How Did Colonel Sanders' Fried Chicken Become a Kentucky Tradition?

Colonel Harland Sanders' fried chicken is one of the most recognized foods in the world, but the version served at Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville is the one closest to home. This is the chicken the Colonel and Claudia served to their own guests — hand-breaded, cooked to order, and brought to the table family-style with scratch-made vegetables and homemade yeast rolls.

The Dinner House has been frying chicken the same way since 1968. While the KFC franchise spread the Colonel's recipe across the globe as fast food, the Dinner House kept the original sit-down, family-style experience that the Sanders family intended. Every plate is cooked to order, and the all-you-can-eat fried chicken that comes with every Family Dinner is the dish guests drive across Kentucky to eat.

What Makes the Dinner House Fried Chicken Different

The fried chicken at Claudia Sanders Dinner House is not pre-made or held under a heat lamp. It is hand-breaded and fried to order, which means every batch comes out hot and crisp. The breading is the Colonel's own recipe — the same blend of herbs and spices that made his chicken famous — applied to fresh chicken and cooked in the Dinner House kitchen.

Because the chicken is served family-style, it comes to the table in platters for everyone to share. When you order a Family Dinner, the fried chicken is all-you-can-eat — the server brings more as long as your group wants it. This is the way the Sanders family served meals at home, and it is still the signature experience today.

The Family Dinner Experience

A Family Dinner at Claudia Sanders Dinner House is not just a plate of chicken. It is a full Southern meal served family-style, meaning the sides come in bowls for the whole table to share. Each Family Dinner includes:

• All-you-can-eat fried chicken (dine-in only)
• Four scratch-made vegetables from the daily selection of eight
• Soup or salad
• Unlimited homemade yeast rolls baked fresh that morning

The eight scratch-made vegetables rotate daily, but favorites like mashed potatoes, green beans, pinto beans, and corn pudding appear regularly. The yeast rolls are a hallmark — soft, warm, and baked in-house every morning before the doors open.

Beyond the Chicken: Other Southern Favorites

While the fried chicken is the star, the Dinner House kitchen turns out a full Southern menu. The Kentucky Hot Brown — an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and a creamy Mornay sauce — is a Kentucky original and a guest favorite. Sugar-cured country ham, grilled pork chops, fried chicken livers, and a New York strip steak round out the entrée list.

On weekends, breakfast is served from 8 AM, including Southern breakfast favorites that draw a loyal morning crowd. And no meal is complete without dessert — homemade pies and cakes, including Claudia's Kentucky Pie made with pecans and chocolate chips, and bread pudding with Kentucky bourbon sauce.

Take the Chicken Home

If you cannot stay for a sit-down Family Dinner, the Dinner House offers carry-out in portions built for the whole table. Order 2- or 3-piece boxes, 8-, 12-, and 16-piece family meals, a 20-piece barrel, or a 50-piece chicken box, plus sides by the pint or pan. Online ordering through Toast lets you order ahead and pick up at 3202 Shelbyville Rd.