KFC At Home: The 65-Cent Aldi Ingredient Customers Are Using To Elevate Fried Chicken

KFC famously uses 11 herbs and spices in its fried chicken recipe. The company won't officially say what's in the blend, and aside from salt, dehydrated garlic, and good old MSG, the rest of the flavorings in the Original Recipe are vaguely covered under the term "spices."

Fortunately, Aldi shoppers with a hankering for a homemade version of Colonel Sanders' fried chicken claim they've found a one-stop-shop dupe: the 65-cent Tuscan Garden Italian Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix. Simply whisk a packet into your flour dredge and proceed with your go-to fried chicken recipe. If you want an even bolder flavor, add some of this store-bought spice blend to the buttermilk marinade, too.

Aldi's Italian dressing mix has salt, sugar, garlic, onion, red bell pepper, citric acid, and some unspecified spices and natural flavorings — it's savory, slightly sweet, and zesty. The closest we've come to knowing what exactly is in KFC's blend is when a nephew of the late, real-life Colonel shared a handwritten family recipe for an 11-ingredient spice blend with a journalist. KFC would neither confirm nor deny if this vintage mix was still what was being used, though folks who tried it out said the flavor came pretty darn close to the fast food chain's. In addition to plain salt, it includes thyme, basil, oregano, celery salt, black pepper, dried mustard, and ground ginger, as well as a hefty amount of garlic salt, paprika, and white pepper. We don't know exactly what's in the Tuscan Garden packet, but we can only assume it has some overlap if fried chicken lovers are using it to replicate KFC's recipe.

Even though Aldi's Italian dressing seasoning totally upgrades your fried chicken batter, it's definitely not the only way to use it. If KFC-style fried chicken isn't your vibe (or you simply don't feel like dealing with the effort and mess of deep frying at home), folks have also really enjoyed it in other chicken recipes, as well as with beef roasts, sheet-pan shrimp, roasted potatoes, and, of course, salad dressings.

"Use it as seasoning on chicken breast in the oven! There's something magical inside that makes the chicken like the most tender chicken breast you'll ever eat!" shared one Redditor. Others use it for marinating chicken before grilling or combine it with butter and hot sauce for a chicken wing sauce. Slow cooker poultry recipes are another great way to use Aldi's Tuscan Garden Italian Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix, especially when you pair it with a stick of butter. Once cooked through and tender, shred up the meat and serve it with steamed white rice, Martha Stewart's unbelievably creamy mashed potatoes, or simple roasted vegetables.