Food

Facts About the Colonel and His Famous KFC Coleslaw Recipe

August 17, 2010 / 27 Comments

How much do you really know about Colonel Sanders, the man behind Kentucky Fried Chicken?

1.  Harland David Sanders was his full name

2.  He was born in Indiana

3.  His father died when he was 5

4.  Because his mother worked he had to cook

5.  He dropped out of school in 7th grade

6.  When his mother remarried, the stepfather beat Colonel Sanders and so he ran away from home

7.  He had several different jobs and finally enlisted in the Army at the age of 16 (fibbing about his age)

9.  He had a gas station in Kentucky and started cooking chicken for his customers at the age of 40

10.He did not have a restaurant so he served his customers in his living room

11.Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, helped Colonel Sanders trim his menu.  He may have had close to 100 items offered on his menu before!

Whether you’re a fan of Colonel Sander’s Kentucky Fried Chicken or not, you have to admit his secret coleslaw recipe is one of the best out there.  It has a crisp crunchy texture that is most refreshing in its taste.

How do you make it?

First you start off with some cabbage that has been put through your food processor. You want very, very little pieces (the size of rice), some shredded carrot and chopped onion.

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Combine the 3 ingredients together.

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Now pour your dressing over the cabbage mixture.

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Your dressing recipe consists of:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Let sit for a few hours in the refrigerator.  I actually think it tastes better right after it’s made because the cabbage has more crunch to it.

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This recipe was taken from a favorite of mine – A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Do you own this book?  What are some of your favorites?

Take a moment and see what other moms are up to this week at Beauty and Bedlam.

27 Comments

  • Deb

    August 21, 2012 at 8:20 am Reply

    Thank you, for sharing this recipe!

    I learned a trick from America’s Test Kitchen that will keep your slaw crunchy: mix the 1/2 t. salt with the chopped cabbage. Put it in a colander over a bowl. Let it sit for an hour or so. The salt will pull quite a bit of water out of the cabbage. Pour the cabbage into a couple of dish towels and press it to get even more water out. Mix the cabbage with the remaining ingredients. Add more salt, if needed.

    Crunchy to the last serving:)

  • Jo Ann

    November 8, 2012 at 2:55 pm Reply

    Where is the celery salt? If you read the ingredients on the side of the container, it clearly lists celery seed or salt, I can’t rmember which right now but I always include it, too, when making cole slaw. It just isn’t the same without it.

    • Elisabeth

      November 12, 2012 at 7:48 am Reply

      Maybe celery salt would be a great addition. I’ve never tried it, so I can’t say. However, this is a copycat recipe and I think it tastes just like the real thing.

      Thanks for the suggestion.

      • Cat

        January 24, 2013 at 6:02 pm Reply

        I don’t see the horseradish in your recipe either. I’m not sure if they make it differently where you are, but I know that here in Canada there is horseradish in the coleslaw as well as celery seed. I love KFC coleslaw and have been trying for years to get the dressing just right but haven’t yet. I get close, but just not quite there… Thanks for your recipe.

      • diane

        February 23, 2013 at 2:26 pm Reply

        I just wanted to weigh in on the celery salt debate. I too thought it needed that and was very happy with the result. Maybe not an unbiased opinion since I happen to love celery salt. I LOVE your recipe and have made 3 batches now since first seeing it. Each time just a little different. The first time was as you have it listed. The second time I added celery salt and the third time I was out of mayo so I substitute light yogurt in it’s place. Loved it each time and may continue to use the yogurt since it’s a bit lower in calories.

  • Annette

    May 19, 2013 at 4:16 pm Reply

    I just made this. I followed the recipe but I can see that letting it rest with the salt to remove some of the water is a great suggestion. I like the idea of celery salt and horseradish too! I’ll try those suggestions next time around although it is delish as is!

  • Ave

    July 13, 2013 at 1:47 pm Reply

    I love coleslaw! I have tried different recipes, but haven’t finde the one I would repeat. I’ll give your recipe a try. Thanks for sharing!

  • Karen Smith

    August 26, 2013 at 6:42 am Reply

    This sounds yummie, but can you please tell me what buttermilk is, I live in New Zealand and I am not familiar with this,
    you may be able to help me out with old bay seasoning also, many thanks

    • Elisabeth

      August 27, 2013 at 6:51 am Reply

      Karen, Buttermilk is a cultured milk and is frequently used in pancakes and other things. If you can’t find it at your store, you can make your own very easily.

      Mix together 1 cup of milk & 1 Tablespoon vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes. It will thicken just a bit and then it’s ready to use. If you don’t have vinegar, you can use lemon juice as well.

      I hear New Zealand is like the promised land. Gorgeous but free of bugs and venomous creatures. Someday it would be lovely to visit your country.

      Elisabeth

    • Elisabeth

      September 3, 2013 at 6:33 am Reply

      Karen, I’m sorry I just saw that had not responded to your comment. (thought I had) Anyways, you can make your own buttermilk by taking 1 cup of regular milk and adding 1T of vinegar. Stir and let set for 5 minutes. It will thicken up slightly and it’s then ready to use.

      Enjoy!

  • peter

    November 18, 2013 at 9:29 pm Reply

    Delicious recipe. Actually I’ve a passion to learn different kinds of recipe and truly your this coleslaw recipe seems to me one of the best recipe among all the recipe I’ve learned yet and now I hope will able to make it at my home. Thanks

  • Melissa

    May 9, 2015 at 1:01 pm Reply

    I have made this recipe several times and its the only one my family will eat!
    A few tips about making your own buttermilk; let the milk come to room temperature first then add the vinegar or lemon juice, DON’T mix it together yet. Let it sit for up to twenty minutes so that it can get thick and sour. After the allotted time mix the milk and use.

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