How to Replicate Colonel Sanders' Kentucky Fried Chicken Secret Recipe

Kentucky Fried Chicken is one of those things that nearly everybody loves. But if your craving is strong and you want to make it yourself, think again – the Colonel's not keen on parting with his top secret recipe. According to KFC's official site, "one company blends a formulation that represents part of the recipe while another spice company blends the remainder. As a final safeguard, a computer processing system is used to standardize the blending of the products to ensure neither company has the complete recipe." In short, you're not getting instructions straight from the source.

Have no fear, though. A few crafty people out there are shining the light for us fried chicken-fiends. Some websites claim to have the goods, like KFC Chicken Recipe or Cooks.com. And then there's Ron Douglas, a finance director at JP Morgan, who wanted the recipe so bad that he reverse-engineered the recipe (or so he says).

UK paper The Guardian took Ron's recipe for a spin and came up with a sans-MSG alternative: the "GFC version". We tried it out, and it's pretty deliciously legit. Read on for the full run down on how to make both The Guardian's and Ron's recipes.

The Guardian's "GFC" Mix, Ron Douglas Style

Ingredients:

1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 6 pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
Oil for frying (preferably peanut)

Spice Mix:

1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp sage
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground white pepper

Step 1 Soak the Chicken

Whisk together the beaten egg and 1 cup of buttermilk in a mixing bowl. Cut your 3-pound chicken into roughly six pieces and soak.

Step 2 Mix the Seasoning

In a separate bowl, add the Guardian's seasoning mixture (ingredients listed above) to 1 cup of all purpose flour. Fold together, and mix well.

Step 3 Apply the Coating

Roll your egg/buttermilk soaked chicken in the seasoning mixture until completely covered.

Step 4 Fry the Chicken

Fill a deep pot with oil for frying (as mentioned above, peanut oil is best). Do not fill more than halfway. When the oil has reached approximately 350 degrees, fully immerse your coated chicken pieces. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown. Dark meat will take a few minutes longer.