Did Someone Just Buy KFC’s Secret Recipe?

KFC’s secret blend of 11 herbs and spices is THE secret recipe of our time. Other food companies try to create mystique and intrigue by shrouding their recipes in secrecy, but none of them come close to the hype that Kentucky Fried Chicken has managed to create around what actually coats its thighs, legs, and popcorn chicken. And while the exact formulation of seasonings that go into its chicken has been “revealed” over the years, KFC goes to impressive efforts to keep it under wraps, with the master recipe locked in a vault in Kentucky and known by only two executives at the chain.

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A recent auction, though, might have given one customer more access to the recipe than almost anyone else. Earlier this week, a bunch of KFC memorabilia was put up for sale, and the highest bidder received a coveted journal full of Colonel Sanders’ secrets. 

Want The Secret Recipe? It’ll Cost Ya

As Food & Wine reports, on Tuesday, July 28, an auction was held for 68 items that belonged to Harland David Sanders (also known, of course, as Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC) and his wife, Claudia Sanders. Among these items was a 1964 planner that belonged to Sanders himself – and inside said planner was a list of 11 ingredients with exact measurements beside them. 

Lead auctioneer Bill Menish stated that “when the owner purchases it, not only will they see it, they’ll be the one that can tell the story from that point forward” – and while it’s not confirmed whether the ingredients listed in the planner are actually the recipe used today, it didn’t stop one bidder from paying $30,000 for it. Hey, big spender. What they’ll now do with the information is up to them – but given how protective KFC has been of the recipe over the years, we doubt it’ll be published any time soon. 

A Life’s Work

The rest of the items in the auction were an assortment of personal memorabilia from the Sanders’ lives. These included bow ties, carving knives, and even their former family home. Some items clearly stemmed from a life building one of the most successful businesses in the world, though: Among them was a signed letter from Richard Nixon, a commemorative medal, and a collection of early KFC menus. A vintage framed advertisement for KFC, advertising a full meal (with apple pie) for $1.35, was sold for $6,500.