Austin Fried Chicken

The Colonel and his empire might be cooked.

At least that’s the rumor, and it’s all due to finance manager Ron Douglas. The Long Island, New York man claims he’s almost figured out Kentucky Fried Chicken’s secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices the restaurant uses to season its chicken.

According to MSNC, Douglas, 34, has spent years attempting to reproduce KFC’s Original Recipe. He started by gathering clues on the Internet, experimenting in his kitchen and at one point even attempted to bribe workers at KFC for the recipe.

“They don’t know the recipe. The seasoning comes all prepackaged,” Douglas said.

But after years of trial and error, Douglas claims to have the secret to KFC’s successful fried chicken: The secret recipe that keeps millions coming back.

“We’ve done taste tests, and a lot of people can’t tell the difference,” Douglas said. “It’s very close.”

Of course, KFC has dismissed Douglas’ replication recipe.

“Plenty of people have tried to duplicate the recipe over the years, but there is still only one place to get authentic Original Recipe Chicken - at a KFC restaurant,” spokesman Rick Maynard said.

The KFC Web site says Sanders told no one the recipe until right before he died in 1980. Currently, the original recipe is kept in a safe in the company’s Louisville headquarters.

Douglas said he hasn’t got in any trouble with the chicken chain, and he doesn’t expect that he will.

“The recipes are my own — I use the names as a reference point so people know what they’re eating,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’m not taking away business from these big chains.”

Besides, Douglas says, people need chicken, even during a recession.

“I think the recession has really been good for me,” he said. “People want to eat these delicious meals without spending all the money. The demand is huge, and maybe this will lead to a cooking show. Now the sky’s the limit.”

That doesn’t deter Douglas, though. To display his efforts, Douglas created RecipeSecrets.net, which has recipes from many famous fast food chains, including Cracker Barrel’s sweet potato casserole, Outback Steakhouse’s coconut shrimp and Macaroni Grill’s chicken cannelloni.

He also has a new book, “America’s Most Wanted Recipes,” which was published recently by Simon and Schuster.

The book includes more than 200 recipes that copy the specialties of large restaurant chains including Olive Garden, the Cheesecake Factory and Red Lobster.