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This Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken is spicy, saucy, and so delicious. It’s an easier, yet still fun, twist on the famous Nashville Hot Chicken. Breaded popcorn chicken bites are oven baked until crispy. Then they’re finished with a beyond perfect sweet and spicy honey butter sauce with crisp garlic and chili flakes. Out of this world good. Great for dinner or served as a game day appetizer.

Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken | halfbakedharvest.com

With the Olympics starting up on Thursday, and the Super Bowl to follow, I’m all about creating some fun recipes with sports in mind. That said, these have been on my “to-make recipe list” for a while now.

My brothers are big chicken guys, especially bite-sized chicken covered in sauce. They usually request some kind of buffalo chicken, but I thought I’d throw them a curveball and do something southern-inspired. If you’re not familiar with it, there is a Nashville hot honey chicken that people rave about. It’s deep-fried and covered in a spicy honey butter sauce.

I’ve only been to Nashville once, and it wasn’t a long trip, so I’ve never gotten to try this chicken. I’ve googled the recipe and everyone’s is slightly different. The biggest thing is lots of cayenne, honey, and butter.

I’ve made a version in the past, but wanted to do something bite-size.

What ended up happening was simple. I made my own hot honey sauce as I was cooking this chicken. It’s very different from the Nashville sauce, but it sure is delicious.

I did a little combo of chili crisp garlic oil and hot honey. It turned out so well, I’ve been excited to share this ever since I made it!

Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken | halfbakedharvest.com

The details – the chicken

Like a lot of my “oven fried” chicken recipes, this doesn’t require much effort. I love to use finely crushed corn flakes for the breading. Then bake the chicken in a super hot oven until it’s crispy all around.

While I love using cornflakes, you could also use Panko or gluten-free bread crumbs.

Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken | halfbakedharvest.com

The sauce – the most important part

I’m not sure there’s a better sauce for these, this sauce is extra special.

It starts with cooking butter and garlic together until the butter slowly browns around the garlic and the garlic turns golden crisp. Basically, I’ve been really into the chili garlic crisp sauce everyone also seems to be into right now. I love the slight crunch of the garlic and all the chili flakes. So I took the concept and applied it to the butter sauce.

When the sauce is off the stove, add the honey, cayenne, and spices. Then some chili flakes. Make sure to add the cayenne and chili flakes to your taste.

If you love sauce like we do, I would double the recipe. Never enough sauce.

Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken | halfbakedharvest.com

As soon as the chicken comes out of the oven, drizzle that hot honey over the chicken and give it a little toss. It’s important to use most of the sauce right away. As the sauce cools, the butter separates from the honey, making it a little tricky to drizzle.

Serve the chicken warm. It doesn’t need any extra sauces or garnishes. Just the chicken and that honey sauce! So delicious.

If you want to make this into an easy dinner, I’d serve the chicken and sauce over rice. Then add a side of roasted vegetables and a nice big house-style salad.

Everyone really enjoyed this, my dad, brothers, mom, I even think Asher loved it. Though it may have been a little spicy for her…but she had rice, so all was good! Excited to make this for the Olympics this week!

Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for more game day 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 , 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!

@halfbakedharvest

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♬ FEEL THE GROOVE – Queens Road, Fabian Graetz

Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 541 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

Hot Honey

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add the chicken and toss well to coat. In a separate bowl combine the cornflake crumbs, flour, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
    3. Dredge the chicken through the crumbs, covering fully. Place on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
    4. Just before the chicken is done cooking, make the sauce. In a small skillet, melt together the butter and garlic over medium heat. Cook until the butter is browning and the garlic turns golden. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the honey, cayenne, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, and chili flakes.
    5. Drizzle or pour the warm sauce over the chicken, tossing to coat. The sauce thickens quickly, so be sure to use while still warm. Serve um up!

Notes

Sauce: if you like extra sauce for drizzling/dipping, double the hot honey recipe. 
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Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Popcorn Chicken | halfbakedharvest.com
This post was originally published on February 1, 2022
4.77 from 280 votes (184 ratings without comment)

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Comments

    1. Hi Angela,
      Awesome!! Love hearing that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for giving it a go! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan

      Reply

      1. I realized with a few minutes left, and sprayed some canola cooking spray on quickly. Still tasted great. I’ll drizzle w EVOO next time.

        Reply

  4. 5 stars
    I loved this dish! I need to lower the heat next time for my family, but my teenager is starting to branch out and he really liked this.

    Reply

  5. I have made the other version and it’s delicious. Would you still soak the chicken in buttermilk like the other one? And use whole wheat flour or just regular flour?

    Reply

    1. Hi Melissa,
      Those are two different recipes, you can follow this recipe as noted:) I hope you love it, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    This was such a delicious recipe! My husband and I could not stop eating the sauce. I originally didn’t double the sauce but went back and made an extra batch to have for our leftovers!

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    I tried making this but every time I try to do oven baked fried chicken, i feel like my chicken comes out soggy. What am i doing wrong?

    Reply

    1. Hey Amy,
      So sorry to hear this!! Are you by chance applying the coating too heavily? That could cause the chicken to be soggy. Let me know!! xTieghan

      Reply

  9. 5 stars
    It was so good! I used my air fryer (I did half the recipe) and it turned out crispy and juicy at the same time. That sauce is so good, I kind of couldn’t believe how it turned out from the list of ingredients. Thanks for the good recipe! Probably a good après ski or Super Bowl snack!!

    Reply

  10. Really great recipe!! Will definitely be making this again and adding to the rotation. I made more chicken, and doubled the sauce but used 1/3 less butter, and more chili flakes cause we like spicy. The sauce really does separate, so move quickly, as i did not lol. I made them in my airfryer at 380 for 8 to 10 minutes (depending on size of chicken bites) flipping halfway.

    Reply

  11. Just made this, and like the rest of the comments- it’s really good!!
    I will make it again. And the hot honey- yummy!! Honey and butter… can’t go wrong! ?

    Reply

  12. My husband can’t do too much spice. Are there gentler spices I could use to reduce the heat but keep the flavor?
    Sounds fabulous
    Kathy

    Reply

  13. In you video on IG, you used two eggs. The list of ingredients here in the recipe calls for one egg, however in the recipe itself it refers to “eggs” not “egg” so I think the list of ingredients should say 2 eggs

    Reply

    1. Hi Kelly,
      Thanks for pointing this out. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Michelle,
      You can drizzle the chicken with the olive oil in step 3. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Emily,
      Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! I would reheat in the oven on low. xxT

      Reply

      1. Absolutely delicious!
        Will definitely make these again!! I didn’t add all the spice as my family doesn’t love heat but it was still some of the best chicken I’ve made. 🙂

        Reply