# KFC: Original Recipe or Extra Crispy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 5, 2024, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463 "2024-10-05T02:15:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/21 "2024-10-05T14:45:02Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Their cole slaw used to be great but sometimes I find it quite nasty. QFT. My wife and I used to love their cole slaw and would be sure to get a large side order of it. It had plenty of goop and had just the right combination of creaminess and tang. Now, it’s barely more than shredded cabbage. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/22 "2024-10-05T16:01:31Z")
My only experience is with Canadian Popeye’s. They haven’t been here that long. I think they are pretty good. I used to live in a smaller town. It had a KFC which was okay. But the KFC in another small town ten miles away was consistently awesome, so much so it was worth driving there. Canadisn KFC offered crispy here for a few years, but it had too little spice and so wasn’t as good. The last few times I have had KFC I wished I had got Popeye’s instead. Just didn’t meet my expectations for various reasons. I think their chicken thirty years ago was dramatically better than it is now. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/23 "2024-10-05T16:08:12Z")
The KFC in my town is unreliable. Last time I ate there it did naughty things to my gut. So I don’t go there anymore. The item I miss is the original chicken littles. When I was in high school they were a buck each. Add a biscuit and soda it was a perfect lunch. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/24 "2024-10-05T16:14:25Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > I used to live in a smaller town. It had a KFC which was okay. But the KFC in another small town ten miles away was consistently awesome, so much so it was worth driving there. Have a similar situation here but the good one isn’t awesome enough to make it worth driving there. This is New England, round these here parts someplace 10 miles away can’t be reached without driving 20 miles. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/25 "2024-10-05T18:01:46Z")
Our KFC used to have some sort of baked/roasted chicken, but they quit carrying that and also stopped offering the one piece chicken breast meal with two sides. So we quit going a few years back. But that doesn’t really answer the OP’s question so I’ll go with original recipe. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/26 "2024-10-05T19:13:07Z")
We have half a dozen chicken joints in the area. I love Popeyes. … One day, I thought, I haven’t had KFC extra crispy in decades. (original recipe I had a couple times a year). Why not treat myself?..Well, the coating tasted ok, but it was barely holding on to a thick icky layer of slimy fatty skin. It slid right off the skin when I took a bite. I took another bite and that stayed on some, but I had to pull the thick icky bumpy layer of fatty skin out of my mouth. Two-three bites, into the trash can. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/27 "2024-10-05T19:42:53Z")
I like extra-crispy well enough, but I’m convinced they select smaller pieces of chicken to be made normal-sized by the bulkier batter. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/28 "2024-10-05T19:51:03Z")
There is no longer an Original Recipe. Either the blend of spices, the formula, or the cooking process has changed, to make it cheaper. I remember the original KFC and you can’t get it anywhere, so I didn’t vote. A bucket of chicken, rolls, real mashed potatoes, and the good gravy, just is not to be found anywhere. I would not buy the new KFC to give to a homeless person. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2024, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/29 "2024-10-05T21:28:45Z")
I also haven’t eaten at a KFC in ages…in the last couple of decades maybe three times total. Maybe. I always preferred Original Recipe because, as noted above, the EC seemed to have the wrong proportions of batter to meat. And once it was _so_ crispy I could barely bite through the skin. Never ordered EC after that. But I don’t eat much fried chicken at all any more. Anyone remember Pioneer Chicken??? Man, that was the greasiest chicken I’ve ever eaten. Sadly a youth group I worked with _loved_ it, and it was the frequent choice when we got a snack for outings/events. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/30 "2024-10-06T01:15:12Z")
The local KFC is also. Long John Silver’s, so I’ll order fish over chicken. El Pollo Loco is closer and oh so much better than KFC. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/31 "2024-10-06T01:16:53Z")
LJS chicken planks are pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/32 "2024-10-06T01:25:07Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Canada never had Extra Crispy. Colonel Sanders spent his later years living in Canada after he sold KFC and thought the US destroyed his recipes and encouraged the Canadian operators to maintain the old ones. I saw Canadian youtuber “Glen and Friends Cooking” (or whatever it’s called) series on the recreation of KFC and he did mention that point. There was something else about an Irish chain also having the “original” recipe? I think someone from Ireland sent him a huge bag of the fry-mix. Those were good videos, he put a lot of time and effort into that series. In the end, I think he came close. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/33 "2024-10-06T01:51:47Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > KFC anywhere in the world is better than the US. I did not know that! Any KFC that I ate in the last 3 decades was in Indonesia, so maybe that skews my perceptions. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/34 "2024-10-06T02:50:54Z")
The small town where our lake house is had a KFC. The few times I ate there, it was just so salty and greasy that I’d swear “never again”, at least until the next time. Last week when I was up there, their sign said they were closed (as in, for good). It’s probably related to the upcoming opening of a KwikTrip convenience store about to open across the street. Their take-out chicken had become quite popular, more crispy and less greasy. And back to the OP, closer to what you’d want KFC extra crispy to be. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/35 "2024-10-06T12:52:22Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Canada never had Extra Crispy. Really? I never had extra crispy as a kid, but I’m pretty sure I’ve had it a few times in my life and I don’t think I’ve ever been to a KFC outside of Saskatchewan. It’s possible that I’m getting it confused with Popeye’s, though. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/36 "2024-10-06T13:06:14Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I never had extra crispy as a kid, but I’m pretty sure I’ve had it a few times in my life and I don’t think I’ve ever been to a KFC outside of Saskatchewan. It appears they have had it in more recent years, but not during Sanders life. > **[The Real Colonel Sanders Hated Everything that KFC Became](https://www.foodandwine.com/comfort-food/real-colonel-sanders-hated-everything-kfc-became)** > > A pathway in Louisville's historic Cave Hill Cemetery leads straight to the man who changed the world of fried chicken forever. Below the bust designe... ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/37 "2024-10-06T13:14:25Z")
When I eat fried chicken I peel off and discard the skin/breading. As far as I know, that would make both poll options identical. I did not vote. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/38 "2024-10-06T14:07:24Z")
I prefer extra crispy. Most of the chicken places offer it. I had KFC 🍗 last year. It was pretty good. My favorites are Churchs and Popeyes. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/39 "2024-10-06T16:05:11Z")
Pretty sure Canada had it for a few years. Popeye has spicy or regular, not sure they have ever had crispy in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2024, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463/40 "2024-10-06T23:03:39Z")
Haven’t read the thread, so don’t know if this point was made: Original is better in a _box_. Extra Krispy is better in a _bucket_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kfc-original-recipe-or-extra-crispy/1008463.md?page=3)