Claudia Sanders may not be as well known as her husband, Colonel Harlan Sanders, but she should be. In the early days of their relationship, Colonel Sanders owned a gas station in Corbin, Ky. where he sold his famous fried chicken. His recipe became so popular he had to set tables for his customers and hire a wait staff to manage the demand. Claudia Sanders worked as part of the wait staff at the gas station. The couple met during her employment and eventually married.
When Interstate 75 opened and bypassed Corbin, business at the gas station dwindled. Colonel Sanders began selling his chicken to restaurants and teaching them how to cook it. It was during this time that the "secret recipe" KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is known for was born.
After Colonel Sanders spent time selling his chicken and teaching chefs his recipe, the idea for a restaurant came to fruition. In the ’50s, the Sanders purchased Blackwood Hall, a 125-year-old estate in Shelbyville, Ky., which would serve as their home and corporate headquarters for the Colonel's bourgeoning business, Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Eventually, the business was doing so well that Colonel Sanders constructed a new building on the property to give the company more space. At the time, the new building housed offices and warehouse space for over 600 KFC restaurants.
In 1964, Colonel Sanders sold the rights to KFC to a group of investors. Since the couple no longer needed offices and a warehouse, the building became an opportunity for Claudia Sanders to have her own restaurant. First called The Colonel's Lady, the original building burned to the ground in 1990. But the restaurant was rebuilt with better facilities and an upgraded kitchen: It reopened in late 1990 with the name Claudia Sanders Dinner House.
Claudia Sanders died in 1997 at age 94, but today, the restaurant still features popular items she created, including her fried chicken, pies and yeast rolls. The property, which has been owned by the same family since 1974, is currently back on the market. The Settle family, who purchased the property in the ’70s, are close friends of the Sanders family and one of the only two owners since 1959. The Settles are ready to retire and see the property thrive under new ownership.
The restaurant is still in operation, and it will be up to the new owners to determine what will become of Claudia Sanders Dinner House, its trademarks and the Sanders family memorabilia, which will be sold with the physical property. The sale will include 3.01 acres of commercially zoned real estate — two buildings including the 25,000-square-foot restaurant and banquet hall — and Blackwood Hall, and is listed at nine million dollars.
"Many articles have quoted Colonel Sanders in the past as saying the KFC brand would not have happened without the behind-the-scenes work of Claudia," shares Morgan Hanco*ck, one of the listing agents for the Claudia Sanders Dinner House property. "She was handling all the logistics for the company while Harlan was out selling."
"[Claudia Sanders House] wasn't originally going to be a sit-down restaurant," adds Hanco*ck. "They wanted a place where they could live and operate what ended up becoming the KFC headquarters."
I tried Claudia Sander's famous fried chicken recipe, and the results were finger-lickin' good. I used the same Marion-Kay Spices Claudia Sanders used — a custom-blended a spice recipe made by spice, seasoning and breading company Marion-Kay just for Colonel Sanders back in 1965.
While Claudia Sanders' fried chicken recipe says vegetable oil is OK to use, shortening may work better to get a less-greasy taste focused on flavor. Timing is also everything — be ready to dredge the chicken, coat it in flour and seasoning and drop it into the bubbling skillet as soon as possible.
And remember, frying chicken requires skill and patience. This isn't a cooking experience you can walk away from unless you're willing to risk burning the delicious crispy crust or undercooking the chicken.
Overall, the recipe was easier to recreate than it sounded, even though frying chicken can feel somewhat intimidating because of the desire for perfection. Claudia Sanders' recipe was easy to follow, especially for a first-time chicken fryer. And, we added a little extra seasoning while the chicken was frying to kick the flavor up a notch, which I highly recommend.
So what's next for the Sanders property, which has been on the market since June 2022?
Hanco*ck says her hope is someone will invest in the property and preserve the tangible and intangible aspects of the Claudia Sanders brand. "We see two things that would be huge [for the brand]: her yeast rolls and a bourbon," she says. "The property is on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and there has never been a female face on bourbon, so who better to be the first than a Sanders? This property would make a great tourist center and distillery."
In the future, don't be surprised if you see the Sanders name in the frozen bread section at your grocery store or as part of a distillery tour.
Want to make Claudia Sanders' fried chicken recipe yourself? Get the recipe below.
Fried Chicken
Courtesy of Claudia Sanders Dinner House
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
1 frying chicken, cut into frying pieces
1 cup flour
2 eggs, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Claudia Sanders Chicken Seasoning (made by Marion Kay Spices)
Enough vegetable oil or shortening to cover the bottom of your skillet about 1/8 an inch
Instructions:
1. Combine eggs and milk, set aside.
2. Combine flour with the 1 1/2 teaspoons Claudia Sanders Chicken Seasoning.
3. Dip chicken pieces in milk-egg mixture and roll them in the flour-seasoning mixture.
4. Fry pieces in low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning once.
5. Remove from fire. Drain and serve.
