I made KFC fried chicken at home using a copycat recipe, and found it tasted just like the real thing

Rachel AskinasiMay 6, 2020, 02:23 IST

Insider

Dan Fell became an internet sensation after posting his copycat recipe for KFC fried chicken on Twitter in April.
Fell said that after toying with the mixture of spices and oil temperature over the course of 18 months, he finally got his chicken to taste just like the chain's.
As a fried chicken connoisseur, I gave his recipe a try in my own kitchen.
It was overall a success, though next time I'd change the cooking time, as I found that some pieces took longer to cook all the way through.
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I'm not a die-hard KFC fan, but I do consider myself a connoisseur of fried chicken.

Back in April, I spoke with Dan Fell, a home cook who spent 18 months developing a copycat KFC fried chicken recipe. He told Insider that he made the chicken more than 30 times before he deemed it good enough to be in the same category as the fast-food chain's.

While I'm at home experimenting — which sometimes means failing — in the kitchen, I think now is a great time to try my hand at the fryer. And though I was intimidated at first, after giving Fell's recipe a try, I'm excited to get to work on my own fried chicken creations.

Here's how my attempt at Fell's KFC fried chicken went.

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My final thought: The cleanup is more strenuous than actually making the chicken.

There were so many dishes and surfaces to clean. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

With two out of four pieces of chicken perfectly cooked, I took stock of everything I learned from this experience — including how important it is to season the raw chicken properly.

This is how much salt I used to season the chicken (left) and what the coating looked like after frying (right). Rachel Askinasi/Insider

With two out of four pieces of chicken perfectly cooked, I took stock of everything I learned from this experience — including how important it is to season the raw chicken properly.

I dredged the final drumstick in the flour coating, dropped it in the pot, and set the timer for 15 minutes.

Piece No. 4 was also delicious. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Piece No. 3 was cooked well and still had all its juiciness.

Piece No. 3 was moist and golden. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

As it turns out, the third time is really the charm.

Isn't she a beauty? Rachel Askinasi/Insider

I set my timer to six minutes for round two and tried again.

It looked perfect on the outside but was still red on the inside. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

The recommended cooking time is five to six minutes, according to Fell's video.

Done on the outside doesn't mean it's done on the inside. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Fell's coating method was specific: Flour, then egg wash, then flour, then fry.

I dunked the chicken into the coating and egg wash (left) and placed it in the hot oil (right). Rachel Askinasi/Insider

The next oil obstacle was figuring out when it was hot enough.

Getting the oil hot enough took some research. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

After I had my mise en place — all my ingredients measured out and set up — it was time to set up the frying oil.

I first tried a pan (left) but switched to a small pot (right). Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Next was the egg wash. Fell called for egg whites and milk for this combination.

The egg wash (right) was made with milk and egg whites (left). Rachel Askinasi/Insider

I mixed all the coating ingredients together in a dish large enough to toss the chicken in.

Separate seasonings (left) and the finished combination (right). Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Fell shared the recipe in a video on Twitter, so I watched it back before I started cooking and made sure I had all the right ingredients.

There were a total of 16 ingredients. Rachel Askinasi/Insider

Dan Fell posted his recipe for a home-cooked version of KFC fried chicken on Twitter, and I knew I had to give it a try.

KFC chicken (left) and Dan Fell's chicken (right) look very similar. Justin Sullivan/Getty, Courtesy of Dan Fell

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I made KFC fried chicken at home using a copycat recipe, and found it tasted just like the real thing

My final thought: The cleanup is more strenuous than actually making the chicken.

With two out of four pieces of chicken perfectly cooked, I took stock of everything I learned from this experience — including how important it is to season the raw chicken properly.

I dredged the final drumstick in the flour coating, dropped it in the pot, and set the timer for 15 minutes.

Piece No. 3 was cooked well and still had all its juiciness.

As it turns out, the third time is really the charm.

I set my timer to six minutes for round two and tried again.

The recommended cooking time is five to six minutes, according to Fell's video.

Fell's coating method was specific: Flour, then egg wash, then flour, then fry.

The next oil obstacle was figuring out when it was hot enough.

After I had my mise en place — all my ingredients measured out and set up — it was time to set up the frying oil.

Next was the egg wash. Fell called for egg whites and milk for this combination.

I mixed all the coating ingredients together in a dish large enough to toss the chicken in.

Fell shared the recipe in a video on Twitter, so I watched it back before I started cooking and made sure I had all the right ingredients.

Dan Fell posted his recipe for a home-cooked version of KFC fried chicken on Twitter, and I knew I had to give it a try.