Wondering why the fish disappeared from the Long John Silver’s sign?
Yeah, so was I. Now that Long John Silver’s is proudly slinging chicken above everything else, I figured I had to go give it a try. I’ve written about fast food for Cheapism for years, so I slid over to my local Silver’s, ordered every chicken dish on the menu, and tasted them. Here’s what I thought the new Long John Silver’s chicken menu.
When Did Long John Silver’s Become a Chicken Place?
Long John Silver’s started in 1969, but by 1978, chicken had already been added to the menu. Served as “planks,” these things are basically just tenders, fried in Silver’s signature thick, crispy batter.
In October 2025, Long John Silver’s went all-in on the chicken game, tossing a chicken up into the logo and rebranding as “Chicken + Seafood.” The place still sells fried fish and shrimp, but sadly, it feels like a white flag.
What Are the New Long John Silver’s Chicken Items?
Long John Silver’s is offering two new chicken items, and they’re smart to do it this way. Both of them are snack wraps, ever-popular these days, and both are built to let the chicken shine.
Each wrap comes with slaw (Long John Silver’s third-best side) and some extra pieces of fried batter, which LJS has dubbed “Crumblies.” The first, the Baja Chicken Wrap, comes with “Baja” sauce (essentially a lime crema) and the second, the Sweet Thai Chili Chicken Wrap, comes with Long John Silver’s take on an Asian sweet chili sauce.
Chicken Planks
This is the first time I’ve eaten chicken at Long John Silver’s, and I have to tell you, I’m impressed. This isn’t on the level of Popeyes or KFC (not even close, to be clear), but Long John’s truly isn’t bad. Definitely better than lower-tier chains like Zaxby’s and Bojangles. I like the jagged, uneven crunch that surrounds these things; they look like they were recently pulled, dripping with crispiness, out of some sizzling oil.
I can’t knock the chicken for this, so I will knock Silver himself: Why is your ranch dressing served in a squeeze packet? I thought we all agreed that the best way to shape for dipping was one of those tiny cups. I do not want to douse each bite of my tenders with ranch dressing like a burrito. I also don’t want to squeeze it into the corner of my tray, and then chase it around the surface all afternoon while I dip. These things matter.
Baja Chicken Wrap
I like what Silver’s has done with their chicken wraps. They’re sizable; you won’t be done in one or two bites like a few other snack wraps out there. The Baja sauce tastes like sour cream and lime, and with the fried chicken and the tortilla… Long John seems a little lost. He swapped the fish for chicken, then created a fish-taco-style dish and served it with chicken. This is good, but I feel bad for the guy. He’s really going through something right now.
Sweet Thai Chili Chicken Wrap
There’s never going to be a situation where you put an Asian sweet chili sauce in front of me and I don’t get excited. This wrap is in harmony, with good crunch from the chicken and slaw, and big flavor from the Thai chili sauce. I wish this were spicier, personally, but it’ll do. I’d even get this again.
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Is Long John Silver’s Chicken Any Good?
I’m stunned to say it, but yeah, Long John Silver’s chicken isn’t bad. It’s upper to mid-tier snack wrap material, that’s for sure, and the a la carte planks will satisfy any craving for fast-food tenders. This chicken is certainly better than the fish and the shrimp, so maybe this change isn’t the worst direction for Silver after all.
More Fast-Food Taste Tests From Cheapism
- I Tried Arby’s New Steak Nuggets and I Don’t Think I’ll Do It Again — Arby’s is testing the waters with a new menu of steak nuggets, but we’re not convinced most of it is worth your money.
- 10 Best Fast-Food French Fries, Ranked — See which chain came out on top in our fry-to-fry showdown.
- 10 Best Fast-Food Chicken Nuggets, Ranked — Long John Silver’s chicken is the new kid on the block. Find out how the other chicken nuggets measure up.
