Copycat KFC Famous Bowl is a delicious layered meal of creamy mashed potatoes, thick gravy, corn, cheese, and crispy popcorn chicken. Satisfy your fast food craving with this hearty bowl of comfort food that's ready in just 30 minutes!
If you want to make more of your favorite takeout meals at home, try my Better Than Taco Bell Mexican Pizza or this Olive Garden-inspired Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup.
This recipe has been made in partnership with Pioneer®. My opinions are all my own.
The KFC famous bowl is a family favorite. These individual bowls are quick, convenient, and delicious! Each bite has crispy chicken, sweet corn, cheese, and creamy mashed potatoes with luscious Pioneer Brown Gravy.
It's the best thing to serve for dinner on a busy weeknight. But when you have a larger family, it can be a lot to order takeout even one night of the week. Homemade KFC famous bowls are a healthier, affordable option that will taste even better than the original!
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Why We Love This Copycat KFC Famous Bowl Recipe:
Better quality! Restaurants and fast food joints take a lot of shortcuts that result in not-so-healthy options for customers. But when you make the KFC famous bowl at home, you know exactly what goes into your meal.
Larger portions! This is an affordable way to feed your family and enjoy your favorite takeout meal for less. Get more bang for your buck by buying your own ingredients and making them yourself!
Easy to customize! Do you like to order your favorite fast food meal in a specific way? Now you can season it however you like; adding sauce, and other sides and substitutions.
Perfect for meal prep! Make this copycat recipe ahead of time and enjoy single-serve portions throughout the week for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients you need:
- Chicken: I used tenderloins for this copycat KFC famous bowl recipe, but you can use two boneless chicken breasts if you prefer. Be sure to cut it into cubes.
- Seasoning: KFC famously seasons their chicken with 11 herbs and spices. However, I used a deliciously balanced blend of seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, ground ginger, and onion powder.
- Herbs: Basil and thyme add a fresh pop of flavor that makes this an instant upgrade to the original recipe.
- Egg: This helps the seasoning adhere to the chicken.
- Flour: Season the flour with 1 tablespoon of seasoned salt.
- Vegetable oil: For frying.
- Corn: Remember to drain them.
- Brown gravy mix: Grab a package of Pioneer Brown Gravy Mix. This makes thick, smooth, savory gravy every time. Make it as directed on the package.
- Shredded cheese: Use three blend cheese (Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar Cheeses) or sharp cheddar.
Mashed Potatoes
These are whipped up in just minutes but you can use instant mashed potatoes to save time.
- Russet potatoes: Peel and cube the potatoes.
- Butter: This enriches the flavor and texture of the mashed potatoes.
- Milk: Use more as needed until you achieve your desired consistency.
- Seasoning: I keep it simple with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
Instructions to make Copycat KFC Famous Bowl:
Season and Marinate the Chicken
Add the cubed chicken into a bowl and sprinkle in all of the seasonings: seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, ground ginger, onion powder, basil, and thyme. This is the seasoning mix for KFC popcorn chicken!
Use a spoon or tongs to toss the chicken around to ensure every piece is coated by the seasonings. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Make the Mashed Potatoes
While the chicken is marinating, get started on the mashed potatoes. Peel and cube the potatoes and add them to a stock pot. Cover them with water and bring to a boil on the stove over medium high heat.
Boil the potatoes for at least 15 minutes, or until they are tender enough to push a fork through them. After they are tender, drain the water. Add the potatoes back into the pot and add the butter, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Use a potato masher or an electric mixer to mash the potatoes and mix all of the ingredients. Add more milk to get your desired consistency. Set the mashed potatoes aside and fry your chicken.
Fry the Chicken
Add the vegetable oil to a skillet over medium heat. While it is warming up, crack the egg into a bowl and scramble it up with a fork. Pour the scrambled egg over the chicken and mix the chicken around to coat every piece with the egg mixture.
Pour the flour and seasoned salt into a large Ziploc bag or a bowl, and mix it well. Add your chicken pieces directly into the flour mixture. If using a bag, be sure to remove most of the air and zip it tight.
Toss the chicken pieces around in the flour mixture until they are all evenly coated. Use tongs to remove the chicken cubes and place them out on a cooling rack for at least five minutes so that the flour can settle.
Use tongs to gently place the chicken into the hot oil. Fry for 7 minutes, and turn them over to fry an additional 7 minutes.
Prepare the Corn
While the chicken is frying, place your drained corn into a microwave safe bowl, add salt and pepper to taste (optional), and microwave for 2 minutes.
Prepare the Gravy
Make the Pioneer gravy mix according to the package instructions. Set the gravy to the side.
Remove the chicken when it is golden brown. Place the fried chicken on a clean cooling rack to drain excess grease.
Build your Copycat KFC Famous Bowl
Finally, build your copycat KFC bowls: place a scoop of mashed potatoes into a bowl, top with some of the gravy, add a scoop of corn, sprinkle with some cheddar cheese, add some of the fried chicken, top with more gravy and cheese as desired. And enjoy!
Alternatives and Variations:
- Spicy KFC Famous Bowl: The chicken restaurant has a spicy version that includes a drizzle of Nashville hot sauce. You can add your favorite hot sauce or bbq sauce instead.
- KFC Famous Bowl Casserole: This is perfect for serving a crowd. You layer in the same way but add it to a large baking dish. Place it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
- Grilled Chicken: Want to save some calories? Instead of frying the chicken, grill it.
- Skip the Potato Peeling: If you don't mind potato skin, you can skip the peeling step when preparing the mashed potatoes. You'll save some time and add some nutrients.
- Premade Chicken: Save time by using your favorite frozen popcorn chicken or chicken nuggets.
Storing and Reheating:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees so the chicken stays crispy. If you need to save some time, you can heat individual servings in the microwave in 30-second intervals until heated through.
FAQ:
What is in a KFC Famous bowl?
It is an individual serving of mashed potatoes, sweet corn, and chunks of fried chicken drizzled with home-style gravy and topped with three shredded cheeses.
What can I serve with the copycat KFC Famous bowl?
This KFC inspired famous bowl is of course a meal within itself but it can be served with additional sides. Here are a few ideas:
- Mac and Cheese: My southern macaroni and cheese would round this meal out.
- Biscuits: If I was ordering this at KFC, I would definitely order biscuits on the side. Try my Cinnamon Sugar Sweet Potato Biscuits recipe!
- Greens: Make it a nutritious, balanced meal with a side of vegetables. Check out my flavorful collard greens.
- Coleslaw: This is a simple, tasty option.
How much is a Famous bowl combo at KFC?
They are $5 plus the applicable tax but I guarantee you this recipe will yield you more servings for less!
More Restaurant-Inspired Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken tenderloins or 2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- ½ tablespoon Seasoned salt
- 4 teaspoons Paprika
- 2 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Basil
- ½ teaspoon Thyme
- 1 large Egg
- 3 cups Flour season flour w/ 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
- 3 cups Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 can Corn drained
- 1 packet Brown gravy mix made as directed on the package
- 1 cup Shredded cheese
- Mashed Potatoes:
- 4 large Russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 ½ cups Milk more as needed to get desired consistency
- ½ tablespoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Garlic powder
Instructions
- Add the cubed chicken into a bowl and sprinkle in all of the seasonings: seasoned salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, ground ginger, onion powder, basil, and thyme.
- Use a spoon or tongs to toss the chicken around to ensure every piece is coated by the seasonings. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- While the chicken is marinating, get started on the mashed potatoes. Peel and cube the potatoes and add them to a stock pot. Cover them with water and bring to a boil on the stove over medium high heat.
- Boil the potatoes for at least 15 minutes, or until they are tender enough to push a fork through them. After they are tender, drain the water. Add the potatoes back into the pot and add the butter, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Use a potato masher or an electric mixer to mash the potatoes and mix all of the ingredients. Add more milk to get your desired consistency. Set the mashed potatoes aside and fry your chicken.
- Add the vegetable oil to a skillet over medium heat. While it is warming up, crack the egg into a bowl and scramble it up with a fork. Pour the scrambled egg over the chicken and mix the chicken around to coat every piece with the egg mixture.
- Pour the flour and seasoned salt into a large Ziploc bag or a bowl, and mix it well. Add your chicken pieces directly into the flour mixture. If using a bag, be sure to remove most of the air and zip it tight.
- Toss the chicken pieces around in the flour mixture until they are all evenly coated. Use tongs to remove the chicken cubes and place them out on a cooling rack for at least five minutes so that the flour can settle.
- Use tongs to gently place the chicken into the hot oil. Fry for 7 minutes, and turn them over to fry an additional 7 minutes.
- While the chicken is frying, place your drained corn into a microwave safe bowl, add salt and pepper to taste (optional), and microwave for 2 minutes.
- Make the gravy mix according to the package instructions, which usually involves heating it in a saucepan and mixing it with water. Set the gravy to the side.
- Remove the chicken when it is golden brown. Place the fried chicken on a clean cooling rack to drain excess grease.
- Build your bowls: place a scoop of mashed potatoes into a bowl, top with some of the gravy, add a scoop of corn, sprinkle with some cheddar cheese, add some of the fried chicken, top with more gravy and cheese as desired. And enjoy!
Lonnie says
This was perfect. easy and so good! Thanks for the recipe
Tamara J. says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Henriate says
So good
Zee Ali says
Great recipe KFC Famous Bowl at Home.
Tamara J. says
Thank you!
Harry says
Too good
Mmmm says
Jessica