If you were restricted to 5 ingredients beyond W&B Pepper ..

This is essentially my dilemma. A mix can achieve the KFC OR taste the first and possibly the second day. But the third and fourth days begin to deviate from certain spices, whether it’s much of a certain or perhaps not belonging in the first place.
Perhaps a certain ratio of salt, water to oil has to be achieved to maintain the character of the cooked product.

Each batch for me is another experimental trial. It’s certain that the commercial products contain preservatives that prolong its qualities. So, it’s another quality to match when trying to rectify the original KFC.
I reserve some cut pieces to observe how time affects it.
I’m thinking that an addition of starch to the marinade may hold more moisture to the meat.
Another quality that I noticed is how sometimes the bones darken when as it dries.

I'm still speculatively probing the essence of Showcase Meats Chicken in Akron, Ohio. Simply the best KFC OR_like throwback chicken I've ever experienced. I'll even go so far as to say that it beats the Colonel's early franchise era chicken at it's own game. To come close, I feel that the boundaries of both it's Pepper nature and it's Nut_Character_Like nature must first be pushed near (to perhaps beyond) their limits, while unhindered by Ginger, Herbs, and Garlic. These can come into play later, but only if actually needed.

Peppernut Fried Chicken, 1.0
(February 15, 2024)

200. g. Flour
34.0 g. Salt
----------------
4.00 g. MSG
4.00 g. Black Pepper (Medium Coarse, Unground)
3.00 g. White Pepper
2.00 g. Dextrose
1.33 g. Coriander Seed [1]
0.75 g. Pizza Pepper Flakes [2]
0.33 g. Mace [3]
0.33 g. Nutmeg [4]
0.25 g. Clove [5]

16 grams below the dashed line

Formalized: