Captain Crunch Chicken (Planet Hollywood Copycat)
Captain Crunch chicken is a fun copycat Planet Hollywood recipe that turns a classic childhood favorite cereal into a crunchy, slightly sweet chicken coating. It’s easy to make this nostalgic dinner or appetizer right at home any night of the week.
If you ever ordered this dish at Planet Hollywood, you already know how iconic it is.
Crunchy and slightly sweet coating gives this Captain Crunch chicken tenders big texture and flavor.
And dunking it into some Creole style mustard sauce just ups that flavor game even more.
Better yet?
It comes together in under an hour for a fun family-friendly dinner that feels just different enough to keep things interesting.
Making it will get everyone running to the table!
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Captain Crunch– Just the original Capn Crunch cereal. Avoid peanut butter or berry flavors.
- Cornflakes– Regular Cornflakes to go in the breading.
- Flour– All purpose
- Seasoning– Garlic powder and salt
- Eggs– For dredging
- Milk
- Chicken tenders– Trim any excess fat off.
- Oil– For frying
And for the mustard sauce you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise– Real, full fat mayonnaise and not mayonnaise style dressing.
- Mustard– Dijon
- Cajun seasoning– Your favorite spice blend
- Honey
How to Make
Captain Crunch chicken is very easy to make!
Start by heating a pot of at least 2” of neutral cooking oil to 350 F.
Then, crush the cereals together in a large ziplocking bag by using a rolling pin or meat mallet until only fine crumbs remain.
Set up a breading station by whisking together the flour and seasoning in one shallow bowl, whisking together the eggs and milk in a second shallow bowl, and pouring the cereal into a final shallow bowl.
Dip each piece of chicken in the flour first, shaking off any excess, followed by the egg mixture, and finally the cereal mixture.
Repeat this until you’ve breaded all the chicken.
Carefully place a small batch of breaded chicken into the hot oil and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165 F.
When the first batch is done, carefully remove them from the hot oil and set them on a rack on top of a baking sheet while you cook the rest.
Once all the chicken is fried, make the sauce by whisking together the mayo, mustard, cajun seasoning, and honey in a separate bowl.
Serve with the hot chicken tenders and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
Reheat in a hot oven until they are warmed through.
Freezing Instructions
For best results, freeze the chicken after it’s cooked and cooled completely, since the coating holds up better that way.
To freeze them, put breaded chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet to flash freeze, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container with as much air removed as possible.
When you’re ready to reheat them, bake at 375°F until heated through, or air fry at 350°F for a few minutes, flipping once.
They will stay good in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a cooking thermometer to check the temperature of the oil.
- Don’t overcrowd the oil when you are frying the chicken. Putting too much chicken in will lower the temperature of the oil and cause it to cook unevenly.
- When you reheat this, don’t microwave it. The coating will get sort of soggy whereas if you air fry it or bake it in the oven to reheat it the coating will crisp back up.
Other Chicken Recipes
Captain Crunch chicken is a delicious, spot on copycat of Planet Hollywood’s Crunch Chicken.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other nostalgic chicken recipes?
Try these:
- Burger King’s Chicken Fries
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Potato Flake Chicken
- Chicken Snack Wraps
- Easy Chicken Cobbler
- Smothered Chicken Skillet
If you’ve tried this CAPTAIN CRUNCH CHICKEN or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Captain Crunch Chicken (Planet Hollywood Copycat)
Ingredients
For The Chicken
- 3 cups capn crunch
- 1 cup cornflakes
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- Oil for frying
For The Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
To Make The Chicken
- Heat a pot of at least 2” of neutral cooking oil to 350 FOil for frying
- In a large ziplock bag, crush the capn crunch and cornflakes together using a rolling pin or meat mallet until only fine crumbs remain3 cups capn crunch, 1 cup cornflakes
- Prepare the breading station by emptying the capn crunch crumbs into a shallow bowl, whisking together the flour, salt and garlic powder in a separate shallow bowl, and finally the eggs and milk in a final separate shallow bowl.½ cup flour, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup milk
- Dip the chicken in first the flour, shaking off any excess, followed by the egg mixture, and finally the capn crunch mixture.1 lb chicken tenders
- Carefully place into the hot oil and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until at least 165 F, being careful not to crowd the pot. You will need to work in batches.
- Carefully remove from the hot oil once they are cooked through, then place on a rack on top of a baking sheet while the rest are cooked.
To Make The Dipping Sauce
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, mustard, cajun seasoning, and honey.¼ cup mayo, 2 tablespoons dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon honey
- Serve with the hot chicken tenders
Notes
- Use a cooking thermometer to check the temperature of the oil.
- Don't overcrowd the oil when you are frying the chicken. Putting too much chicken in will lower the temperature of the oil and cause it to cook unevenly.
- When you reheat this, don't microwave it. The coating will get sort of soggy whereas if you air fry it or bake it in the oven to reheat it the coating will crisp back up.
Nutrition
