KFC Coleslaw Copycat recipe

We just love Kentucky Fried Chicken coleslaw and have enjoyed it many, many times over the years. We also have a family coleslaw recipe from my mother-in-law called Grandma Joan's Coleslaw we also enjoy, but there's just something about the Colonel's coleslaw that's special.

KFC was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, during the Great Depression. Sanders identified the potential of the restaurant franchising concept, and the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opened in Utah in 1952. 

KFC popularized chicken in the fast-food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the established dominance of the hamburger. By branding himself as "Colonel Sanders"Harland became a prominent figure of American cultural history, and his image remains widely used in KFC advertising to this day. KFC's original signature product is pressure-fried chicken pieces, seasoned with Sanders' recipe of 11 herbs and spices, and his coleslaw recipe was a close runner-up. (source: Wikipedia)

On a quest to recreate his sweet yet tangy coleslaw I searched and searched the "interwebs" for the best copycat recipes and believe me there are a bunch of them out there ... shocker! Hahaha of course there are because people love it, so off I set to the test kitchen to make up a few and see what I could come up with and this is my result.

You'll quickly see this coleslaw gets its kick from 2 acids, both lemon juice and vinegar, then throw in a nice amount of sugar, buttermilk, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to round out the dressing.

What do you need to make KFC Coleslaw?

• Mayonnaise
• Buttermilk
• Lemon juice concentrate
• White vinegar
• Sugar
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Onion

RECIPE
Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk (add 1 tsp lemon juice to regular milk to make your own buttermilk)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 and 1/2 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
2 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
4 cups shredded then diced cabbage (about 1/2 of a medium head)
1 medium carrot, diced
1/4 medium onion, diced

Method
Shred the cabbage, carrot, and onion and dice finely; mix all veggies in a large mixing bowl.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the veggies and stir all with a spoon to fully incorporate.

Cover the bowl with a saran wrap and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. The flavors need a chance to blend and develop for the best tasting coleslaw.

Stir again before serving.

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Crusty Sourdough Rolls

These sourdough rolls are crusty and chewy using just a small amount of yeast and some steam in your oven. They are great as dinner rolls and a simple way to use your sourdough starter.

They are easy to make, and even better, my husband continues to tell me they're awesome, and I'm sure your family will think so as well.

If you are used to baking artisan sourdough, the dough will probably seem very dry to you. Since it is being formed into rolls, and needs to keep its shape, the texture is more like a traditional bread dough.

RECIPE
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups thick liquid pourable sourdough starter
2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour (I used 3 cups)
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast

Method
Combine the starter, flour, water, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. The mixture should be a very slightly sticky dough. Cover and allow to rest for about 30-40 minutes. 

(pro tip - turn on oven to 400 degrees for 1 minute and turn off - set dough inside oven to rise).

Add the salt and yeast on top of the dough, and using the dough hook on your stand mixer, set it on low and run it about 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for about 10 minutes (with a 5 minute rest halfway) without adding any additional flour. The dough should not be sticky, should not cling to the sides of the bowl and form easily into a ball. If it seems too sticky add more flour a few tablespoons at a time.

When the dough is kneaded, cover it with some cling wrap or a clean kitchen towel and put in in a warm place to rise for about 90 minutes or until dough has nearly doubled in size. 

When the dough has completed its first rise, remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto a lightly floured counter or a cutting board. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or oil and flour. Dust the top of the parchment with cornmeal and divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. 

Shape the pieces into rolls by rolling into balls and pinching the bottoms together. Place on the cornmeal dusted parchment and rub the tops with flour. Slash, if desired, using a lame or sharp knife. Cover with clean dish cloth and allow to rise again at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place one rack in the center, and one in the lower middle area. Place a roasting pan with water in it on the bottom rack.

When the oven has heated and the rolls are risen, place the rolls inside and bake for 17-21 minutes, until browned outside. Cool rolls on wire rack.

Cooks notes -

• To reheat rolls preheat oven to 350 and heat rolls for 5 minutes. 
• Rolls freeze very well. Place room temperature rolls into a zip-top bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost 1 minute per roll on the defrost setting in the microwave.

Recipe adapted from Heart's Content Farmhouse

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.