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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 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
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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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 post was originally published on January 4, 2023
Thank you for your delicious recipes. First time I have had crunchy chicken since celiac diagnosis 4 years ago and loved it! Used GF corn flakes and was delicious and crunchy. Thought spices would be too strong but perfect blend!
Hey there! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for giving it a try! xT
Excellent. Easy to follow. Incredibly delicious. Thank you!!
Thanks so much Debra! 🙂 xT
Do you think you could use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe?? Maybe if you flatten them out a bit?
Hi Jason! Yes, I think if you flatten them out a bit they should turn out well! 🙂 xT
I used chicken thighs (that I pounded a little) and baked in oven on air fryer setting. It was loved by the whole family!!
Such a great change-up to ‘chicken night’! My hubs can’t have things too spicy, so I cut a few of the spices in half but still did a light drizzle of the hot honey on all of the pieces. I put the rest of the honey in tiny ‘dipping bowls’ for the rest of us to have individually so we could add more to our liking. I even got an unsolicited compliment from my college boy, and that’s saying a lot. Super easy. Super yummy.
Hey Amy! Thanks so so much! Always love to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great weekend 🙂 xT
Made this for dinner tonight and it was HOME RUN! Double coated the chicken, used thin cut breasts (like if use for chicken parm) and made two batches, one dipped in egg and hot sauce the other just egg for my spice sensitive littles. Everyone as happy! Oh and that honey is also amazing for dipping sweet potato fries too!
Thank you so much Jenna! So glad you enjoyed this chicken! 🙂 xT
Amazing!! Slight modification using the air fryer. I served it with roasted veggies and couscous. Delicious!
Thank you so much Gabi! xT
This is a great recipe that my whole family enjoyed! The chicken is nice and juicy, crunchy on the outside, and the sweet and salty kick is delicious. I didn’t have tenderloins on hand, so I just cut up boneless skinless chicken breast to be about the right size. I did have a few pieces that were bigger and needed baked longer, but it was all good. I coated all the pieces twice, as I wanted plenty of crunch. I had just enough cornflakes and in the end, I had to make more egg mixture. I would say to double the egg mixture and add another cup of cornflakes if you’re coating twice. At the end of baking, I did broil on High for a few minutes and it worked wonders to get a super nice crunch! The hot honey was delicious, although it was pretty spicy, so if you’re feeding sensitive people, I would reduce the spice. It also made a lot, so I would actually halve the hot honey sauce recipe. To use it all up, we would have had to drown the chicken in it! Either way, we all enjoyed this meal a ton and will be making it again!
Hi Adelaide! Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! I’m so glad that yo enjoyed this chicken! I appreciate the feedback as well! xT
Can I substitute chicken thighs?
Hi Katherine! I haven’t ever tried this recipe with thighs before so I can’t say for sure! xT
Just wanted to pop in here to say we made this last night with chicken thighs subbed for chicken tenderloins and it turned out amazing!!!! Great recipe that is sure to become a staple
Thank you Katherine! Love to hear that! 🙂 xT
Loved this recipe. I served it with sweet potatoes like suggested and the flavors worked really well together.
Thanks so much Lindsey! 🙂 xT
Made this tonight with some minor changes. I fried the breaded chicken in some canola oil (3 min both sides) and added some Momofuku Chili Crunch into the sauce instead of the cayenne and chilli powder. I am celiac and was so happy to have fried chicken again! I wish I could post a picture of how pretty my dish turned out.
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
I’m sure this will be delicious, as all your recipes are 😊
This cracked me up though,
“Alternatively, you can crush the crumbs in a ziplock bag by stepping on them.”
Are you serious?! Or was this a test to see if people read the full recipe.
Hi can this be cooked in the air fryer?
Hi Kelly! I’m not too familiar with the air fryer so I can’t say for sure! So sorry! xT
Yes absolutely! I’ve made a similar cornflake chicken and the air fryer makes it even crunchier! I recommend getting the olive oil that comes in a spray bottle and generously spray the chicken before air frying about 8 minutes in each side.
Thanks so much Kat! xT
Made this for dinner tonight; it was a big hit! I made it with the herb butter baked sweet potatoes. My only regret is I didn’t make it when my boys were home during break; they are going to love it!
Hey Melissa! Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! Love to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Chicken was moist and delicious! I had used butterflied chicken breasts so they were cooked by 18 minutes. Hot honey was on point! We only used 1 teaspoon cayenne and it was plenty hot for us.
Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thank you Jane! xT
Another 5 star recipe! We double dredged our chicken and the crunch was amazing! Definitely going in the weekly rotation
Thank you so much! So glad you loved this chicken! xT
This was absolutely delicious! Next time I will marinate in Buttermilk first!
Hi! I’m so so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out! xT