This recipe makes chicken just like KFC’s Original Recipe Chicken. It has a special mix of 11 herbs and spices in the coating that gives it a salty, spicy, and crispy flavor. Making it at home is cheaper and you can use fresh ingredients. The secret to juicy chicken inside and crispy crust outside is a buttermilk marinade and frying at the right temperature. We use a Dutch oven instead of a pressure fryer like KFC, but the results are still very close!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1½ teaspoons dried thyme leaves
• 1½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon celery salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground yellow mustard
• ¼ cup paprika
• 2 tablespoons garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 3 tablespoons ground white pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• Neutral oil for frying (like canola or peanut oil)
• MSG seasoning (like Accent or Ajinomoto) — optional

Equipment needed

• Large bowls
• Dutch oven or deep fryer
• Frying thermometer
• Baking sheet
• Oven-safe wire rack
• Measuring spoons

Step-by-step instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients: In a big bowl, mix flour with all the herbs and spices. Set aside.
2. Prepare marinade: In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk and beaten egg until smooth.
3. Marinate chicken: Put chicken pieces into the buttermilk mixture. Cover and let it rest for 20–30 minutes at room temperature, or up to overnight in the fridge.
4. Heat oven: Preheat your oven to 175°F (80°C). Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.
5. Heat oil: Pour about 3 inches of oil into your Dutch oven. Heat it to 350°F (175°C), using a thermometer. When it reaches 350°F, lower the heat to medium-low.
6. Coat chicken: Take one piece of chicken from the marinade, let extra liquid drip off. Press it into the flour mixture once, making sure the flour sticks well. Shake off extra flour.
7. Fry chicken: Carefully place coated chicken into hot oil. Do not overcrowd — fry 3 to 4 pieces at a time. Fry for about 12 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown.
8. Keep cooked chicken warm: Move fried chicken to the wire rack on the baking sheet in the oven. This keeps it crispy and finishes cooking.
9. Repeat: Let the oil come back to 350°F before frying the next batch.
10. Finish cooking: When all chicken is fried, leave pieces in the oven until the inside temperature reaches 165°F (75°C).
11. Add MSG: Sprinkle a little MSG on each piece before serving (optional).

Air fryer KFC chicken

Description:
A homemade version of KFC’s famous fried chicken with a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices. The chicken is marinated in buttermilk for juiciness and fried until crispy.

Duration:

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Marinating: 20 minutes to overnight
• Cooking time: 12 minutes per batch + oven time to finish

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1½ tsp dried thyme
• 1½ tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp celery salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground yellow mustard
• ¼ cup paprika
• 2 tbsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 3 tbsp white pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces
• Neutral oil for frying
• MSG seasoning (optional)

Instructions:

1. Mix flour and spices.
2. Whisk buttermilk and egg; marinate chicken 20–30 min or overnight.
3. Heat oil to 350°F (175°C).
4. Coat chicken in flour mix, press to stick.
5. Fry chicken 12 min until golden, in batches.
6. Keep cooked chicken warm in 175°F oven on wire rack.
7. Finish cooking chicken in oven if needed.
8. Sprinkle MSG before serving (optional).

Tips & Tricks

• Use bone-in chicken for best flavor and juiciness.
• Don’t overcrowd the fryer — this keeps the oil hot and chicken crispy.
• Fry chicken right after coating; resting coated chicken can make the crust soggy.
• Use a wire rack in the oven so chicken stays crispy and excess oil drains.
• If you don’t want to use MSG, you can skip it, but it adds a nice umami flavor.