Hot Honey Chicken

If you’ve missed our go to Hot Honey Recipe which is perfect on ALL dishes, like seriously ALL, this is the time to make it! The condiment is also great for gifting, for potlucks and keeps forever in your pantry!

We’ve shared it with Honey Glazed Salmon and you all LOVED it, and with Roasted Butternut Squash. Even squash haters loved that recipe, thanks to the Hot Honey Recipe. It makes a stunning centrepiece for the Holidays and Thanksgiving! 

Aside from that sweet kick, you have the crisp chicken. You can use our viral recipe for Chicken Fingers which is the BEST fried chicken tenders ever, along with Korean Fried Chicken Strips. Today however we’re sharing two AMAZING ways for crisp chicken: Baked and Air fryer.

Why You’ll LOVE Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

• The texture of the crispy chicken is phenomenal, thanks to a coating of cornflakes.
• It’s baked or air fried, so it feels light as air!
• The combo of sweet, sticky and spicy is OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious!
• Our hot honey chicken tenders are super juicy, thanks to a secret mayo coating.
• Start to finish, this recipe requires 20 minutes only!
• It’s a kid and adult favorite (just remove the hot honey for the kids, and have them coat it in ranch).
• Can be easily prepared in advanced, storage and reheating is a breeze, and makes weeknight dinners a breeze!

Ingredients You Need

Chicken

• Chicken tenders, either store bought or cut up at home. This recipe is best made using chicken breasts, and don’t worry it will be just as juicy!

Wet Coating

• Mayo. The secret ingredient to juicy chicken tenders. We use Avocado mayo as it’s the healthiest and this brand is our fave!
• Egg. This is the binder for the wet coating.
• Garlic. Fresh garlic is best!
• Spices and seasoning. Salt and pepper would be enough, but we love adding an Italian seasoning blend to it. Youc an get that store bought or make it at home –similar to the spice rub we used with our Turkey Tenderloin Recipe.

Dry/Crunch Coating

• Cornflakes. Since this is a baked hot honey chicken, the crunchiest coating would be from cornflakes. 
• Seasoning: We use the exact same spice bend as above. 
• Parmesan cheese. Optional, but it adds a a depth of flavor to the coating that you can’t miss! 

How to Make Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

These steps at first apply to both ways, baking or air frying. So you’ll first prep the chicken and then decide which way to cook it. If you’re going to fry, then follow the recipe and video for Chicken Fingers or Korean Fried Chicken Strips.

1. Start by preparing the coating. First , the dry. Crush the cornflakes in a ziploc using a rolling pin or food processor. Then add it to a shallow plate and toss the seasoning with it. Mix well and set aside. 
   
2. Now the wet. In a similar shallow plate mix in the mayo, eggs, spices, minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon and some fresh herbs if you have them! They always add a fresh touch.
   
3. Then you’re going to prepare you chicken. You can buy store bought chicken tenders and use them as is. Alternatively you can slice your chicken breasts into tenders and use them. Either way it’s best to use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
4. Now the coating process begins.
   
5. Start by placing the chicken, one at a time into the wet mixture and coat it well on all sides.
   
6. Then remove the piece of chicken and immediately place it into the plate of cornflakes and coat it well on both sides. Press the flakes to make sure  they stick.
7. Now you can either go for the bake option or air fry, both detailed below.

Baked Hot Honey Chicken

1. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F. 
   
2. Spray your baking sheet lightly with oil. We also prefer avocado oil spray here. 
3. Place the coated chicken in a single layer on the baking dish. This is KEY.
4. Spray another spray of the oil over the chicken.
5. Bake until golden, crisp and fully cooked through. 
   
6. As soon as it’s ready and still hot, you’re going to drizzle some of our Hot Honey Recipe over the top. Use as much or as little to your taste.

Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken

1. You don’t need to preheat the air fryer as you would with an oven.
2. Here we use the basket type air fryers, because they’re our favorite. 
3. Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil. 
   
4. Likewise arrange the chicken in a SINGLE layer in the basket. 
5. Spray the tops of the chicken with some oil. 
   
6. Air Fry at 375 degrees until crisp, golden and cooked through.
7. Remove from the air fryer and  while they’re still hot, drizzle some hot honey on top.

Spicy Chicken Recipes

Orange Chicken
Chicken Fingers
Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Ground Chicken Tacos
Chicken Scallopini
Air Fryer Chicken Breast

5 from 10 votes

Print

Hot Honey Chicken

This is the Hot Honey Chicken of your dreams! Crisp chicken baked in the oven or air fryer and then drizzled with our Homemade Hot Honey Recipe. SO GOOD! Seriously crispy chicken tenders with a sweet, sticky and spicy kick--you'll be making this over and over! 

Course main, Main Course, Main Dish, sandwich

Cuisine American, Nashville

Keyword air fryer recipes, chicken breast recipes, chicken recipes, hot honey, hot honey chicken, hot honey chicken recipe, hot honey chicken sandwich, hot honey chicken tenders, spicy chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 2

Calories 899 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

Chicken

• 3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless

Wet Coating

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise we use avocado oil mayo
• 1 egg
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 lemon juiced

Dry Coating

• 3 cup cornflakes crushed
• 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoos Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

To Bake or Air Fry

• Avocado oil Spray

To Serve

• 1 hot honey RECIPE HERE

Instructions

1. Start by preparing the coating. First , the dry. Crush the cornflakes in a ziploc using a rolling pin or food processor. Then add it to a shallow plate and toss the seasoning with it. Mix well and set aside.
   
2. Now the wet. In a similar shallow plate mix in the mayo, eggs, spices, minced garlic, a squeeze of lemon and some fresh herbs if you have them! They always add a fresh touch.
   
3. Then you're going to prepare you chicken. You can buy store bought chicken tenders and use them as is. Alternatively you can slice your chicken breasts into tenders and use them. Either way it's best to use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
   
4. Start by placing the chicken, one at a time into the wet mixture and coat it well on all sides.
   
5. Then remove the piece of chicken and immediately place it into the plate of cornflakes and coat it well on both sides. Press the flakes to make sure  they stick.
   
6. Baked Hot Honey Chicken
7. Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.
8. Spray your baking sheet lightly with oil. We also prefer avocado oil spray here.
   
9. Place the coated chicken in a single layer on the baking dish. This is KEY.
10. Spray another spray of the oil over the chicken.
    
11. Bake until golden, crisp and fully cooked through.
12. As soon as it's ready and still hot, you're going to drizzle some of our Hot Honey Recipe over the top. Use as much or as little to your taste.
13. Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken
14. You don't need to preheat the air fryer as you would with an oven.
15. Here we use the basket type air fryers, because they're our favorite.
    
16. Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil.
17. Likewise arrange the chicken in a SINGLE layer in the basket.
    
18. Spray the tops of the chicken with some oil.
19. Air Fry at 375 degrees until crisp, golden and cooked through.
20. Remove from the air fryer and  while they're still hot, drizzle some hot honey on top.
    

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Tips for Hot Honey Chicken Recipe

1. Have your Hot Honey Recipe made ahead of time. It keeps in the pantry for a year so make plenty of it! Use it on  Salmon , Squash,  Fries,  Salad, anything!
2. Use boneless skinless chicken breasts which you can cut up into tender size pieces if you can't find chicken tenders.
3. Make sure your chicken is all the same size so it cooks evenly.
4. Adding Mayonnaise to the coating makes the chicken breasts super juicy! 
5. The cornflakes is best when crushed before coating the chicken. you can use a food processor or a rolling pin and ziploc.
6. Make sure to cook the chicken ALWAYS in a single layer. This applies to oven or air fryer method.
7. While both oven and air fryer hot honey chicken are the same, we slightly prefer the air fryer as it cooks faster. 
8. Drizzle the hot honey over the cooked chicken tenders while they're still HOT. This helps them soak in all the sauce.
9. Serve right away as or make the Nashville style hot honey chicken sandwich as shown below. 

 Make Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich

We LOVED this sandwich that we shared on instagram. We made Mayo biscuits, used that as bread to make hot honey chicken sandwiches Nashville style. A layer of chicken sauce (store bought is great especially the new chosen foods sauces! YUM). Then layer lettuce,  hot honey chicken tenders and some pickles. SO GOOD!!!! So easy and cute size for entertaining!

What to Serve with Hot Honey Chicken?

Zucchini Fries, or any type of  French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries. Potatoes are a great side dish, like Air Fryer Baked Potato, Pan Fried Potatoes, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
.

Salad are SUPER side dish like Peach Burrata Salad, Panzanella Salad, Wedge Salad, Caprese Salad. 

If you're looking for authentic biscuit recipe, check out tutorial on How To Make Biscuits. 

Make in Advance & Storage

This recipe is so good for making n advance. The chicken can be coated and placed in a single layer on a baking sheet and covered. Then you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking or air frying. 

Leftovers are great for sandwiches, lunch, and so easy to reheat. To reheat, it's best to use an air fryer. Set the sir fryer at 350, and reheat the chicken for 5-7 minutes until heated through and crisp just as if it was fresh.

Nutrition Facts

Hot Honey Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 899 Calories from Fat 549

% Daily Value*

Fat 61g94%

Saturated Fat 14g88%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 27g

Monounsaturated Fat 16g

Cholesterol 339mg113%

Sodium 3.234mg0%

Potassium 1.443mg0%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 88g176%

Vitamin A 1.249IU0%

Vitamin C 14mg17%

Calcium 385mg39%

Iron 15mg83%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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