Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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
Delicious! My whole fam
My whole family loved it. I reduced the spice at least half on the hot sauce and spices. Kept the honey the same so people could add more heat if they wanted. Fantastic!
Thanks again Ava!! So glad this was a hit with your family! xx
Thanks so much Ava, love to hear this!!
Turned out great! Used a finely grated Parmesan and agree it makes the batter super crunchy. I made it two was one with hot sauce and another batch with out any heat. The kids loved the mild chicken. Thank you for another great recipe!
Hey Michelle,
Amazing!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for trying it out! xx
this is my second time making this in a week !!! my fam loves it !!!
Hey Diana,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT
This chicken was SO good! I cut back on the spice a little, but everything was so good with so much flavor!
Hey Erin,
Happy Sunday!!🪷 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xT
My entire family loved this! I did the double dredge, omitted the cayenne and chipotle to meet my family’s likes, and used Frank’s red hot. The hot honey sauce was divine and the chicken nicely crossy. Great recipe!
Hey Heather,
Happy Monday!!⛄️ Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
I made this on Thursday. Not only was I surprised how easy it was to get on the table, the flavors were awesome. The entire house was in agreement. We are making this again and soon.
Hey Patrick,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
The recipe for this was so very good! Everyone said it was a keeper!
Thank you for a great recipe!
Hey Nancy,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
I love spice but my husband has a sensitive digestive system so I used 1 tsp cayenne and 1 tbsp hot sauce for the hot honey and it was the perfect amount of spice for him. If you like spice and can handle it, do more, but if you are more sensitive (either in taste or digestion) go that route. We used regular Tabasco for reference
Thanks so much CC! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and thanks a lot for making it! xx
Do the double dredge! This chicken turned out amazing!! We had 3 super thick chicken breasts that I cut in half and pounded a bit with a rolling pin. Used 3 eggs and it was *just* enough. The honey is *chefs kiss* although I did adjust the spice level based on others’ comments. This was an easy recipe that was sooo delicious.
Hey Laurisza,
Happy Saturday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
I made this the other night and it was excellent. So much flavor – crunchy, hot, sweet and just plain delicious. Even drizzled the sauce on roasted veggies which was perfect. Can’t wait to make this again!!
Hey Cindi,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
I loved this chicken so much! The coating was so unusual (in a good way), but I’m wondering if the amount of cayenne in the hot honey was a typo. It called for 2-6 teas (I was making a double batch of sauce). I used 1/2 teas and it was almoooost too hot. I love spicy food and it was just right to me, but my hubby couldn’t eat it. I know spice is personal, but cayenne is super strong so I’d recommend start with 1/8 teas and taste.
Hey Kellie,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry about the heat, this is definitely some spicy chicken, but of course reduce to your liking! xT
This was 10/10! My husband would have me cook this every week if I would. The cornflakes make the most incredible crunch. I do think cooking on a wire rack is the best.
Thanks so much Lauren!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit! Have a great weekend! xx
Absolutely incredible. It would be a great chicken and waffle too!
Thanks so much Juliyana! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xx
This came out great! love sheet pan dinners. I will definitely make it again and the leftovers are going to be sandwiches. Delicious!
Hey Danielle,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
Hi! Love your recipes !
For the hot sauce would you suggest something along the lines of a siracha or a franks ? Thanks so much
Hey Pamela,
I like to use Frank’s Hot Sauce! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
I am a vegetarian, so I used cauliflower. Cooked it in an air fryer for about 20 minutes. Delicious! My husband put the sauce on his salmon and kept going back for more. This will be a weekly meal for sure!
Hey Christa,
Great idea to use cauliflower, so glad it turned out well for you! Thanks for giving this recipe a try! xT