KFC Sues Church’s Texas Chicken Over ‘Original Recipe’

Church’s Texas Chicken‘s use of the words “Original Recipe” in its advertising has been hard for the Colonel to swallow.

KFC filed a lawsuit after claiming a letter they sent on October 24 objecting to Church’s ads that boast “our original recipe is back” was ignored.

CNN reports that the phrase “original recipe” has been used by KFC for more than 50 years. The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Texas, notes that the wording “is likely to create confusion in the marketplace and dilute the ORIGINAL RECIPE® Mark.”

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As many of us know, KFC’s “Original Recipe” is a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices. KFC calls their blend one of the most “iconic trade secrets in the food industry” and first trademarked the phrase in 1984.

Church’s has not commented on the lawsuit, but a KFC spokesperson released a statement — and it was extra crispy: “On behalf of all fried chicken lovers out there, we take it personally when another company tries to claim our iconic taste and branding as their own.”

Make no mistake, Colonel Sanders is ready for war.

KFC was ranked #12 on 2024’s Franchise 500 list. That’s up one spot from the previous year.

Church’s has 786 locations in the U.S.

Related: 10 Surprising Ways KFC’s Innovation and Marketing Have Propelled the Brand to Worldwide Success