I cut out all fast food about 15 years ago. Not because it didn’t taste good but because my metabolism decided to slow down on me. What that means is I haven’t had good old Kentucky Fried Chicken in a long time. I suppose that was okay but what I really missed was the mashed potatoes and gravy. Rich, buttery, flavorful and even somewhat decadent for fast food. I’m not sure what made me start looking for copycat recipes but I was VERY happy to find a few, actually a lot of them out there.

The baked fried chicken inspiration mostly came from Kitchen Dreaming and their Easy Oven Fried Chicken. The mashed potatoes and gravy came from RecipeTinEats and their Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.

This all turned out great. The fried chicken but baked was really good. By adding the baking powder and spraying with non-stick cooking spray, you really don’t miss it not being fried. The mashed potatoes were silky smooth and spot on to what I remembered from KFC. The gravy… I’m actually scared how easy that was to make. Like I might have to make it once a week easy. It is very authentic tasting with just the 6 ingredients and approximately 5 minutes. We served the chicken and mashed potatoes with corn on the cob. I added the corn in the husk while the chicken was cooking. I cut into little nubs because that was what I remembered from eating at KFC. The meal really does need something light, because it is very rich even with the baked chicken.

Fried Chicken Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut in 8 parts, bone-in, skin on
• 1 egg
• 1 cup lactose free half and half
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• Non-stick olive oil spray

KFC Mashed Potato Ingredients

• 3-4 Russet or any baking potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups lactose free half and half
• 4 tbsp butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt + tbsp for boiling potatoes
• 1 tsp black pepper

KFC Gravy Ingredients

• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 4 tbsp butter, cubed
• 4 tbsp AP flour

Making the KFC Baked Fried Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Trim off excess fat from the chicken parts.
3. In a large mixing bowl mix 1 cup half and half with the 2 tbsp of white vinegar and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. You can just use butter milk but I didn’t have any, so this basically makes buttermilk. Whisk in the egg.
4. In another large bowl, add all the dry ingredients (flour, bread crumb, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, poultry seasoning, white and black pepper and salt. Mix well to combine.
5. Add the chicken to the half and half mixture and allow to soak for a few minutes.
6. Piece by piece add to the dry ingredients and toss to complete coat. Set each piece on a rimmed sheet pan with a roasting rack (spray the roasting rack with non-stick spray first). Next spray the chicken pieces with non-stick spray. Place in the oven for approximately 40 minutes. I switched my oven to convection for the last few minutes. If you don’t have a convection oven, just use the broiler for a few minutes to make sure the chicken is crispy.

Making the KFC Mashed Potatoes

1. While the chicken is cooking, peel the potatoes and cube to approximately 3/4 inches pieces.
2. Add to a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Season with salt.
3. Boil potatoes until they are very tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and drain potatoes. In the same pot add 4 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil and and allow to melt in the residual heat. Using a ricer, rice the potatoes back in the pot with the butter. Stir in the half and half. Taste and season with salt to taste (remember that the gravy is pretty salty). Cover and keep warm.

Making the KFC Gravy

1. Lastly, in a medium sauce pan, bring 2 1/4 cups water to boil. Add the bouillon cubs to a glass measuring cup and pour the boiling water to the measuring cup. Whisk until the bouillon is combined.
2. In the same sauce pan over medium heat and the 4 tbsp butter. Once it has melted, whisk in the 4 tbsp of flour and garlic powder to taste. Once the flour and butter have thickened, slowly whisk in the stock created with bouillon until combined. Cover and keep warm.