My recipe for a copycat KFC Famous Bowl will have you thinking twice about sitting in the drive-thru line when you can easily make it at home. This recipe is so close to the original, you will think it came straight from the KFC kitchen.

 

Ever find yourself craving fast food but don’t feel like leaving your house? That’s why I love making my own copycat recipes at home like a KFC Twister Wrap, Taco Bell Quesadilla, and this easy KFC bowl recipe.

We eat a lot of chicken nuggets in this house so I’m always trying to think of different ways to serve them. That is how this copycat KFC recipe came about. I used some leftover mashed potatoes with chicken nuggets, cheese, and gravy and ended up with a spot on copycat of the original.

Why this copycat recipe is so good

• Best comfort food – These bowls are made with a combination of crispy chicken, creamy mashed potatoes, sweet corn, gravy, and cheese, it’s sure to satisfy your cravings.
• Customize – You can make these bowls to your taste preference. Like extra gravy, put on as much as you want. Don’t want corn, feel free to leave it off. The choice is yours.
• Budget friendly – Make bowls for the whole family for less than going to the restaurant.

Ingredients in the KFC Famous Bowl Recipe

This copycat KFC bowl recipe only requires a few ingredients. It was designed to be fast and easy.

• Mashed potatoes – You can make homemade mashed potatoes, recipe in the recipe card, or you can make instant potatoes.
• Popcorn chicken – Use frozen popcorn chicken, chicken nuggets, or chicken tenders cut into pieces.
• Corn – Use canned corn or thawed, frozen corn.
• Gravy – You can used jarred gravy or a gravy mix. I am using chicken gravy but feel free to substitute with beef gravy or your favorite brown gravy.
• Cheese – Shredded cheddar cheese finishes off this dish.

How to make homemade KFC Famous Bowl copycat recipe

The great thing about recreating restaurant recipes at home is that you can assemble the bowl to your preference. Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe.

Step one: Potatoes – Prepare mashed potatoes.

Step two: Chicken – Bake frozen popcorn chicken or chicken tenders according to the package instructions. You can also cook the popcorn chicken in an air fryer.

Step three: Corn – Drain the canned corn and pour into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute to heat the corn through.

Step four: Gravy – Pour gravy into a small saucepan and heat on the stover over medium heat. You could also pour into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

Step five: Assemble – Place mashed potatoes in a bowl. Top with cooked crispy popcorn chicken, corn, gravy, and shredded cheese.

Heather’s recipe tips

• Add a hint of color with diced green onion or chopped fresh parsley.
• If you have an air fryer, I recommend cooking the chicken nuggets in the air fryer.
• This is a great recipe to use leftover mashed potatoes.
• You can substitute mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower or even mashed rutabaga.
• Try adding in some extra veggies with thawed frozen vegetables or steamed broccoli.
• Make this a spicy bowl with the addition of hot sauce.

How to store leftover KFC famous bowl

Store – If possible, store each component in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. When ready to eat, be sure to heat up the mashed potatoes, gravy, and chicken before assembling.

Common questions

Let me know if you try this easy dinner recipe in the comments.

More delicious copycat recipes

• Copycat Taco Bell Breakfast Quesadilla
• Copycat McDonald’s Hot Mustard
• Copycat Wingstop Fries
• Copycat Zaxby’s Fries