KFC’s Original Recipe is famously seasoned with 11 herbs and spices.
Harland Sanders finalized the blend in July 1940 while developing the fried-chicken recipe that became KFC’s signature product. He never publicly disclosed the complete ingredient list, saying that the ingredients were ordinary items found on most kitchen shelves.
The blend became both a flavor formula and a powerful marketing idea. KFC treats it as a trade secret rather than a patent: a patent would require public disclosure and would expire after a limited term, while a trade secret can remain protected as long as it is kept confidential.
The number 11 is widely associated with the recipe, but the precise ingredients remain disputed. A 2016 newspaper test examined a purported family scrapbook recipe, yet KFC did not confirm it as authentic. Claims about particular herbs or spices should therefore be treated as reported recreations, not the officially revealed formula.