KFC secret recipe possibly revealed

KFC’s mysterious blend of 11 herbs and spices, one of the culinary world’s best-kept secrets, may have just been revealed.

While on assignment in Kentucky, Chicago Tribune reporter Jay Jones met with Joe Ledington, the nephew of famous founder Colonel Sanders.

Ledington showed Jones a scrapbook that belonged to Sanders’ second wife containing a handwritten recipe for a blend of 11 spices. 

"That is the original 11 herbs and spices that were supposed to be so secretive," Ledington told the reporter.

The note reads:

11 spices - Mix with 2 cups white fl.

2/3 Ts salt

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1/2 Ts thyme

1/2 Ts basil

1/3 Ts origino [sic]

1 Ts celery salt

1 Ts black pepper

1 Ts dried mustard

4 Ts paprika

2 Ts garlic salt

1 Ts ground ginger

3 Ts white pepper

Yum! Brands, KFC’s parent company, denies that this recipe is actually what’s used to create the chain’s coveted buckets of fried chicken.

"Lots of people through the years have claimed to discover or figure out the secret recipe, but no one's ever been right,” a rep told The Tribune via email.

Ledington has also back-tracked, telling the paper in a later interview that he didn’t know for certain if the note actually listed the secret recipe.