"You'll never get KFC's crunch by just coating chicken in flour," a former KFC manager told Business Insider in an investigation.
The trick is in the two-stage frying, which was invented by Colonel Sanders himself.
Chef Ivan Berezov , author of the bestseller Fast Food Without Secrets, clarified:
"First, the chicken is marinated in buttermilk with salt and pepper for 12 hours. The acid breaks down the proteins, making the meat tender. Then it is rolled in a mixture of flour, cornstarch and baking powder (ratio 5:2:1) and deep-fried twice: once at 160°C to “set” the crust, and again at 190°C to make it crispy."
Men's Health magazine conducted a blind test: 10 participants tried the homemade version and the original.
8 of them couldn't tell the difference, and two noted that domestic chicken was "juicier."
The secret was revealed by a KFC technologist in an interview with The Sun :
"We use industrial fryers with precise temperature control. At home, it's best to take a thermometer - overheated oil will ruin the crunch."
Blogger Alexey Markov on the YouTube channel Food as a Science offered a life hack:
"Replace buttermilk with kefir and lemon juice (1 tbsp per glass). Add a pinch of ginger to the breading - this will give that "secret" flavor."
But the real breakthrough came from scientists. A study published in the Journal of Food Engineering explains:
"Corn starch forms microbubbles during the second frying, creating a layered structure. This is why the crust does not become soggy even after an hour."
Chef Jordan Ando on Mind of a Chef added:
“If you chill the chicken in the freezer for 10 minutes after the first frying, the starch will crystallize, and then the second frying will give the perfect crunch.”
