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Crispy Hot Honey Salmon Tenders. Crispy salmon tossed in a spicy-sweet honey sauce. If you love hot honey chicken, you’ll quickly become obsessed with this salmon. It’s the easiest sheet pan dinner. You can serve this with a side of rice. Or go the “wingers” route like me and bake up homemade sweet potato fries. The yummiest southern-inspired meal!
I’m not sure why this recipe took me so long to share, but I’m very happy the day has come! If you enjoy any of my hot honey chicken recipes, you’re going to love this salmon.
When I was jotting down recipe ideas for the coming weeks, I was on a big hot honey kick after making last week’s chicken tenders. It had been a while since I’d made my favorite hot honey sauce, and I’d forgotten how delicious it is. I remember the first time I ever made hot honey chicken. That recipe was called Nashville Hot Honey Chicken because spicy fried hot honey chicken was originally a Nashville specialty.
There are probably hundreds of ways to use hot honey, but a good chicken tender is likely the family favorite. However, when I mentioned the idea of a crispy hot honey salmon bite to my mom, she immediately said, Oh ya, make that! That’s a no-brainer.
This recipe is similar to hot honey chicken, but I chose not to bread these tenders. Salmon has so much flavor on its own.
So, instead of using breading, I baked the salmon in spices, Parmesan, and butter—even simpler than making chicken!
Then, just serve the salmon with the sauce- SIMPLE! And this takes less than 30 minutes to make.
These are the details
Ingredients
- salmon
- onion and garlic powder
- smoked paprika
- grated Parmesan cheese – or flour, but we like parmesan
- salted butter or olive oil
Hot Honey Sauce Ingredients
- honey
- cayenne pepper – please, please, please use this to your taste
- chipotle chili powder
- onion and garlic powder
- flaked sea salt
Special Tools
For this salmon recipe, you’ll need a sheet pan and a small pot for the sauce. Nothing fancy.
Steps
Step 1: cook the salmon
I like to use either strips or cubes of salmon fillets. You can choose to leave the skin on or off the salmon, but for this recipe, I removed the skin. I wanted these to be a little more like a salmon tender/wing.
To the salmon, add the onion and garlic powder, smoked paprika, and parmesan. Gently toss to coat, then add oil or butter for cooking. I prefer using salted butter.
While the salmon is not breaded, the parmesan coats each piece and creates the perfect crispy texture. I love that crispy texture and the yummy flavor of fried cheese!
Step 2: the sauce
My sauce is always the same. We LOVE it.
Before the salmon 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.
Please be sure to only use the amount of cayenne you and your family enjoy. On Monday, I’ll have people tell me the sauce is too spicy, but it’s going to be great if you only add the cayenne to taste!
Also, do not boil the sauce; very gently warm it over low heat. If you boil it, it will become too thick.
You can use as little or as much of the sauce as you’d like. We usually have some left over. Try it on your pizza—it’s SO DELICIOUS!
Step 3: coat the chicken in sauce
You can drizzle or pour the sauce over the warm salmon as soon as the tenders/wingers/bites come out of the oven. The heat helps the sauce to really adhere to the salmon.
I always finish with flaked sea salt. Sometimes, we add green onions, cilantro, or thyme. A creamy sauce on the side would also be good—maybe a lemon aioli!
Looking for other salmon recipes? Here are a few.
Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Bowls
Sheet Pan Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa
Parchment Baked Roasted Red Pepper Salmon
Coconut Curry Salmon with Garlic Butter
Lastly, if you make this Crispy Hot Honey Salmon 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 you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Hot Honey Salmon Tenders
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 319 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 salmon, cut into 1 inch strips or chunks
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and black pepper
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan (or flour)
- olive oil or melted butter
Hot Honey
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1/2 – 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, use to your taste, starting with 1/2 teaspoon
- 3/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- green onions, cilantro, or thyme, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Rub a sheet pan with oil.2. On the sheet pan, add the salmon strips/chunks, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and parmesan (or flour). Gently toss the salmon to coat. Add oil or butter. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the salmon is crispy on top. 3. Just before the salmon is done cooking, make the sauce. In a sauce pot, warm together all ingredients. Do not boil.4. Drizzle the warm sauce over the salmon or serve the sauce on the side to drizzle. If the sauce thickens, gently warm it on the stove. Sprinkle with sea salt/herbs. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on March 17, 2025
I’m wondering if anyone leaving 1-star reviews with no elaboration other than “too spicy” or mocking your pronunciation actually made the dish, but I’m guessing maybe not. This was a very good recipe, with a slight peppery kick that was not at all overpowering and the sweet and smoky flavor was a perfect match for salmon. I will definitely make this again!
Thank you so much, Joel:) Love to hear you enjoyed these salmon tenders, I appreciate you making them and your feedback! xx
Super simple and delicious! Great for a quick weeknight meal!
Hi Bethany,
That’s awesome!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed! xx
I thought the seasoning and spice levels were perfect for salmon. My husband and I made this yesterday and even our picky teenagers loved it. Of course anyone trying this recipe is free to tweak the levels of spice, and/or leave out any ingredients they think are too complex. I made it as written though, and it was fantastic. Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Sharon,
Thanks so much! I appreciate you trying these salmon tenders, I’m so glad to hear they were enjoyed and appreciate your feedback regarding the seasoning and spice levels! xx
Hi Tieghan!
This recipe was really superb. I loved the hint of spiciness mixed with a really well developed profile. I’m baffled as to the negative reviews, but I’m wondering how many of those reviewers actually made this, and are being sincere. I don’t normally prefer salmon, as it can be somewhat oily and bland if not prepared well. The way you did this with the smoky/spicy/sweet notes, really brought it to life. Salmon, made well, is amazing – and you hit this one out of the park!
Love to hear this, Corinne! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Have a great day!
Too many competing flavor profiles. This was a miss for me unfortunately.
Hi Barbara,
So sorry to hear this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
This was a really good and easy-to-prepare dish. I love spicy food, so after reading all the reactions regarding the spice level, I was excited! I didn’t really find it spicy at all…it just had a slight warmth to it. Even so, it was still delicious with a side of broccoli. Thank you!
Hey Katie,
Fantastic!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
Sorry to read the too spicy reviews. I love hot and spicy and this was delicious and I know I will be making it again and again.
Thanks so much, Tricia!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this salmon, I appreciate you giving it a try! xx
Really enjoyed the salmon! Had the right amount of heat, even though I didn’t add the full amount of hot sauce that was called, for just adjusted it for my preferred level. Will make this again for sure!
Thanks so much, Katherine!! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! xT
My husband and I loved these!
Hey Jen,
Wonderful! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for trying it! xx
I tried this recipe with frozen salmon that I had because I find it less preferable to fresh salmon, and I was looking for a way to make it more appealing. There were just too many strong flavor components that didn’t go well together. The finishing touches that are suggested are also each totally different flavor profiles (cilantro, thyme, etc) so I’m wondering how much thought and testing was put into this recipe before publishing it. I’d never heard of putting Parmesan on salmon, but I gave it a try. I definitely didn’t notice that the salmon was previously frozen and not fresh, but I also probably could have put this much seasoning and sauce on just about anything and not tasted it. I can’t imagine also adding a lemon aioli to the dish.
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
A seafood recipe with a fish other than salmon would be a nice change. Is salmon the only fish you cook with?
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Trish! I will add this to my list:) In the meantime, here are some other recipes you might enjoy:
https://fett-weg.today/poke-bowls/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/brown-butter-lobster-pasta/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/garlic-butter-scallops/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps! xx
Too spicy and not crispy.
Hi Sharon,
So sorry to hear this was too spicy for you and not crispy. Was there anything you may have done differently? Please let me know how I can help! xx
Nope, I followed the recipe exactly.
Too spicy for my liking and the salmon did not get cuhrispy.
Hi John,
Thanks for sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was too spicy for you. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know! xx
I noticed in your scentbird podcast you mentioned that you love making a slow cooked brisket. Yum! I tried to search it on your website, but I guess I’m not very tech savvy because I could not find the recipe. 🙁 Could you please link one for me? I’d love to try!! My husband loves brisket!
Thanks so much for listening, Susie! The recipe is in the new cookbook, HBH Quick and Cozy. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Too spicy!
So sorry, Jane! Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback!