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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
Did anyone try it without pepper, chili sauce and hot sauce for people that can’t do spicy? Is it to sweet? Should a little spice be added?
I cut the heat way down, I do think some spice is needed for the honey sauce but just to cut the sweetness a bit. I used 1tsp hot sauce, 1/4 cayenne and increased honey to about a cup. You can taste it and see if it’s mild enough for you; I just kept adding honey until it was just right for me. Start with a little amount for the hot spices and add as you taste
Hi Mary,
I would try one of these other recipes:
https://fett-weg.today/baked-chicken-nuggets/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/baked-spicy-ranch-chicken-fingers/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/chicken-katsu-bowls/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps! xT
This was sooo good and very easy to make ! i didn’t tweak anything. Served it with some roasted asparagus and sweet potato fries ! Kosher dill pickles are also a good addition to this for us ! Great recipe!
Hey Tanna,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe! I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
This was delicious! I used my air fryer along with parchment paper and came out perfect. Didn’t need to tweak the coating to accommodate the air fryer cooking.
Hey Norma,
Awesome!! So glad this worked well for you in the air fryer, thanks for giving it a try! xT
Another 5 star recipe – you have saved family dinners for me, my family is ALWAYS happy when I make one of your recipes, thank you!!!
Thanks so much Nicole! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit and thanks for making it! xx
I made this 2 nights ago. Fabulous, I did make a change though. I didn’t have corn flakes but I had Italian seasoned Panko bread crumbs. I dredged it two times in the egg wash and bread crumbs and it was so delicious. The next day we warmed up the left over and made chicken sandwiches. Thank you for this yummy recipe.
Hey Grace,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Making this tonight- but a smaller batch – one lb. Chicken.
Would I need to halve all the ingredients or can I keep it as is?
Hey Jane,
Yes, you can go ahead and cut the recipe in half for 1 pound of chicken. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
I can’t find chipotle chili powder… can I use regular chili powder? Can’t wait to try this!
Hey Nerina,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe! xT
Love this recipe! I will be making it again. One question
Do you put directly on a sheet pan or on a wire rack on the sheet pan?
Hey Tammy,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! I just use a sheet pan:) xx
This was really delicious and easy to make! Love the cornflakes. I just find the sauce way too spicy, I even lessened the amount of spice and it was almost inedible and unfortunately wasted a lot of honey since we couldn’t finish it. Next time, I’ll make sure to use way less spice.
Hey Leeah,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear about the spice! xx
Hello, I always have an issue with making this recipe. It seems like the coating on the chicken underneath comes off. It doesn’t stick to the chicken. I love this recipe but I also want breading on both sides of the chicken. Please help!
Thank you
Hi Francine,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback. I would make sure you let any extra egg drip off of the chicken and then really press the coating into the chicken. I hope this helps for next time! xx
What could be used in replace of corn flakes?
You could use Rice Krispies if corn is an issue
Panko
Hey Tara,
Potato chips will also work well in place of the corn flakes:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Interested in making this tonight – do any suggestion for what to partner the chicken with for a complete meal?
Hey Christine,
My family enjoys this with white rice and a big salad! Please let me know how this turns out, I hope it’s delish! xT
This recipe was super easy to make & absolutely delicious. The crunch from the cornflake mixture was the perfect texture & we loved the hot honey sauce. My husband said he could drizzle that stuff on every dish moving forward ha!
Hey Shelby,
Lol love it! So glad your family enjoyed this dish and thanks so much for making it! Have a great Sunday! xT
My family is pescatarian so we made this with grouper instead and it was fantastic!! The whole family loved it. Perfectly spicy and loved the hint of sweetness from the honey. The kids asked to put it on our weekly rotation.
Hey Millie,
Love that you used grouper for this recipe, such a great idea!! So glad it turned out well for you! xT
So easy, and so good!
Hey Jamie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe! I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xx