KFC traditionally claims that its original recipe contains 11 herbs and spices.
The recipe is associated with Colonel Harland Sanders, who developed the seasoning blend used for KFC's fried chicken. The precise formula has long been treated as a trade secret rather than publicly disclosed as a complete ingredient list.
The number 11 is part of KFC's branding and historical storytelling. It refers to the herbs and spices in the blend, not to the number of pieces in a standard chicken meal or the number of steps in the cooking process.
Newspaper investigations and internet claims have proposed possible versions of the seasoning, but none replaces KFC's official traditional claim. The recipe is therefore best identified by its advertised number, while its exact proportions remain undisclosed.