Guilty Eats
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An ode to Colonel Sanders and his delicious fried chicken

By Domenic Marinelli

TOKYO, JAPAN - DECEMBER 23: Picture of Colonel Sanders on KFC Christmas meal box is seen on December 23, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. KFC at Christmas has become something of a tradition in Japan with some attributing its yuletide popularity to a kindergarten delivery being made in a Santa Claus outfit which was such a success it was requested by a number of other schools and subsequently gave the company the idea of associating its product to Christmas. The chain launched its first Christmas campaign in December 1974, and has continued to do so every year at all its outlets nationwide. In 2018, KFC Japan posted all-time high sales of roughly 68 million USD for the five days from December 21 to 25. Roughly 10 percent of its annual turnover for the entire year. (Photo by Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN - DECEMBER 23: Picture of Colonel Sanders on KFC Christmas meal box is seen on December 23, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. KFC at Christmas has become something of a tradition in Japan with some attributing its yuletide popularity to a kindergarten delivery being made in a Santa Claus outfit which was such a success it was requested by a number of other schools and subsequently gave the company the idea of associating its product to Christmas. The chain launched its first Christmas campaign in December 1974, and has continued to do so every year at all its outlets nationwide. In 2018, KFC Japan posted all-time high sales of roughly 68 million USD for the five days from December 21 to 25. Roughly 10 percent of its annual turnover for the entire year. (Photo by Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images) /
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It was in 1980 that the world lost Colonel Sanders, a fast food restaurant icon. He was at the age of 90 when he passed, and it was not only during his lifetime, but also since his passing that he is regarded as one of the most influential restaurateurs the world over.

No, what he brought to the world cannot be considered fine dining; not in the slightest, but the impact that Kentucky Fried Chicken had on the world was a massive one and it’s still going strong today.

Let’s take a look at Colonel Sanders and his interesting life

After trying quite a few odd jobs earlier in his young adult life, the man known as Colonel Sanders developed a recipe for fried chicken and it was during the Great Depression that he started selling that chicken at a roadside restaurant, according to Wikipedia.

He perfected the recipe over time, a very secret recipe that was starting to garner some attention, and it was shortly after that the demand picked up and he saw in that demand the potential for franchising, and the very first KFC location opened its doors in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1952.

It was after that point that KFC was off to the races. He closed his first restaurant, and it was from that point on that he launched himself fully into the franchising of more restaurants.

He would eventually sell the company to certain investors, but he remained a focal point of the company—specifically KFC Canada.

To this day, the franchise still uses the Colonel Sanders image on the company’s well-known logo and really you can’t go into a location without thinking about the man. He’s as recognizable as Ronald McDonald if not more so; he is even used, or rather his likeness is, in commercials for KFC.

As of 2020, the company has made 27.9 billion in revenues and has a whopping 24,104 locations—also as of 2020. The influence the restaurant chain and the Colonel have had on the fast food industry is undeniable.

What makes the chicken so good?

Really at the end of the day, the chicken at KFC is often imitated and never quite properly duplicated. It’s an original recipe that despite the claims that many have discovered the secret recipe, no other chicken quite tastes like KFC’s fried chicken.

It’s in the delicious batter, the seasonings, the oil used to fry it, the method, really the whole package.

The KFC fried chicken did for chicken what the Big Mac did for burgers, and you all know how I feel about the good old Big Mac dear readers, if you’ve ever read my ode to the king of all burgers.

A bucket of fried chicken is often a go-to for many fitness buffs having a cheat meal when on a diet, and to go to chicken, which lets’ face it is a much more boring or blander protein, hence why it’s used in so many diet recipes; but to go to it for a cheat meal is saying something indeed.

Really, in my opinion, the only chicken that you actually rejoice in going to is either a deep friend Milanese cutlet, a chicken Parmesan cutlet, and third, a deep fried piece of chicken—the KFC kind.

Don’t get me wrong, a roasted piece of chicken is fine, but it tends to be a little on the dry side without gravy, whereas in the aforementioned three types of chicken, you don’t need any sauce…just the delicious deep-fired batter is more than enough to take you to the realm of deliciousness reserved for the tastiest treats on earth…those things that we, the collective of Guilty Eaters, talk about, read about and in the case of myself and my colleagues here at Guilty Eats, write about.

In the end, KFC deserves its glory, as does the man that brought it to our collective doorsteps. Thanks, Colonel. RIP Good Sir, and thanks for one heck of an epic meal.

Next. The Very Good Food Company Goes Out of Business—sets a black stain on the plant-based protein industry. dark

How do you feel about KFC, dear readers? Are you as enamored by the product as Guilty Eats writer, Domenic Marinelli is?

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