KFC Famous Bowls are delicious and so easy to make at home! You only need five ingredients to make this fast food delight in the comfort of your home.
Who here loves KFC? *raises hand* I love fried chicken so much so it’s only natural I would gravitate towards a Midwestern fast food fried chicken joint as a place I love.
I will say that I also have BIG love in my soul for Bojangles but alas, we don’t have any of those in Columbus. (hear that franchisees!) I also discovered a place in Indianapolis called Joella’s and OMG, so good. It’s not like KFC, more of a fast casual restaurant but it’s worth mentioning.
BUT. We are not here to discuss my love for fried chicken restaurants. However, that should probably be a blog post at some point.
You are here to learn how to make the KFC Famous Bowls! The exact description from the Colonel himself: “Creamy mashed potatoes, sweet corn and bite-sized chunks of crispy chicken are layered together then drizzled with home-style gravy and topped with a perfect blend of three shredded cheeses.”
Scroll down to learn how to make a semi-homemade version of this comforting recipe because the sooner you read it, the sooner you’ll have this meal in front of you!
KFC Famous Bowl Ingredients And Layers
When Joel and I were chatting about this copycat recipe we went back and forth on how “homemade” to make it. We thought about making it all from scratch and then realized that that’s kinda hard and the semi-homemade life is the best life.
Now, if you wanna make every item from scratch, GO FOR IT. But, for those who want to whip this famous bowl up in less than 20 minutes, we got you.
Here are all the ingredients you need to make the KFC Famous Bowl at home, listed in order of layers.
- Mashed Potatoes. This is the base of the bowl so you want to make sure you have some tasty mashed potatoes. We used the Ore-Ida instant mashed potatoes but we also like the Idahoan brand.
- Gravy. We bought a packet of McCormick brown gravy which is a super easy way to make gravy for this recipe. They have several varieties so you can pick your favorite.
- Corn. For this dish, we used some frozen corn and cooked it with some butter for extra deliciousness. You could use canned or fresh, whatever you like!
- Crispy Chicken. There are several options for your crispy chicken. We opted for Tyson popcorn chicken but you could use chicken tenders and just chop ’em up too.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese. I always shred our own cheese because I don’t like pre-shedded cheese and it takes like two minutes. We have this handheld grater that is so great.. hehe, pun intended.
How to make a KFC Famous Bowl at Home
While it might not be as quick as just running through the KFC drive thru, it’s pretty easy to whip up their Famous Bowl at home.
The only thing that might be tricky is you’ll need to make some of these things simultaneously. If multi-tasking in the kitchen isn’t your jam, you can do one at a time but it might add a few minutes to your cooking time.
Start with the chicken, because that typically takes the longest to cook! We always make ours in our air fryer (here is the one we have) and it gets so crispy and perfect.
Then, you’ll prepare your corn. If frozen, make on the stove with a bit of butter and salt and pepper for extra flavor.
Whip up your gravy and instant mashed potatoes according to package instructions.
Then, when everything is cooked and ready to assemble, grab yourself a bowl and get to town. To follow the KFC Famous Bowl recipe, you’ll want to add in this order.
First, a big serving of mashed potatoes followed by a layer of gravy, some shredded cheese and a big spoonful of corn, finished with your crispy chicken and more shredded cheese.
More Copycat Recipes
We love copycat recipes because you can get the deliciousness of your favorite dish without having to leave your house! Homebodies, rejoice! Here are a handful of other copycat recipes (from us and other folks) that you’ll be sure to love.
- Copycat Reese Trees. Let’s just agree that the best Reese cups are the trees, eggs, and pumpkins. This recipe is a little twist on that peanut butter and chocolate confection we all love.
- Fried Chicken Salad. I worked at Max & Erma’s during high school and college and this was my FAVORITE salad.
- Northstar Cookies. A local restaurant in Columbus has the best chocolate cookies and these are a very close replication.
KFC Famous Bowls
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 cup corn fresh, frozen, canned
- 2 cups popcorn chicken frozen
- 1 packet brown gravy
- 1 packet instant mashed potatoes
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Since you will be preparing multiple items at once, you need to set out all the ingredients first and read their instructions. Below is how mine laid out but yours might be a little bit different!
- The popcorn chicken will take the longest so start that first. We use our air fryer to cook ours but you can also prepare according to package instructions. Once it's cooked, set aside until ready to assemble your bowls.
- We used frozen corn for our bowls. Add the frozen corn to a small saucepan with 1-2 Tablespoons of butter and salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until warm.
- The gravy will be prepared via package instructions. Leave on low heat until ready to use.
- Cook your instant mashed potatoes according to package instructions. Again, leave on low heat until ready to use.
- When you are ready to assemble, place a serving of mashed potatoes in the bottom of your bowl. Top with a layer of gravy then sprinkle corn over it. Finish with a handful of popcorn chicken and shredded cheese. Enjoy!
Lynell Lewis
love your recioes!!!!
pease.hannah@gmail.com
Thank you! 🙂