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Baked Crispy Hot Honey Chicken Tenders – a family favorite that everyone loves! Simple breaded chicken tenders are baked up until crispy and delicious. Top these tenders with sweet honey sauce. Made simply with honey and the perfect combination of sea salt and spices. A delicious casual dinner to serve up to family or friends on game nights, movie nights, and everything in between. Always serve with extra hot honey sauce and a side of home-baked fries. The homemade version of everyone’s favorite crispy fried chicken. These are the best!
I spoke about this on Friday, but often, the recipes I want to make the most are the simple, basic ones. Recipes like those classic, really great brown butter brownies with crinkled tops. And now these chicken tenders.
I wanted to come up with a great chicken tender that wasn’t fried, had very little fuss, and was still delicious.
And I knew I wanted to coat each tender in this delicious, hot honey sauce. It was/is what I seem to be craving at the moment!
Let’s get into the details
Ingredients – for the chicken
- boneless, skinless chicken tenders – if your grocery store does not have tenders available, just pick up chicken breasts and cut the breasts into tenders
- onion and garlic powder
- all-purpose flour – or you can use your favorite gluten-free flour blend
- grated Parmesan cheese
- smoked paprika
- ground turmeric
- an egg
- hot sauce
- salted butter or olive oil
Ingredients – for the sauce
- honey
- cayenne pepper
- chipotle chili powder
- onion and garlic powder
- flaked sea salt
Steps
Step 1: the chicken
Start with the chicken. First, toss the chicken tenders with a mix of seasonings: onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add flour and parmesan, then toss again.
Next, add one egg and a couple of tablespoons of hot sauce. Toss the chicken again, making sure each tender is coated in the beaten egg.
Add the remaining flour, the smoked paprika, and the turmeric. Give the tenders a toss one last time. The idea is to have each piece of chicken coated in flour. Use your hands to really squeeze the flour onto the chicken.
The flour allows the chicken to get crispy in the oven. And I love that crispy texture.
Add butter or oil to coat the chicken. Bake the chicken up in a super hot oven. It takes maybe 20 minutes to cook.
Step 2: the sauce
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.
Do not boil the sauce; very gently warm the sauce over low heat. If you boil the sauce, it will get too thick.
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.
Step 3: coat the chicken in sauce
You can drizzle, pour, or even dunk the chicken into the sauce as soon as the tenders come out of the oven. The heat helps the sauce to really adhere to the chicken.
The coating soaks up all the sauce. It’s going to leave you saying, YUM!
I always finish with some flaked sea salt.
For serving, these are so yummy with home-baked French fries. We love the thicker cut ones. Delicious!
Perfect for everyone in the family!
Looking for other game night recipes? Try these!
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Salmon with Caesar Roasted Potatoes
One Skillet Cheesy Green Chile Chicken
Sheet Pan Honey Buffalo Chicken with Broccoli
Lastly, if you make this Baked Crispy Hot Honey Chicken Tenders, 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 on social media you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Baked Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 302 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken tenders
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup flour or gluten-free flour
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- olive oil or melted butter
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
- green onions cilantro, or parsley, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or rub with oil.2. In a bowl, toss together the chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons flour and parmesan and toss again. Add the beaten egg and hot sauce. Toss to coat, making sure all the chicken is coated. Add 1/2 cup flour, paprika, and turmeric. Toss well, allowing the flour to coat all pieces of chicken.3. Arrange the chicken evenly on the baking sheet. Add oil or butter over each tender. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and crispy. 4. Just before the chicken is done cooking, make the sauce. In a sauce pot, warm together all ingredients. Do not boil. 5. Drizzle the warm sauce over the chicken or serve the sauce on the side for dipping. If the sauce thickens, warm for 5 seconds in the microwave. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on March 10, 2025
I made this and mine did not look at all like yours when it was done – more like chicken dredged in flour. The hot honey was good but overall I was disappointed with how mine turned out.
Hi Clare,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear they weren’t enjoyed. What did they look like? How did they taste? If I can help at all, please let me know! xx
Complicated to make and the end result was soggy. I don’t recommend.
Hi Stacey,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know! xx
I have not tried these because they seem too similar to the last chicken tenders you posted. Those didn’t work for me. What is the reason you bread your chicken like this and not the standard way?
Hi Sue,
Just makes less mess and less dishes, but you are more than welcome to coat the chicken to your liking. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
I couldn’t get my baked tenders as crispy as yours. So I bought some crispy frozen tenders from Whole Foods and poured your hot honey sauce over them. Sooo yummy and easy! We love an easy family dinner!
Great idea!! Thanks for trying the hot honey recipe! xx
What is the difference between these and the crunchy hot honey tenders you have? What is the difference between crispy verses crunchy? Thanks!!
Hi Melinda,
The difference is in the coating:) The crunchy hot honey chicken used cornflakes which makes for a super crunchy coating, while these are more of a classic chicken tender. Please let me know if you have any other questions!!
Not crispy at all.
Hi Brad,
Sorry to hear these were not crispy for you. If there is any way that I can help, please let me know! xx
These hot honey chicken tenders are absolutely delicious—crispy, sweet, and spicy! 🍯🍗 I love how the honey balances the heat, making it a perfect combination of flavors. Definitely a new favorite in my kitchen!
To keep track of the ingredients and make meal planning easier, I’ve been using “Sublime Groceria”. It helps me manage my grocery list and ensures I have everything I need for recipes like this. Highly recommend it for anyone who loves cooking!
Hey there,
Awesome! Thank you so much for making this recipe, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Good, but not as crispy as I would have liked. Lots of steps in the recipe for something that was supposed to be quick. I love the cookbooks and make many of the recipes, this was just ok. Do the salmon cube recipes, they are fabulous!
Hi Sandra,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear this recipe wasn’t a fave, but glad you enjoyed the salmon! xx
They were delicious! Thanks for another great recipe.
Thanks so much, Dyan! Love to hear these tenders were a hit, I appreciate you giving them a try! xx
Made the hot honey chicken tenders for dinner tonight- smash hit!!! My whole family loved them. This will be a repeat!!!
Hey Denise,
Yay! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:)
So, you’re not dredging the chicken in the flour, then egg, then more flour? Just adding it to a bowl? Do you beat the eggs first? And with the hot sauce, it doesn’t list it with the chicken, nor does it give an amount to add with the eggs?
Hey Aly!! First toss the chicken with 2 tablespoons of flour, the parmesan, the paprika and turmeric. Once the chicken is coated. Add the egg and 2 tablespoons hot sauce. Then toss to fully coat each piece. Now add the remaining flour and toss 1 more time. Get the chicken completely coated in flour!
Does this help you? Please let me know if you have any other questions! Enjoy the the chicken!
Actually, I wondered about the same things as Aly, and your reply unfortunately does not really help. Do you mean to add the eggs to the bowl where the chicken was tossed with the flour? And then, to the kind of dough that will form if eggs go into flour, again add flour and toss with the then thicker dough? Or should we just toss the chicken in flour, then eggs, then flour again, without adding one to the other? I will try your version if you say it’s a good idea, but it does sound a bit odd … Thanks!
Hi Eva,
Yes, it’s all staying in one bowl. You will not have a dough form because that flour is going to be coating the chicken. I posted a video on IG stories today if you want to check that out:) I hope this helps! xx
I watched the video because your response did confuse me, and the recipe says beaten egg, but you just added it whole without mixing the hot sauce with it so it is distributed evenly?
I may try these with a traditional dredge process, this seems like it’s just over complicating it?
You are more than welcome to do whatever works best for you:) I just mix the egg and hot sauce with the chicken just as I showed on the video. No need to over think this:)
I’ll watch the video and I’m sure it will help 🙂 Thanks, Tieghan!
How much butter do you use? Do you melt it and drizzle it over the chicken while it is in the bowl? I was confused by this step. Thanks. Looks good!
Hey Amy,
It’s just enough to drizzle over the chicken while they are on the baking sheet. I hope this helps! x
Looks delicious! Could this be done in an air fryer as well? What temperature & cooking time would you recommend ?
Thanks!
Hey Kathy,
Sure, I don’t see why not! I have never tested this though, so I do not have an exact time or temp. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx
There’s confusion on where the hot sauce goes in. The ingredients shows it only in the sauce. The instructions shows it mixed in with the egg. I’m confused.
Hi Rebecca,
So sorry for any confusion, you are going to use 2 tablespoons of hot sauce in step 2 and then 2-3 tablespoons for the hot honey in step 4. I hope this makes more sense! xx
Can you use store bought hot honey?
Hey Clarine,
Sure, I don’t see why not! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx