The colonel's secret recipe revealed? Not so fast, says KFC (2024)

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The colonel's secret recipe revealed? Not so fast, says KFC? ›

KFC — which is a subsidiary of Yum Brands Inc. — calls its recipe “one of the biggest trade secrets in the world.” It says that the recipe the reporter saw is not the real thing. “Many people have made these claims over the years and no one has been accurate — this one isn't either,” KFC said in a statement.

At some point, KFC changed the “secret recipe” for their chicken and gravy, leading an angry Sanders, who already gained a reputation for outbursts, to refer to the food as “the worst fried chicken I've ever seen.” He even went as far as referring to the potatoes and gravy as “sludge” and “wallpaper paste.”

History. Sanders' Original Recipe of "11 herbs and spices" is one of the most famous trade secrets in the catering industry. Franchisee Dave Thomas, better known as the founder of Wendy's, argued that the secret recipe concept was successful because "everybody wants in on a secret" and former KFC owner John Y.

Kentucky Fried Chicken Begins

When World War II ended, Sanders began working to sell franchises of his chicken business. He was in his 50s by this time. His delicious recipe was rejected 1,009 times! He had over a thousand rejections, yet he didn't quit.

Despite being developed in the 1930s, KFC's secret blend of 11 herbs and spices wasn't revealed until 2016, when the Chicago Tribune interviewed Joe Ledington, the nephew of Colonel Harland David Sanders and one of the heirs of the Kentucky Fried Chicken dynasty.

I've only had two rules: Do all you can and do it the best you can.

“I've only had two rules. Do all you can and do it the best you can.” The Colonel was undeniably a real-life example of how passion, hard work, and a commitment to quality can lead to success. This is reflected in the house rules that guide us to this day: Be Your Best Self.

The secret recipe is regularly identified with the phrase "eleven herbs and spices," the amount and identification of which remain a trade secret.

Worst: Extra Crispy

Here's where "crispy" is a code word for "steer clear." The extra crispy recipe is by far the least healthful of KFC's chicken options. A single breast will set you back 530 calories, 35 grams of fat, and 6 grams of saturated fat.

The most closely guarded and best-kept secret in the food and drinks industry, the Coca‑Cola formula is a complex blend of natural flavours. Although it has been frequently imitated, it has never been replicated.

Why did KFC apologize? ›

KFC has apologised after sending a promotional message to customers in Germany, urging them to commemorate Kristallnacht with cheesy chicken. The Nazi-led series of attacks in the country in 1938 left more than 90 Jewish people dead, and destroyed Jewish-owned businesses and places of worship.

KFC is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, one of the largest restaurant companies in the world.

The full form of KFC chicken is Kentucky Fried Chicken. It is a famous American fast-food restaurant chain that is enjoyed globally. At present, KFC is the second-largest restaurant chain in the world after McDonald's, spread over 150 countries globally including India.

Colonel Sanders officially started KFC when he turned 40, back in 1930. He bought a roadside motel in Corbin, Kentucky, and started serving his southern style chicken. But Colonel Sanders didn't perfect his unique blend of 11 herbs and spices that are still used today, and still top secret, until 1939.

KFC products are fried in oil which may contain the following: Canola Oil and Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ and Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, an Antifoaming Agent Added OR Low Linolenic Soybean Oil, TBHQ and Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor, Dimethylpolysiloxane, an Antifoaming ...

The lawsuit claimed that Heublein prevented Sanders from franchising his new restaurant and that it was unlawfully using his image for products he didn't develop. The lawsuit was eventually settled for $1 million and the couple was allowed to keep their eatery.

KFC And Colonel Sanders' Troubled History

During many of his appearances at KFC restaurants, Colonel Harland Sanders made it clear that he wasn't happy with how the chain had changed up its recipes for gravy and fried chicken.

Branding himself "Colonel Sanders", the founder became a prominent figure of American cultural history, and his image remains widely used in KFC advertising. The company's rapid expansion made it too large for Sanders to manage, so in 1964 he sold the company to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C.

So that's when he started serving wary travellers passing through his gas stations the same fried chicken he grew up eating. They loved it. So he expanded and opened his first KFC franchise in 1952 in Salt Lake City after perfecting his secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices.