KFC’s “Original Recipe” trademark, which it says is a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, has long been part of the company’s branding. The blend is closely guarded, and the company calls it one of the most “iconic trade secrets in the food industry.” It first trademarked the phrase in 1984.

KFC has sued Church's Texas Chicken, accusing the rival fast-food chain of violating its trademark rights in the phrase "Original Recipe."

Artifacts from the family of Col. Harland Sanders contained fried chicken recipes, but KFC has insisted the one with the correct 11 herbs and spices is kept secure in its headquarters.

Church's Chicken has recently begun advertising some new chicken, bragging about the fact that they've gone back to the "original recipe." This is famously what KFC calls its fried chicken, in reference to Harland Sanders' original recipe.

The San Antonio-born brand has been celebrating the return of its "legendary original recipe" in recent marketing.

KFC is taking one of its smaller rivals to court, suing Church's Texas Chicken for allegedly violating its trademark rights by using the phrase "original recipe" in pitching its fried poultry products.

The phrase "Our original recipe is back" doesn't seem a likely one to inspire litigation, and yet here we are. As CNN reports, iconic purveyor of all things fried chicken, KFC, has filed a lawsuit against Church's Texas Chicken—not over its swiping of the fast-food holy grail of 11 herbs and spices (which remains a state,

KFC has filed a lawsuit against Church's Texas Chicken for allegedly violating its trademark rights by using the term "original recipe" in its advertising.