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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.
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If there’s one recipe I was really excited to share this week, it’s this hot 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 Nashville 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. Crushed 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 tenders becoming crispy as it bakes.
Next, I dredge the chicken through eggs beaten together with hot sauce, then through the crumbs mixture. 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 in a small saucepan 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
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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This chicken is amazing. Make it right now. My husband said 10/10 make it again. High praise.
Thank you SO much for trying out this recipe! Loveee to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
This recipe is so good! Very crispy and the hot honey really makes them! I’ve made it once and my husband loved it so I’m making it again tonight. Question- in the photo those don’t look like the chicken tenderloins in my grocery store, are those cut up chicken breasts?
Hi Faith! Yes, I usually use either cut up chicken breasts or I use tenderloins! xT
The recipe is GREAT but I do have to say your website suffers from an all too common problem: It’s practically unreadable/unnavigable due to all the pop up ads, menu fly outs, mailing list solicitations, and unwanted auto-play video tiles. It’s like sifting through a chaotic mess of unwanted distractions just to read a recipe. Not great…..
Hi there! Thank you so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it! I definitely want to make sure you’re having a good experience with the blog so I will look into how this can be improved! xT
This has quickly become a favourite at our house! We are loving trying recipes from your site every week. Thanks for providing such family friendly recipes with items we most often have on hand.
Thank you sooo much Natasha! xT
Hi Tieghan,
This recipe was such a hit. My husband and I made it tonight and can’t wait to make it again.
Easy to make, perfect seasoning, yummy honey sauce.
The fact that it’s baked in the oven makes this a keeper for sure.
So glad you enjoyed this hot honey chicken Virginia! xT
Loved making this recipe! I couldn’t think of a good side so I did mashed potatoes. Now I see you said sweet potato fries! I’ll try that next. Do you have any other recommendations to go with it? This was so so yummy. I’ll definitely be making the recipe again.
Hi there! A yummy coleslaw or side salad would be delicious! 🙂 xT
Delicious!!!! As always, your recipes do not disappoint. Husband loved it. Loved the suggestion to double coat the chicken – really makes a difference. And the hot honey sauce is sooooo good!
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have a great rest of your week! 🙂 xT
I don’t typically like hot honey chicken but this was fantastic. Simple in ingredients and pretty darn easy to put together, this recipe was a hit for both me and my husband! We agreed that we would definitely make it again. Adding to the recipe box/dinner rotation!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe Megan! xT
SO SO yummy! I loved everything about this recipe! Tieghan, I’m wondering how long you could keep the hot honey in the fridge for? Just if I were to make a batch to put on anything and everything… 🙂
Hi Shaunna!So glad you enjoyed this hot honey chicken! The honey should last for a few months in the fridge! 🙂 xT
My husband and I loved this recipe! The hot honey sauce was also good drizzled on southern biscuits.
Really glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for trying it out! xT
This recipe was a huge hit for us! I double coated in crumbs for some extra crunch to it. My husband who LOVES hot sauce was so happy with it! He actually mentioned it being too spicy 😂 I used Tabasco on the chicken and Tapatío in the hot honey
Thank you Isabel! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! 🙂 xT
10/10 recipe. I serve it with a simple kale salad with balsamic vinagrette and Parmesan – since the recipe itself is pretty starchy/heavy the acid and lightness from the kale salad helps balance it out. The best meal.
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
This is my second time making this! my boyfriend always asks me to make him this and today i did and omg it came out even better than the first time! ugh it’s soo good!! i made it with mac and cheese and mashed potatoes 🙂
Thanks so much Alexia! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Made it tonight! Thank you for the recipe! It could easily have other versatility too!
I used the hot sauce from Costco which wasn’t too much of a burner. I also made someone chicken thighs without the hot sauce for my girls.
I added a little more seasoning to my Corn Flakes. Thank you for putting this together!
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for giving it a try! xT
I had high hopes for this recipe but to me it was just meh. Wasn’t super crunchy and the flavor of the sauce was a bit odd for me. Not sure what the ideal hot sauce is – Franks? Cholula? Tabasco? Wouldn’t make again..
Hey Amy! I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe! Thank you for the feedback! xT