Posted on 09/05/2021 9:24:34 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
Is it possible to replicate KFC in an air fryer. Well, what I did was look up the 11 "secret" herbs and spices that goes into Kentucky Fried Chicken and mixed them together with 2 cups of flour. After marinating my chicken thighs in a cup of buttermilk mixed with an egg, I ran the thighs through the mixture and cooked them in the air fryer. You can see my opinion of how close it came to KFC but I also double checked it with others a couple of days later to get their opinions as well.
RECIPE:
3 tbs white pepper
2/3 tbs salt
2 tbs garlic salt
1 tbs celery salt
1/2 tbs ground thyme
1/3 tbs oregano
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs dry mustard
3 tbs paprika (or 4 tbs for a bit spicier)
1 tbs ground ginger
1/2 tbs basil
Mix with 2 cups all-purpose flour.
Marinate 4 chicken thighs overnight in 1/2 cup buttermilk with egg beaten in.
After running the chicken through the powder mix, spray with olive oil on both sides.
Cook in Air fryer for 30 minutes at 380 degrees and turn when halfway finished.
(Note: Using a spray bottle to apply olive oil will have a much better effect on surface texture than applying by spoon.)
I knew a guy who worked at KFC and he swore the 11 secret herbs and spices were — meat tenderizer.
Or about 20 chicken thighs.
Will try. Thanks!
Tbsp
tsp
is correct. Tablespoon has capital T and a b.
KFC USED to be decent back in the sixties and seventies. Now it is mostly salt.
more free advice: don’t forget to dry your chicken after double dipping in buttermilk/egg then flour/spice mixture.
I put frank’s red hot in the buttermilk mixture, then spice the chicken directly before flouring.
Most authentic? Lard in a cast iron pan.
Sam’s Club Rotisserie Chicken is what I’d like to see or do.
Our grocery store fried chicken is bad. Super greasy and overcooked.
KFC is kind of expensive.
The KFCs in our state haven’t had crispy chicken in DECADES and ever since the switch to Rapeseed oil it tastes chemical. They also made a change which dramatically affected both the
taste AND smell, which I no longer ascribe to age since others have agreed with me.
Popyeye’s also uses Rapeseed oil and I really hate their spicy application to the chicken itself (tastes chemical), but always crispy. I only get the chicken sandwich on rare occasion as a treat (next thing to duplicate at home).
Obviously chicken seasoning is a personal preference, but with few exceptions I’ve found the KISS method preferable to overcomplicating it.
Point of fact: At the grocery the key to good chicken is to know the cycles and get there when it comes up fresh. That means just doing some shopping while the bins are empty.
I almost never buy the chicken that’s been just sitting in the heat lamp case, unless it’s piled high for the rush and recently came up. Dark meat Mondays assures hot/juicy/crispy goodness. I just wish they had spicy...
Olive oil, fwiw, works just fine in a countertop fryer, but it’s wasteful unless you’re doing a large dinner or party and I’ve switched to stovetop, using the fryer primarily for beer battered fish and Belgian fries (the latter when I’m not making the 2nd best fries I’ve ever had in my air fryer).
LEAF lard.
Agreed 100%. Hard to find here and I have to order it online.
I use olive oil primarily for health reasons but do treat myself when not using it for biscuits.
I did a cost analysis of this based on Aldi's chicken thighs which are $1.19 per lb. Using the recipe amount I provided you should be able to cook 20 chicken thighs for about $16. Figure 10 thighs per bucket so about $8 per bucket. A lot LESS than what it would cost you at KFC.
Price is definitely a reason to avoid. Went there awhile ago through drive through. Ordered 3 pieces of chicken, with fries, teller said it was gonna be over $20 dollars’ I said ‘seriously?’ She said ‘yep, Unfortunately prices have jumped lately’ I said ‘cancel my order, I can buy 3 whole chickens for less than That’
Could not beleive that it was that much.
I was informed by a keto nutritionist that olive oil should not be used for high heat applications as it can turn carcinogenic. They recommend grapeseed oil.
But heck we are talking about fried chicken.
I can see how some people might like Slim Jims now but only because they don't know how GREAT they were before the additives were put in them.
Ah! Yet another reason to air fry your own KFC. Yes, you could also deep fry it at home but that is very messy and not as healthy as air frying it. Just remember to use a spray bottle to apply olive oil.
Oh, one other thing. I only use Aldi’s chicken thighs because their meats are all very good quality.
That used to be true of all of our grocery stores as well (greasy, or dried chicken jerky with bread coating).
Albertson’s did something a number of years ago that changed their chicken dramatically. I can’t put my finger in any one thing. Could have been the fryers themselves for all I know, combined with advertising so the hot display food cycles out before getting dry.
Since Safeway got rolled in with Albertson’s they’re both awesome. Kroger/Fred Meyer’s, however, is a different story altogether. There’s been a big push to market fried chicken in many gas stations, too. Ironically, even the gas station chicken is better than KFC, but they all use toxic oils as well.
When I make chicken, historically it was usually planned as a large meal to make the effort pay off, including homemade biscuits, corn and slaw. Since the boy’s long gone out of the house, it’s rare anymore and I miss cooking as both an event and experience for multiple people.
Thus making fried chicken for 2 is usually ala carte and stove top in olive oil (unless corn is in season :) ).
And Dark Meat Mondays from Albertson’s is a rare treat indeed.
This isn’t just marketing. Trust me: I’ve spent HOURS in the past making sure that I wasn’t just substituting one poison for another:
https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/world/frying-with-olive-oil/30470
Ha! Your post reminded me that back in college my roommate worked at Arby’s part time. Our room smelled like Arby’s half the time.
Yeah chicken ain’t what it used to be. We raised our own. Huge difference in taste and texture. Wish we still could raise them
Years ago, I read somewhere (The Straight Dope?) that a laboratory analysis had shown the 11 secret herbs and spices to be salt, pepper, and MSG.
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