KFC: No, That's Not Our Secret Recipe

(RTTNews) - It seems that Colonel Sanders' nephew unknowingly disclosed the secret blend of 11 herbs and spices behind KFC's fried chicken, which the food chain touts as the most heavily-guarder food recipe in the world.

However, KFC executives refutes the report and insist that its 11-spice "Original Recipe" is still safe and secure.

Chicago Tribune, in an article, published the secret recipe after one of its journalist received it during an interview with Joe Leddington, the nephew of the famous KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders.

The reporter, who was working on a story for the Tribune's travel section about Corbin, Kentucky, met Ledington for an interview. Corbin, Kentucky is the place the Colonel sold his first fried chicken.

During the interview, Leddington showed the reporter a family album that contained pictures, newspaper clippings and also the last will and testament of Sanders' second wife, Claudia Ledington. On the back of the document, the reported noticed a handwritten list for a blend of 11 herbs and spices to be mixed with two cups of white flour.

But, KFC claims that the recipe published in the Chicago Tribune is not authentic. KFC, a subsidiary of Yum Brands Inc. (YUM), boasts the the 11-spice recipe is still one of the biggest trade secrets in the world.

"Many people have made these claims over the years and no one has been accurate — this one isn't either," KFC said in a statement.

KFC says the original recipe is kept locked up in a digital safe that is encased in two feet of concrete and with 24-hours of video and motion surveillance system.