Does KFC Really Make Its Gravy From Fryer Scraps?

Colonel Sanders was known for being a bit shady, but he was very clear about one thing: KFC must serve wonderful gravy. But where, exactly, does KFC get this gravy? Maybe you haven't given the question much thought before, or maybe you decided you'd be better off not knowing the answer. Either way, it's difficult to imagine somebody actually making the stuff. If you discovered that the gravy flows from a faucet like tap water, or that it was sourced from a mysterious well somewhere in Kentucky, it would probably surprise you, but only a little. As it happens, however, we do know how KFC makes its gravy, and, at least in some cases, it uses a step that may sound gross but actually works wonders: using scraps from the fryer.

In the United Kingdom and at least some parts of the United States, KFC employees collect the browned bits of meat and juices from the bottom of the chicken fryer, referred to as "cracklings," and mix it with water — about 3 ½ liters for two scoops of cracklings. Then, the mixture is combined with a proprietary blend of ingredients (KFC does not specify what's in this blend, but it's likely a mix of chicken stock and flour) and thoroughly whisked before being put in a microwave and subsequently served. 

Crackling isn't always used to make KFC's gravy. In the U.S., it's more common for KFC employees to receive a dry mixture that they simply mix with water to create instant gravy. That being said, there are some reports of KFC restaurants in the U.S. making it the old-fashioned way.

Some of you might not like the idea of KFC employees using leftover bits of chicken from the bottom of the fryer, but, in truth, it's a perfectly normal part of making gravy. Whether you're making a sturdy gravy for country-fried steak or a rich brown turkey gravy for your Thanksgiving dinner, you're going to want to scrape the bottom of the pan you cooked the meat in. That's where you'll find all the little browned bits of meat, called "fond," and if you use a liquid to deglaze the pan they'll come up off the bottom and be incorporated into a sauce. The fond lends the gravy a deep, rich flavor that you just can't get elsewhere.

KFC's cracklings, then, are just another kind of fond — one that comes from the bottom of a fryer rather than a pan. If you really don't like the idea of fryer scraps being used to make gravy, you should be reassured by the fact that most American KFC locations make their gravy from a powder these days. That being said, there's no doubt that the gravy made with cracklings tastes better, and there's nothing wrong with wanting that extra flavor, is there?