KFC - Original Recipe

Original Recipe

Sanders' "Original Recipe" of 11 herbs and spices remains a trade secret, and is a benchmark by which KFC differentiates its product from those of its competitors. Pete Harman credits the chain's popularity to the recipe and the product, and John Y. Brown credits the "incredibly tasty, almost addictive" product as the basis of KFC's staying power. It is believed that Sanders only ever shared the recipe with his wife Claudia, Pete Harman and his wife, and Jack C. Massey.

KFC claim that portions of the recipe are blended in two different locations, and then mixed at a third, so that none know the complete recipe. A copy of the recipe, signed by Sanders, is kept in a vault in corporate headquarters, along with 11 vials containing the recipe's herbs and spices. According to Yum! Brands, portions of the secret recipe are known by a select few among its executives, but only two people in the entire organization know it in its entirety. A third executive knows the combination to the safe where the handwritten recipe resides. Only a handful of KFC employees know the identities of the three executives, who are not allowed to travel together on the same plane or in the same car for security reasons. One of the two executives said that no one had come close to guessing the contents of the secret recipe, and added that the actual recipe would include some surprises. In September 2008 the handwritten recipe was temporarily moved to an undisclosed location under tight security while KFC revamped the security at its headquarters. In February 2009 the recipe returned to KFC's Louisville headquarters in a more secure, computerized vault guarded by motion detectors and security cameras. Reportedly, the paper has yellowed and the handwriting is now faint.

In 1983, writer William Poundstone examined the recipe in his book Big Secrets. He reviewed Sanders' patent application, and advertised in college newspapers for present or former employees willing to share their knowledge. From the former he deduced that Sanders had diverged from other common fried-chicken recipes by varying the amount of oil used with the amount of chicken being cooked, and starting the cooking at a higher temperature (about 400 °F (200 °C)) for the first minute or so and then lowering it to 250 °F (120 °C) for the remainder of the cooking time. Several of Poundstone's contacts also provided samples of the seasoning mix, and a food lab found that it consisted solely of sugar, flour, salt, black pepper and monosodium glutamate (MSG). He concluded that it was entirely possible that, in the years since Sanders sold the chain, later owners had begun skimping on the recipe to save costs. Following his buyout in 1964, Colonel Sanders himself expressed anger at such changes, with Ray Kroc quoting him as saying:

That friggin' ... outfit .... They prostituted every goddamn thing I had. I had the greatest gravy in the world and those sons of bitches-- they dragged it out and extended it and watered it down that I'm so goddamn mad!

Allen Adamson, managing director of brand consultancy Landor's New York practice, remains unconvinced about the contribution of the secret formula aspect. He argues: "The story may still be part of these companies' folklore, but I'd be surprised if more than two per cent buy the brand because of it."