Long John Silvers Chicken
on Jul 19, 2023, Updated Jan 29, 2024
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If you are a fan of Long John Silvers Chicken Planks you will want to try this recipe. I will show you how to make the batter just like the restaurant uses. It’s a copycat chicken tender recipe that you will make again and again.
Long John Silvers batter is unique, full of flavor and results in a crispy, crunchy and puffy coating. Make these famous restaurant quality deep fried chicken planks at home with our CopyCat recipe. Serve them with French Fries, Hushpuppies or Corn on the Cob.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this CopyCat Long John Silvers Chicken recipe
- If you’re a big fan of batter fried chicken, our Copycat Long John Silvers Chicken Batter recipe is a simple and tasty way to make it at home..
- It’s cheaper to make LJS Chicken at home versus going out and picking it up at the restaurant. Swap the chicken tenderloins out for sliced chicken breast and it gets even less expensive!
- Our Chicken Planks recipe pairs with all sorts of sides and sauces. Keep that oil warm and you can even cook up some french fries, onion rings or hush puppies as soon as your chicken is cooked.
Long John Silvers Chicken Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need for this fried chicken recipe are pretty simple. You might even have most of them already!
- Chicken Tenderloins – Chicken tenderloins are probably the best cut of chicken for this recipe. It’s going to be a bit more tender than something like a chicken breast and usually end up being juicier and moist after cooking them.
- Flour – Basic all purpose flour should work here.
- Cornstarch
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder – Usually, you’ll see recipes call for either baking soda or baking powder. This is one of those recipes where we’ll use both. The combo is going give our batter that crispy and airy finish that we want.
- Salt
- Sugar
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
You’re also going to need some frying oil to fry the chicken in. To keep your Copycat Long John Silvers Chicken authentic, you’ll want to go with canola oil- this is what LJS says they use. Some people say that beef tallow is also used at some locations so maybe use one, the other, or a combination of the two.
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See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Long John Silvers Chicken
After you get your ingredients together, making Long John Silvers batter for chicken planks is pretty easy. Here’s all you need to do:
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl before stirring in water to make a batter.
- Let your oil heat up to 360-375 degrees before dipping chicken in batter to coat completely. Once coated, carefully set batter-coated chicken into hot frying oil.
- Allow chicken to deep fry for about 3 minutes per side until batter has reached a golden brown color. Remove from oil once cooked and optionally sprinkle with extra salt while still hot.
Substitutions
Having some trouble finding the ingredients for? Try these substitutions:
- Chicken Tenderloins – Chicken tenderloins can be a bit expensive sometimes so they might not be the best choice for some folks. With that in mind, you could substitute in chicken breast- just cut into smaller strips. We’d avoid using chicken thigh, mostly due to the difference in flavor.
- Frying Oil – Your choice in frying oil isn’t really important in this recipe. As long as you’re going with a neutral frying oil like vegetable oil, sunflower oil, or grapeseed oil, you should be fine. You might even be able to get away with peanut oil or corn oil- note that these oils might flavor your LJS Chicken a little bit, so keep that in mind.
Variations
Need a few ways to mix this recipe up? Here are a couple of ideas for changing our chicken up a bit:
- Long John Silver’s Fish – If you’ve looked at this recipe long enough, you’ll notice that our Long John Silvers Batter is the star of the show. With that in mind, you could easily try making some Fish! In terms of fish, go with cod, pollock, or your favorite white fish.
- Beer Battered Chicken – While Long John Silvers Chicken Batter doesn’t use beer, there’s nothing stopping you from making this into a beer batter. The extra carbonation and beer’s ability to evaporate quicker will create an even crispier batter if done right. Don’t want to use beer? Adding club soda to batter should work well too! Just sub out the water with whatever bubbly beverage you are using.
Storage / Freezing
Storage: Like any other cooked chicken, our Chicken Planks should keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Keep them in an airtight bag or container to keep them preserved for as long as possible. We’d definitely recommend reheating very quickly in a hot oven or air fryer to keep the chicken from drying out while the batter coating crisps back up.
Freezing: You can also freeze your Chicken Tenders once they’re cooked. Let cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container. Kept frozen, they’ll be good for another 6 months. Reheat however you prefer, but quick high heat will help the batter crisp up and the chicken stay moist.
Top tip
Use the leftover Long John Silver’s Batter to make the little “crispies” they often include. Just drop little bits of batter into the oil and remove as soon as they change to a golden brown color.
FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about Long John Silver’s chicken.
Long John Silver’s is a fast-food restaurant chain found all over the country. They are known for their tasty seafood like fish and shrimp. However, they also offer chicken on their menu, including fried chicken planks.
Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer, deep pan, dutch oven or skillet to around 375°F (190°C). Carefully place the battered chicken into the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry the chicken for about 3 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
Long John Silver’s offers many classic sides such as French fries, coleslaw, onion rings, hush puppies, or corn on the cob. You can also pair it with dipping sauces. I shared a few towards the bottom of this post.
Other Chicken Recipes
Looking for other chicken recipes? Try these:
CopyCat Recipes
Here are some other restaurant Copy Cat recipes?
If your family likes to dip their chicken planks consider serving with Ranch dressing, Homemade Tartar Sauce, 3 Ingredient BBQ Sauce or even a Chick-fil-A Sauce.
CopyCat Long John Silver’s Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Tenderloins
- 3/4 cup Flour
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 3/4 cup Water
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
- Add water and stir until a blended.
- Heat oil to between 360 and 375.
- Dip fish or chicken in batter to coat completely.
- Deep fry for until golden brown (about 3 minutes per side).
- Sprinkle with Salt
I fix some deep fried chicken today using this recipe and Soybean Oil which gives it that distinctive LJS taste, since it also use Soybean Oil. And it is much better than the Long John Silvers. I put the chicken on paper towels to get some of the oil out so the chicken didn’t taste greasy. However, the first batch just wasn’t salty enough so I added more salt. While there was an improvement on the second batch I still had to add more salt for the 3rd batch and the third batch was perfect. I will be adding 1 1/8 tsps of salt the next time I make it. You also need to improve your comment section.
They don’t use soybean oil. They use canola oil at their restaurants.
When I fried my battered dipped fish today using this recipe, I used 100% soybean oil that I bought on ebay. And my fish tasted just like what you would get in Long John Silver who also use soybean oil. Even my house smelled like Long John Silvers which I really loved.
I have tried other oils like peanut oil or canola oil but there was always something missing when it came to that Long John Silver taste.
I just made me some deep fried Fish using this batter recipe. And if you want this recipe to tasted like Long John Silver’s than it is a must that you deep fry it in 100% soybean oil. Makes all the difference because other oils don’t cut it when it comes to getting the same taste as Long John Silvers. Even my house smells like the Long John Silvers Restaurant which I love to smell.
Oh I love me some Long John Silvers! Thanks for sharing at the Monday Funday Party. – Emily
Oh boy, these look so perfect and we don’t have a LJS near us anymore! I used to love it and I know I’d love these regardless if fish or chicken :D Thank you for sharing this recipe with us at Funtastic Friday!
It is important that you fry your fish or chicken in 100% soybean oil which can be bought on ebay. You will definitely get that Long John Silvers taste. You don’t get this specific taste from other oils because I’ve tried other oils.
i thought i might try it with length wise thin cut zucchini. i will salt them first to remove extra moisture and use canola oil for a quicker heat time. i just need a good frying apparatus. i love Long John Silvers for the chicken planks, hush puppies, and crispy,s. i love the fish as well. but????? oh – the batter.
I tried these and they taste great, but what is the secret so they do stick to the bottom on the pan?
Are you pan frying or deep frying? If you deep fry them they shouldn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Mine did something awful it’s a great batter but I used the deep fryer and it still stuck
i deep fried mine in a basket, they looked beautiful, however, when I tipped basket over to put them on serving platter, they were stuck to bottom of basket. And they do not taste like LJS. Chicken needs seasoning. These were just plain bland.
Hi Momma! I am sorry that you were not a fan. I use a pan to deep fry because the batter will not set up well if it is in a basket. My family loves them, I am sorry that you did not care for the seasoning.
I had the same problem, and I used my deep fryer
I’m Going to try this but don’t have the tenderloins just the breasts so I’m hoping that by slicing them I can get the same effect. You failed to mention the other thing that makes these so GREAT and that’s the ‘crunchys’ that they toss in with each serving. Long John Silvers arrived in Seattle just as we were about to move to Iowa so I only had it a couple times before we moved here. My Partner thought I was crazy for going gaga over it given what we had access to there but there is one here and I get it once in awhile. He’s not a huge fan but I am I hope this works. I’m going to drizzle some of the batter into the fryer for the crunchys and see how that works. Just found your blog thru Pinterest. Thank you
You will get a zillion ‘crunchy’s’ every time you fix these.
I thought they were famous for FISH?
They are! But- have you tried the chicken? It’s amazing!
What kind of oil do you use? We have Capt. D’s here, which is similar. I heard they use pancake batter and soda water.