When asked what makes KFC fried chicken so special, Colonel Sanders used to say, "It's still freshly prepared in every restaurant, seasoned with a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, and then hand breaded all day long by a certified cook." This copycat recipe (the original remains a secret) contains 11 herbs and spices, but the keys to the delicious flavor are monosodium glutamate (MSG) and the use of a pressure fryer.

A pressure fryer works similarly to a pressure cooker, but the two cannot be interchanged. If you don't have access to a pressure fryer, you can prepare the chicken in a deep fryer or heavy Dutch oven, but the result won't be quite as authentic. Do not attempt to fry the chicken in a pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot.

Recipe reprinted with permission from America's Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas (Atria Books).