We go behind the scenes to reveal what it is really like in a KFC kitchen… and the weird fact you never knew about the Colonel’s secret recipe
We spent a day in the kitchen at the fast food restaurant - and even prepared our own burger and bucket
EVER wondered how KFC chicken is REALLY made?
Last week we revealed the fast food chain is opening its kitchens to customers to let them in on the process and quash rumours it doesn’t use real chicken.
Tickets for the much anticipated Open Kitchen event - which takes place tomorrow (May 6) in more than 100 restaurants - sold out in less than 30 minutes.
Today we visited a branch of KFC on Tottenham Court Road in central London to go behind the scenes and get a real taste for how they prepare their finger lickin’ good chicken.
Not only did we get to prepare our own burger and bucket, but they also let us in on a few secrets along the way…
MOST READ IN LIVING
Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe
Ok, so they didn’t tell us which yummy 11 herbs and spices make it into the mix. We did ask!
The secret list of ingredients is locked away in a vault in Louisville, Kentucky.
Not even KFC staff know the decades old recipe - special seasoning arrives to the restaurants in a plain silver bag.
Apparently there are only TWO people in the world who do know, and they’re not allowed to travel on the same plane together!
Is the KFC Chizza coming to the UK?
Earlier this year we reported on an exciting addition to the KFC menu in Singapore – the Chizza.
It combines two mealtime favourites in one tasty dish – pizza with a fried chicken base.
The good news is, KFC is trying to make it happen in the UK – they’re currently testing it out, so watch this space!
There are GUNS in the kitchen
That’s right – sauce guns.
One "shot" of mayo is added to the heel of the burger bun, before 14g of lettuce and a fillet of chicken is added, topped off by the bun "crown".
Are there any secret menu items?
Not as such, but you can customise pretty much anything on the menu if you ask, as everything’s made fresh.
Remember the KFC Supercharger burger? It may not be on the menu anymore, but you can still ask for the supercharger sauce!
Do they use real chicken?
Yes! All the chicken is delivered fresh – not frozen – two to three times a week.
It arrives bagged, washed and ready to prep.
Each bag contains two whole chickens, split into 20 separate pieces which include thighs, wings, breasts, side breasts and legs. This is why all the bucket pieces are different sizes every time.
Chefs don’t wear gloves
It may sound gross, but the chefs don’t tend to wear gloves to coat the chicken in the special seasoning unless they’re dealing with the Zinger spicy flour.
As a result there’s a strict three-step hand washing process prior to preparation.
Here’s why you can’t make it at home…
Aside from not having the essential Colonel recipe, it’s very hard to recreate their finger lickin’ good chicken at home.
This is because the temperature of the oil used to fry the meat is 350 degrees Fahrenheit (178 degrees Celsius).
They also use special frying oil to get that coating golden and crispy. The oil in the fryer gets changed twice a week.
How is the coating made?
The original recipe seasoning is added to the flour by hand, in a scoop and lift motion.
Once it’s mixed together, the chicken is seasoned using the "seven-ten-seven" method.
First it's dipped in water, swirled clockwise and anti-clockwise once, then removed and shaken seven times.
It’s then poured out onto the coating where it is scooped and folded ten times, before the floor is patted down seven times, in a very precise way.
Two pieces of chicken are removed at a time, shaken twice, tapped twice and placed in a specific order on the cooking tray.
This is so when it comes to putting the chicken into the bucket, the customer receives the right selection of pieces.
How long does it take to cook?
Each batch of chicken goes in the fryer for 15 minutes. It’s then removed and placed in a separate compartment to drain for five minutes, during which it continues to cook.
It’s then removed ready to be served to the customer.
How long does it take to assemble a burger?
For the pros, just ten to 15 seconds.
How are the chips made?
The chips are fried for two minutes 50 seconds, then given a good shake before they’re poured out ready to scoop into bags.
No special seasoning is added to the fries – they leave that to the customer.
How many pieces of chicken do they prepare a day?
In that particular branch, which isn’t one of their biggest, staff prepare on average 1,500 to 2,000 pieces a day.
That’s a LOT of birds – between 150 to 200 to be precise.
KFC sells around 14 million pieces of chicken a week - that's approximately 700 million pieces a year.
How long does the chicken sit out for after it’s cooked?
Once the chicken is ready to serve, it has a shelf life of one-and-a-half hours.
After that it’s deemed no longer up to KFC standards and ditched.
In that branch they throw away around 150 to 200 pieces of chicken a day – though KFC is currently rolling out its Food Donation Scheme across all of its 880 UK restaurants.
This means food waste is bagged up, frozen and distributed to homeless shelters and charities.
The company has raised more than £4million for the United Nations World Food Programme in the last six years.
How many customers do they serve every hour?
The Tottenham Court Road branch’s record is 170 customers in one hour.
When we arrived at the store at 10am, people were already waiting at the door to get their chicken fix - and by lunchtime the queue was down the street!
Last month we told how you can now get KFC delivered to your door with Just Eat.
There's also a KFC loyalty card that can get you FREE chicken.
To find out if your local KFC is participating in the Open Kitchen event, visit the .