The Secret to KFC Coleslaw: Why It Sits Overnight

While the fried chicken is the star of the show at KFC, the coleslaw is a massive cult favorite. It is famous for being incredibly finely chopped, sweet, and tangy.

But if you order a side of coleslaw at 11:00 AM right when the store opens, you are not eating cabbage that was chopped that morning. You are eating cabbage from yesterday. Here is the strict preparation rule that gives KFC coleslaw its signature taste.

The Fine Chop

Unlike deli coleslaw that features long, stringy shreds of cabbage, KFC coleslaw is chopped almost into a confetti-like texture.

The raw cabbage, carrots, and onions are dumped into a commercial food processor (a vertical cutter mixer) that chops them into tiny, uniform pieces in seconds.

The Proprietary Dressing

Once the vegetables are chopped, the prep cook dumps in a bag of the famous KFC coleslaw dressing. The dressing is a closely guarded corporate secret, but its primary components are mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, and buttermilk.

The cook physically mixes the dressing into the massive bin of chopped vegetables until everything is heavily coated.

The Mandatory 12-Hour Rest

If you eat the coleslaw immediately after mixing it, it tastes terrible. The cabbage is too crunchy, and the dressing tastes overwhelmingly acidic.

KFC has a strict corporate policy: Freshly mixed coleslaw must sit in the walk-in refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours (preferably overnight) before it can be served to a customer.

The Science: Cabbage is mostly water. As the cabbage sits in the salty, acidic dressing, osmosis occurs. The cabbage releases its natural water into the dressing, thinning it out, while simultaneously absorbing the sugar and vinegar.

This 12-hour maceration process is what softens the cabbage to the perfect texture and creates the creamy, sweet liquid at the bottom of the cup.