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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!
Total Hit! I made these for Super Bowl. Everyone loved them. Even my picky eater. (I didn’t have cornflakes so I subbed panko.). Delish!!!
Thanks so much Alicia!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit! Have a great week! xT
How long and what heat would you cook this on in the air fryer? Trying for Super Bowl
Hi Annette,
So sorry, I have never made this in the air fryer so I do not have the exact time and temp, but it should work nicely for you! I hope you love the recipe! xT
HI
I am new here and have a quick question…. I only have panko will this work?
Thank you in advance,
Claudia
Hi Claudia,
Sure, panko will work for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Holy yum! One of my favorites. The hot honey is so addictive. Even my picky husband loved it. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes.
One question, mine didn’t get crispy so I put it on broil at the end. The only problem is that it dried some out. Any suggestions?
Hi Gayle,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks for your comment and making this recipe, love to hear it was a hit! Try baking them on a wire rack on the baking sheet! xT
My family and I absolutely loved this hot honey chicken. It was an easy recipe to follow and delicious.
Thanks so much Damaris!! Love to hear that your family enjoyed this recipe:) Happy Saturday! xT
Oh my!!! So good! Made this several times for my family. It’s one of our favorites. My son puts the chicken on a toasted brioche bun. Delicious! Thank you for the yummy recipe.
Love to hear this Cheryl!! Thanks for trying this recipe and your comment:) So glad your family has been enjoying it! xT
What would be the best egg substitute to use for this recipe? Vegan egg (just egg), flax slurry, or aquafaba? Can’t wait to make this!😋
Hi Michelle,
I would try the vegan egg, that should work well for you! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Oh mercy! This is a hit at our house! My husband ❤️’s this! He said to make it more often. This was great!
Love to hear this Shawna!! Thanks a lot for trying the recipe out and sharing your feedback! xT
10/10 will definitely add to our rotation. The only ways I strayed from the recipe was – I didn’t use the parmesan cheese & I seasoned the chicken before coating it. It turned out great!
Hey Bailey,
Wonderful! So glad to hear this recipe turned out for you, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Friday! xT
It was not my favorite. I crushed the cornflakes instead of using the food processor so they were not as fine and had trouble getting the breading to stick.
I started over and dusted the chicken with flour then dipped in the egg and hot sauce then the breadcrumbs. Better results but will try the food processor next time. I loved the hot honey drizzle!
Hi Kaye! Thank you for the feedback on this chicken, I appreciate it! xT
Thanks for this feedback, Kaye! xT
This is my boyfriend’s favorite meal! He asks me to make it all the time. The chicken is perfectly crunchy and the hot honey sauce add the perfect amount of heat and sweetness. Chef’s kiss! PS so good as a chicken sandwich! 😉
Sooo glad you are enjoying this chicken! 🙂 xT
Yum! One of the best recipes I’ve ever made! The sauce is addicting! Thank you so much for sharing. I did have a little trouble getting it to crisp.
I put it on broil for a few minutes & that helped but then some of them got a little overdone. Any suggestions?
Hey Gayle,
So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you!! I would try the broil next time you could also use a wire rack on top of the baking sheet for the chicken, that should really help! xT
Not my favorite recipe (her pretzel chicken is frequently on rotation for me). There’s a lot of promise in the breading and the hot honey itself, but the instructions leave the chicken dry and the chicken itself doesn’t have any flavor outside the breading.
IF you have the time, I suggest marinating the chicken overnight! The 2nd go of this recipe I did a marinade with greek yogurt + the seasonings already in the recipe, a bit of fresh garlic and herbs then pat the excess off before dredging. Made a world of difference both in the chicken not tasting TOO chickeny AND the chicken is more likely to stay moist while the breading gets as crispy as you’d like.
Thank you for the feedback Dalia! I’m glad you enjoy the pretzel chicken recipe, I understand if this one isn’t your fave! 🙂 xT
I made this again this again and each time it gets better! I did the double coating this time around and it was the perfect crispy juicy chicken. The sauce is amazing, so I made a little extra this time. I served with mashed potatoes and salad. So good!
Hi there! Thanks SO much! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! 🙂 xT
Making this on repeat and just adding different vegetables that I roast on the lower rack while the chicken cooks. Sometimes I do it as a mash up of the Popcorn Chicken with the garlicky honey. Sometimes we have a little buttermilk ranch on the side to help cool the heat. Family loves it! Great with fries, rice or mashed potatoes.
Hi there! Thanks SO much! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipes! 🙂 xT
Is this made with tenderloins? Or cutlets? The picture looks like cutlets or thin breasts but the recipe says tenderloins.
Hi Megan,
For this recipe, I used tenderloins, but you could use thin cutlets as well! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
How does this reheat? Planning on making it today!
Hi there! It definitely is best when served fresh because it stays crispy, but to reheat I would maybe reheat in a pan to try to add some of the crispiness! xT
DELICIOUS!! I have been wanting to make this for a while and finally did, and it was so yummy. My husband said “this is so freaking good” after every bite!
Hi Jordan! Thank you SO much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT