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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!
Ingredients
- cornflakes
- grated parmesan cheese
- smoked paprika
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- large eggs, beaten
- tablespoons hot sauce
- chicken breast tenderloins
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
HOT HONEY
- honey
- hot sauce
- cayenne pepper
- chipotle chili powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- sea salt
- fresh thyme, cilantro, or parsley, for serving
Details
The coating is key for this hot honey chicken recipe. 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!
For leftovers, save the rest of your chicken in an airtight container and bake the next day or heat up in the air fryer.
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!
Yummmm! Crispy, crunchy, spicy honey chicken. And that sauce! Its what dreams are made of. This chicken dish was delicious. My whole family agreed. I paired it with the sweet potato fries and then a goat cheese and beet salad with a dijon balsamic dressing. I will make this entire meal again soon.
Hey Lexi,
Happy Monday!! ☀️⛅️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Made this tonight and it was so simple, but full of flavor!!! Loved the sauce on top! And the sweet potato fries are a must. Perfect combo! HBH never disappoints!
Hi Amy,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I can’t have dairy – do you reckon this would still be tasty without the parmesan?
Hi Melonie,
Yes, that will be just fine for you to do! Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
DELICIOUS. We dredged in flour before egg – turned out perfectly.
Hey Shelby,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:)
How much of the cornflakes if I alrady have them finely crushed?
Hey Nicole,
I would say about 3 cups of cornflakes. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Loved this! Was curious as to what hot sauce you used? Thank ya!
Hey Zoe,
Happy Wednesday! ⛅️🌈 I’m so glad to hear that this recipe worked well for you and I appreciate you giving it a try! I like to use Frank’s Hot Sauce. xx
Yum! Super easy and very tasty. The sauce is really just amazing! I put my chicken on a wire rack once done cooking and poured the sauce over then flipped and repeat, stayed in the oven for a couple minutes just to get the sauce to coat, but my gosh these are good. Thanks Tiegan! 2 for 2 on your recipes so far!
Hey Rebeca,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:)
I followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect. So quick and easy! The crust stuck to the chicken no problem at all!
Hey Jordan,
Happy Wednesday! ⛅️🌈 I’m so glad to hear that this recipe worked well for you and I appreciate you giving it a try! xx
This looks delicious! I’d like to have a little heat in the sauce but don’t keep hot sauce on hand because it’s too hot for me. I think the spices could give it some heat, but do I need to replace the hot sauce with another liquid just for consistency?
Hi Ashley,
I’ve never tested this recipe without the hot sauce, I would try one of my other chicken recipes:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/baked-chicken-nuggets/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/baked-spicy-ranch-chicken-fingers/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/honey-mustard-pretzel-chicken-fingers/
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
So good! I’ve made this twice now. The first time I forgot to do a second coating of cornflakes (still delicious), but the second time I remembered. Loved it! I tried the honey sauce from one of your other recipes to have slightly less heat than this one, and it was perfect!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Wednesday!!🌈 🐇 I am so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing your feedback and trying it out! xT
Made this last week for my wife. Very, very good but it has created an issue at the house; it’s all she wants to eat now! Great job as always.
Hey Daniel,
Fantastic!!🐣 LOL thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! Will definitely make it again! My husband said “it’s a keeper “! Love your recipes ❤️
Hey Janet,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
I am a huge HBH fan, but these were out of this world. Even without the hot sauce (too hot for my family) it was so good! Just had to comment.
Hey Jody,
Happy Sunday!💐 I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a hit! xT
This looks wonderful, and I am planning on trying it, but I have a question… The recipe calls for chicken breast tenderloins… To me tenderloins from the breast are long skinny pieces, whereas these seem to be more in the shape of thighs… I have never seen tenderloins that look like these in your recipe, so could you please clarify? Thank you so much. 😊
Hi Pam,
You can use chicken tenderloins or chicken breasts, but just make sure they are thin and well pounded out:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Made this dish this week. I am not a big honey fan and I loved it! It was easy and one of those things that you have everything on hand for… will definitely make it again!
Hi Sharon,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and sharing your comment! xx
Made this tonight and it was a hit! To me, the thyme is everything! My execution was poor and it won’t win any beauty pageants since I was rushing to feed kids before they were off to practice, but it was so delicious! Came together fast enough to make it a realistic meal for a sports night, but would also be elevated enough to serve dinner guests. A keeper at our house, for sure!
Hey Karla,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and sharing your comment! xx
Easy and delicious! My picky little kids also loved it and asked me to make it again. I did sub buttermilk for the hot sauce mixed with the egg to keep it mild for them and kept the hot honey on the side. It did take longer to cook before it was crispy and I had to flip it at 20 min because the bottoms were mushy. I think next time I’ll do it in the air fryer to help the bottoms stay crispy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Lauren,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Wow! Such an awesome recipe! Everything was so flavorful and tender. I didn’t have a problem with toppings coming off. One of the best chickens I’ve made in awhile!
Hi Heather,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and sharing your comment! xx