11 herbs and spices' has been leaked - and from an unlikely source.
Down to precise measurements, keep on reading to find out just what those top-secret ingredients are.
There's always a bit of a mythology when it comes to the father of fried chicken, Colonel Sanders, and his age-old Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe.
Actually named Harland David Sanders, the OG celebrity chef sure knew how to keep customers coming.
An unlikely source leaked the secret recipe. Credit: Cum Okolo / Alamy Stock Photo
An unlikely source leaked the secret recipe. Credit: Cum Okolo / Alamy Stock Photo
There's always been heaps of protection surrounding the top-secret '11 herbs and spices'.
Even though the Colonel himself told customers that the array of seasonings could be found in their homes, people have been trying to crack the code tirelessly for years.
Coming from a highly unlikely source, it ended up being Sanders' own family who finally released the information to the public back in 2016.
A reporter from the Chicago Tribune wanted to do some digging and arranged a meeting with Joe Ledington - the Colonel's nephew.
Placed in a family scrapbook of all places, the mystery list of ingredients was not under the hyper-security we'd all imagined it would be.
The recipe was written on the back of the last will and testament of Ledington's aunt, Claudia.
Handwritten with blue ink, the list is titled: "11 Spices — Mix With 2 Cups White Fl."
Ledington casually explained: "That is the original 11 herbs and spices that were supposed to be so secretive."
The note was handwritten on the back of a will. Credit: Chicago Tribune
The note was handwritten on the back of a will. Credit: Chicago Tribune
"It could be; I don't know for sure," he soon corrected.
The main ingredients of the guarded recipe include four tablespoons of paprika, three tablespoons of white pepper and two tablespoons of garlic salt.
Dubbing one spice the star player of the lot, Ledington said: "The main ingredient is white pepper.
"I call that the secret ingredient. Nobody (in the 1950s) knew what white pepper was. Nobody knew how to use it."
The other ingredients include a whole host of green herbs like thyme, basil and oregano.
Salt was definitely a surprise to no one but, according to the handwritten note, the '11 herbs and spices' have three separate kinds of salt in them - garlic, regular and celery.
Dried mustard and pepper account for the slightly spicy kick but ground ginger was definitely unexpected.
The news outlet recreated the recipe following the handwritten note and can confirm it was 'finger lickin' good'.
After decades of trying to crack the code, it seems that fast-food's biggest secret has now been told.
LADbible has reached out to KFC for comment.
Topics: Food And Drink, KFC
Rhiannon Ingle
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KFC’s top secret '11 herbs and spices' was leaked by Colonel Sanders’ nephew
Emily Brown
Published 15:18, 03 August 2023 BST
| Last updated 15:17, 03 August 2023 BST
KFC’s top secret '11 herbs and spices' was leaked by Colonel Sanders’ nephew
Featured Image Credit: NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty / Chicago Tribune
If you're a fan of KFC, you'll know that it takes exactly 11 herbs and spices to create that tasty, crispy fried chicken.
Exactly what those herbs and spices are, however, are supposed to remain under-wraps. 'Supposed to' being the key phrase here.
How else would the fast food chain ensure that no one would be able to make chicken quite so finger-lickin' good?
The recipe is the work of the Colonel. Credit: Erik Mclean/Pexels
The recipe is the work of the Colonel. Credit: Erik Mclean/Pexels
The recipe was of course created by Colonel Sanders - whose real name was Harland David Sanders - and the OG celebrity chef sure knew how to keep customers coming.
The Colonel would tease customers about the secret recipe by telling them the array of seasonings could be found in their own homes, but no matter how hard they tried, KFC fans just couldn't quite to recreate the goodness of the restaurant itself.
That is, until the recipe was leaked by a highly unlikely source - one of Sanders' own family members. Oh, the betrayal.
Joe Ledington, the nephew of the iconic Colonel, was the one to release the oh-so-secret recipe in 2016, after a reporter from the Chicago Tribune wanted to do some digging and arranged a meeting with him.
It was then that the recipe was revealed to be in a place far from the hyper-security we'd all imagined it would be.
In fact, it was housed in a family scrapbook, after being written on the back of the last will and testament of Ledington's aunt, Claudia.
Handwritten with blue ink, the list is titled: "11 Spices — Mix With 2 Cups White Fl."
The KFC recipe was found on the back of a will. Credit: Chicago Tribune
The KFC recipe was found on the back of a will. Credit: Chicago Tribune
Addressing the mystique surrounding the recipe, Ledington casually explained: "That is the original 11 herbs and spices that were supposed to be so secretive."
He then quickly added: "It could be; I don't know for sure."
So, what exactly are the 11 herbs and spices?
Well, the recipe lists four tablespoons of paprika, three tablespoons of white pepper and two tablespoons of garlic salt.
Dubbing one spice the star player of the lot, Ledington said: "The main ingredient is white pepper. I call that the secret ingredient. Nobody (in the 1950s) knew what white pepper was. Nobody knew how to use it."
The other ingredients include a whole host of green herbs like thyme, basil and oregano, as well as three separate kinds of salt in them - garlic, regular and celery.
Dried mustard and pepper account for the slightly spicy kick, working together with the more unexpected ingredient, ground ginger.
Putting the recipe to the test, the Chicago Tribune recreated the recipe and confirmed it was 'finger lickin' good'. I should hope so!
https://www.ladbible.com/news/kfc-secret-recipe-leaked-nephew-421025-20230211
Featured Image Credit: Andrew Barker / Alamy Stock Photo / Tribune
KFC is one of the world's most popular fast-food joints and a lot of its success is down to the hype of its 'finger-lickin' chicken.
The classified information of what exactly goes into the mysterious '11 herbs and spices' has been leaked - and from an unlikely source.
Down to precise measurements, keep on reading to find out just what those top-secret ingredients are.
There's always a bit of a mythology when it comes to the father of fried chicken, Colonel Sanders, and his age-old Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe.
Actually named Harland David Sanders, the OG celebrity chef sure knew how to keep customers coming.
An unlikely source leaked the secret recipe. Credit: Cum Okolo / Alamy Stock Photo An unlikely source leaked the secret recipe. Credit: Cum Okolo / Alamy Stock Photo There's always been heaps of protection surrounding the top-secret '11 herbs and spices'.
Even though the Colonel himself told customers that the array of seasonings could be found in their homes, people have been trying to crack the code tirelessly for years.
Coming from a highly unlikely source, it ended up being Sanders' own family who finally released the information to the public back in 2016.
A reporter from the Chicago Tribune wanted to do some digging and arranged a meeting with Joe Ledington - the Colonel's nephew.
Placed in a family scrapbook of all places, the mystery list of ingredients was not under the hyper-security we'd all imagined it would be.
The recipe was written on the back of the last will and testament of Ledington's aunt, Claudia.
Handwritten with blue ink, the list is titled: "11 Spices — Mix With 2 Cups White Fl."
Ledington casually explained: "That is the original 11 herbs and spices that were supposed to be so secretive."
The note was handwritten on the back of a will. Credit: Chicago Tribune The note was handwritten on the back of a will. Credit: Chicago Tribune
"It could be; I don't know for sure," he soon corrected.
The main ingredients of the guarded recipe include four tablespoons of paprika, three tablespoons of white pepper and two tablespoons of garlic salt.
Dubbing one spice the star player of the lot, Ledington said: "The main ingredient is white pepper.
"I call that the secret ingredient. Nobody (in the 1950s) knew what white pepper was. Nobody knew how to use it."
The other ingredients include a whole host of green herbs like thyme, basil and oregano.
Salt was definitely a surprise to no one but, according to the handwritten note, the '11 herbs and spices' have three separate kinds of salt in them - garlic, regular and celery.
Dried mustard and pepper account for the slightly spicy kick but ground ginger was definitely unexpected.
The news outlet recreated the recipe following the handwritten note and can confirm it was 'finger lickin' good'.
After decades of trying to crack the code, it seems that fast-food's biggest secret has now been told.
LADbible has reached out to KFC for comment.
Topics: Food And Drink, KFC Rhiannon Ingle ADVERT
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KFC’s top secret '11 herbs and spices' was leaked by Colonel Sanders’ nephew Emily Brown
Published 15:18, 03 August 2023 BST | Last updated 15:17, 03 August 2023 BST
KFC’s top secret '11 herbs and spices' was leaked by Colonel Sanders’ nephew Featured Image Credit: NurPhoto / Contributor / Getty / Chicago Tribune
If you're a fan of KFC, you'll know that it takes exactly 11 herbs and spices to create that tasty, crispy fried chicken.
Exactly what those herbs and spices are, however, are supposed to remain under-wraps. 'Supposed to' being the key phrase here.
How else would the fast food chain ensure that no one would be able to make chicken quite so finger-lickin' good?
The recipe is the work of the Colonel. Credit: Erik Mclean/Pexels The recipe is the work of the Colonel. Credit: Erik Mclean/Pexels The recipe was of course created by Colonel Sanders - whose real name was Harland David Sanders - and the OG celebrity chef sure knew how to keep customers coming.
The Colonel would tease customers about the secret recipe by telling them the array of seasonings could be found in their own homes, but no matter how hard they tried, KFC fans just couldn't quite to recreate the goodness of the restaurant itself.
That is, until the recipe was leaked by a highly unlikely source - one of Sanders' own family members. Oh, the betrayal.
Joe Ledington, the nephew of the iconic Colonel, was the one to release the oh-so-secret recipe in 2016, after a reporter from the Chicago Tribune wanted to do some digging and arranged a meeting with him.
It was then that the recipe was revealed to be in a place far from the hyper-security we'd all imagined it would be.
In fact, it was housed in a family scrapbook, after being written on the back of the last will and testament of Ledington's aunt, Claudia.
Handwritten with blue ink, the list is titled: "11 Spices — Mix With 2 Cups White Fl."
The KFC recipe was found on the back of a will. Credit: Chicago Tribune The KFC recipe was found on the back of a will. Credit: Chicago Tribune Addressing the mystique surrounding the recipe, Ledington casually explained: "That is the original 11 herbs and spices that were supposed to be so secretive."
He then quickly added: "It could be; I don't know for sure."
So, what exactly are the 11 herbs and spices?
Well, the recipe lists four tablespoons of paprika, three tablespoons of white pepper and two tablespoons of garlic salt.
Dubbing one spice the star player of the lot, Ledington said: "The main ingredient is white pepper. I call that the secret ingredient. Nobody (in the 1950s) knew what white pepper was. Nobody knew how to use it."
The other ingredients include a whole host of green herbs like thyme, basil and oregano, as well as three separate kinds of salt in them - garlic, regular and celery.
Dried mustard and pepper account for the slightly spicy kick, working together with the more unexpected ingredient, ground ginger.
Putting the recipe to the test, the Chicago Tribune recreated the recipe and confirmed it was 'finger lickin' good'. I should hope so!
Topics: Food And Drink, KFC, History