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Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken – a family favorite loved by everyone! Simple cornflake-crusted chicken baked up on a sheet pan until crispy and delicious. A double coat of crumbs is the secret. But my sauce…well it’s even more special. Sweet honey with the perfect combination of spices and sea salt. A delicious weeknight dinner to serve up to family and friends.
If there’s one recipe I was really excited to share this week, it’s this chicken. I know it’s not anything too out of the ordinary, but we love this recipe. My family always enjoys any kind of saucy baked chicken, but I usually do more of a buffalo-style sauce.
It’s a dinner everyone agrees on, so that makes my life easy!
Every so often, I’ll switch gears and do my version of a hot honey sauce. I’ve been making hot honey sauce for years and years, but this is my perfect sauce that came to be over trial and error.
Of course, it’s the simplest sauce, but I’ll never complain about simplicity when it comes to cooking!
Details
The coating is key. Cornflakes are the star, they give the chicken that perfect crunch. I’ve tested other cereals, but everyone in the family agrees cornflakes have the best taste and crunch.
I use Nature’s Path, Organic Corn Flakes Cereal, which is naturally gluten-free and non-GMO. I order online, but if you’re looking for something in-store, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are both good options.
And of course, you can use the box of regular ole’ cornflakes we all grew up with. Either one works, I just prefer the organic, no gluten, no sugar option.
Crunch the cornflakes up in a food processor with paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Then add the parmesan cheese. It may sound odd, but the cheese adds a salty flavor that melts over the chicken becoming crispy as it bakes.
Next, I dredge the chicken through eggs beaten together with hot sauce, then through the crumbs. For a thicker coating, I’ll take the chicken and dip it back through the eggs, and the crumbs for a 2nd time. This takes slightly longer, but the thicker coating is always delish.
Next, olive oil on the chicken to help it crisp up…then bake! I don’t do anything fancy, just bake 25 minutes and this chicken comes out perfect every time.
Totally no fuss.
Before the chicken is done, warm the honey on the stove with hot sauce, cayenne, and chipotle chili powder. The chili powder adds a very subtle smokiness to the sweet, spicy, salty sauce.
You can use as little or as much of the sauce as you’d like, but I end up drizzling every last drop of the sauce over the chicken. It’s SO DELICIOUS.
Herbs, then sea salt to finish. This really is the perfect hot honey chicken. Plus, I love how easy it is to prepare.
I serve this with sweet potato fries and my fav wintery salad. Highly recommend some crispy sweet potato fries on the side. So yummmy with the spicy sauce!
Looking for more recipes? Here are a few to try:
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels
Fried Buffalo Goat Cheese Balls
Baked Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Buffalo Cauliflower with Spicy Tahini Ranch
Lastly, if you make this Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 403 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 cups cornflakes (use gluten free, if needed)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Hot Honey
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1-3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- sea salt
- fresh thyme, cilantro, or parsley, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.2. In a food processor, combine the cornflakes, parmesan, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Pulse until you have fine crumbs. Alternatively, you can crush the crumbs in a ziplock bag by stepping on them. Dump the crumbs into a shallow bowl.3. Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the hot sauce and chicken, and toss well to coat. 3. Dredge the chicken through the crumbs, covering fully. Place on the prepared baking sheet. For a thicker coating, dip the chicken back through the eggs, then through the crumbs a 2nd time. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp all around. 4. Just before the chicken is done cooking, make the sauce. In a sauce pot, warm together the honey, hot sauce, cayenne, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder, plus a pinch of salt. 5. Drizzle the warm sauce over the chicken. Top with herbs. If the sauce thickens, warm for 5 seconds in the microwave. Enjoy!
This looks amazing, and I am ready to try it out this weekend. My kids have been requesting chicken and waffles. Do you think this chicken would go well for that application? Thanks for all of your amazing recipes. Look forward to them every day!
Hey Christy,
If your kids like spice then sure, if not, I probably wouldn’t suggest this recipe for them! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I made this last night and this recipe is a winner! It is easy to make and the hot honey is delicious! I served it with mashed sweet potatoes and garlic roasted broccoli.
Hey Kendra,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Recipe was a hit!
Even the toddler loved the chicken (without spicy glaze).
Used ritz crackers rather than corn flakes and it was great, and didn’t use olive oil. Still very crunchy, and didn’t get soggy.
Hey Maggie,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for making it! xT
Another winner from Tieghan. This one’s everything I wanted it to be. The ingredients listed as 1-3, I used 2. Spicy enough without ruining the flavor. I like hot, but not over powering.
I bought a 3.75 lb package of chicken breast, trimmed the fat off and fileted them so they’re thin. I added 1 egg and 1 tbsp of hot sauce to the pre-breading bowl and had enough of everything, including the honey sauce, with little to no waste.
Thanks again Tieghan!
Hey Jeff,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! xT
I loved the texture and taste of the top of the chicken breast, however the bottom side was soggy. What can I do to prevent that?
Hi Jo,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! I would bake on a wire rack so the bottom doesn’t get soggy for you. xT
I haven’t made this yet, but I just want to ask: Does drizzling olive oil really give you the beautiful golden brown exterior pictured? Or is there a trick for getting this other than frying in oil?
Hi Erin,
The olive oil should really crisp up the chicken and brown the outside nicely. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I made this last night. I used Frank’s Red Hot for the hot sauce, and 1 tsp cayenne in the hot honey and it was perfect for me. I used the (gasp!) Kraft parmesan as I had read somewhere that it works better than fresh grated for crunchy type coatings. My husband doesn’t like sauces so he just had the chicken in the crumbs, while my daughter and I added the hot honey. Everyone liked it a lot. My daughter would have been okay with more cayenne but I erred on the side of being a bit milder for my first attempt. I noticed a couple people say they thought this needed more seasoning but I did not find that at all. Mind you, I threw the chicken in the eggs and hot sauce first, then proceeded with making the corn flake crumb mixture, so it had a little time to marinate before moving on. I also had cut the breasts and thighs into smaller pieces so that I’d get lots of the egg/crumb on each piece and used a sprayer to apply the oil so it wouldn’t be too fatty but would still crisp well. I served it with roasted squash wedges that got a little bit of the hot honey drizzle.
Hey Cindy,
Happy Wednesday! ❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
What kind of hot sauce is best? There are so many!!
Hi Colleen,
I like to use Frank’s Hot Sauce. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Total winner for me. So yummy. Leftovers made for yummy sandwiches too.
Hey Raquel,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
These are amazing! I am gluten free and miss eating chicken prepared this way.
The sauce is the bomb!
Hey Angela,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
This recipe is chefs kiss! Was quick, flavorful and will be added to our dinner rotation. The hot honey sauce is SO good! Served with sweet potato fries and salad. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Wednesday! ❄️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
This was a miss for me. The chicken was crunchy on top but soggy underneath. Keeping it the oven longer would have dried out the chicken. Overall, the chicken meat moist but it didn’t have a lot of oomph. And we ended up adding more hot sauce to the honey.
Hi Theresa,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
I wanted to like this much more than I did. The texture on the outside of the chicken was too firm while every thing just tasted a little flat. I even seasoned the chicken before the dredge, so it shouldn’t have lacked flavor, but I think the double coating of crumbs just may have been too much/covered the seasoning more than it should’ve. Maybe more parm/seasoning in general would help. It just needs so much seasoning as opposed to panko. For the added calories and lack of flavor, I’d just stick to the breadcrumbs next time.
Hi Jess,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed! xx
This was a winner. The sauce was delicious and definitely NOT too hot even though I put three teaspoons of cayenne pepper in it (we like things hot in our family). The chicken was nice and crispy. I’ve tried baking chicken and having it crispy, but this is the first time it worked. think it might be the drizzling of olive oil. Super tasty! Will make it again.
Hey Jacquelyn,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx
This got a 10/1o from my husband! I will definitely be featuring this in my next newsletter + recipe roundup! (whatnatisdoing.com)
Hey Natalie,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and thanks so much for trying it out! xx