Homemade KFC

I’m not a huge fan of KFC, in fact my favourite part of their menu from my younger years was the fries, with that delicious and overly salted chicken flavouring.  But when the lovely ladies from my Cuisine Club were recently raving about a recipe from the new Food Truck Cookbook called “My 13-herbs-and-spices Chicken”, I couldn’t help but ask for a copy.

A couple of nights after receiving the recipe in my hot little hand, I gave it a go.  I was disappointed.  I didn’t like the flavour, it didn’t taste anything like KFC to me and although I used plain flour instead of the recommended Potato flour, I didn’t think the disappointment could be solely based on this.  It tasted a little dry and the spices seemed to sit on the chicken, more than be a part of it.  And for that reason, I didn’t share the recipe with you.

I googled a few more recipes and found quite a dramatic variation in how to create a homemade version of this beloved fast-food.  From these variations, I cobbled together my own take on it.  We were very impressed this time around.

So, I give to you my own version of Faux KFC.  I welcome you to play around with the ratio of spices and herbs to your own liking, for that is exactly what I did to create this.

And if you wouldn’t mind, please let me know what you think of this version.

Homemade KFC
Ingredients
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried parsley
1/2 t dried sage
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t mustard powder
1/4 t white pepper
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
pinch of salt
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t ground ginger
1 t garlic powder
1 t chicken stock powder
2 t all purpose seasoning (I used Masterfoods)
6 t rice flour
4 t cornflour
500 g chicken thighs or tenderloins (you can use breasts if you prefer)*
50 g butter, cut into cubes
1 C milk (+ extra)

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 180°C.

Cut chicken into tenderloin sized pieces.  Place in a bowl and cover with milk for at least 20 minutes.

In a large zip-lock bag, combine all the herbs, spices, flour and cornflour.  Set aside.

Place the chicken into the bag and seal.  Using your fingers, smoosh the chicken around until it is evenly coated in the flour mixture.

In a shallow sided oven-proof dish, melt the butter in the preheated oven.  Ensure butter is spread evenly across the pan.

Using tongs, remove the chicken pieces from the plastic bag, shaking excess away. Place the pieces in the oven dish, spaced evenly apart.

Cook for 10 minutes before turning each piece over and returning to the oven for a further 10 minutes.  Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your chicken pieces.

Remove chicken pieces to a wire rack covered in paper towels to drain the excess butter.

Serve with salad or coleslaw and chips (and sauce!)

* I used chicken thighs as I find them more succulent.  Chicken breasts would be great too, just make sure you don’t over cook them as they have a tendency to dry out.

Source:  adapted from The Food Truck Cookbook & Our Life Uncommon