Fried chicken has long been a beloved staple of the American South, in all its crunchy, greasy glory. Pair that with an easy-to-love Colonel and a memorable catchphrase and you have the makings of one of the most easily recognized brands in the world: Kentucky Fried Chicken. The chain, which now has locations in more than 105 countries across the globe, got its humble start in front of a gas station in Corbin, KY.
KFC wasn't always called Kentucky Fried Chicken. While it did originate in Kentucky, Harland Sanders first sold his fried chicken out of the front of the gas station he operated, and he named the restaurant Sanders Court & Cafe. For years, Kentucky Fried Chicken held tight to the name founder Colonel Sanders gave it back in 1952. But in 1991, after four decades of finger-licking goodness, the Louisville-based chicken chain ruffled feathers all over the world when it announced that it was changing its name to KFC.
You might remember the email chain letter that began circulating shortly after the name change. The email spread a conspiracy theory that the restaurant used genetically modified chickens, which is why it was forced to remove the word “chicken” from its name. KFC quickly debunked the claim, but that hasn’t stopped the mutant chicken rumor from popping up every few years.
The way the chicken chain tells it, they pivoted to KFC simply because it had fewer syllables. Also, nixing the word “fried” would make it easier to appeal to more health-conscious consumers. In reality, we wanted to let our customers know that we had more for them to enjoy than just fried chicken, and many were already calling us KFC, as it was much easier to say.
But a desire for brevity isn’t the whole story. The name change actually stemmed when Kentucky took the unusual step of trademarking its name. Following that action, anyone using the word “Kentucky” for business reasons would have to pay licensing fees to the state. So, while KFC certainly rolls off the tongue more easily than Kentucky Fried Chicken, the real meat of this story is money. Not that we’re complaining! I love those 11 herbs and spices and now you can, too. It’s finger-lickin' good.
Better Than KFC Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders
for the Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts cut into tenders
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- season chicken with salt and let cure for 2 hours or up to overnight
For the Dredge
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 5 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp dry mustard
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
For the Buttermilk Dip
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 4 Tbsp hot sauce (I used Cyrstal's)
- 1/3 cup pickle juice
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
For the Spicy Hot Chicken Oil
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cayenne powder add more to taste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
- 3/4 cup frying oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut chicken breasts lengthwise into tenders.
- Season the chicken tenders thoroughly with salt on both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and fridge for 2 hour to overnight.
- For the dredge, in a large bowl combine all dry ingredients. Whisk until combined.
- For the buttermilk dip, whisk the eggs together in a large bowl before whisking in the buttermilk, hot sauce, pickle juice, and baking powder.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pot filled with 2.5-inches of vegetable oil to 335F.
- For the hot oil spice, in a heat-proof bowl add and combine all dry ingredients. Set to the side until ready to add oil.
- Drizzle a small amount of buttermilk mixture (about 1/4 cup) over the dredge mixture while stirring vigorously.
- Coat chicken thoroughly with the dredge (no wet spots), shake off excess, and dunk into the buttermilk mixture, and back into the dredge pressing the dredge aggressively into the chicken. Transfer to a flour-coated baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining tenders.
- To fry, carefully lay 3-4 tenders into the frying oil for 6-8 minutes or an internal temperature of 165F.
- Place chicken on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to drain.
- Immediately whisk the hot oil into the spicy oil mixture until combined.
- Dunk the chicken into the mixture thoroughly coating then drain on a wire rack. This oil is super spicy. If you prefer, just drizzle the sauce over. In all honesty, the chicken is delicious without it. You can also serve oil on the side
- Add chicken on top of a slice of white bread, and top with picklse.
