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This Oven Fried Chicken is a slightly healthier, and much easier, take on the famous Nashville Hot Chicken. Breaded in corn flakes, oven baked, and finished with a beyond perfect sweet and spicy honey butter sauce, this is a chicken dinner that’s sure to be loved by all!
So you guys, those sentences up there above this first photo? I know, they’re so cheesy, but let me explain some things about the food blogging world that others might not tell you. There’s this thing called SEO, and then there are your Google rankings. I will not get into details about what these really mean, because if I’m being honest, I’m still trying to figure them out in full myself.
Basically, all you need to know is that there is a certain way Google would like me to write out my blog post every single day. Yes, Google ranks how I write my blog, and yes, it’s annoying. So, why do I even care what Google thinks you ask? Well, it’s simple, I really want to share my recipes with as many of you as possible. I work so hard to create new and exciting recipes day in and out, and I want anyone who might be interested in finding them to see them.
When you search in Google, it’s Google who decides what shows up front and center. And you know how you get on Google’s good side? You listen to them, and write your blog post in a very straight forward, kind of boring, and impersonal way. It’s not that cool, and that’s just the truth.
What does all this mean? Well, it just means that sometimes I have to write some cheesy things within the post to stay on Google’s good side. Google would also prefer I limit my story telling. As you might guess, I’m not going to do that. I think one of the things that makes HBH unique is my stories, and how they connect to my recipes. I don’t want to lose that just because Google says I should.
Over the years I’ve learned that you just have to be YOU, and stick to what works for YOU. So I’m listening to Google to a point, but at the same time, I’m sticking with my own personal style. It’s all about balance, right?
I certainly think so…obviously.
Alright, my ranting is now done. Let’s chat about this chicken.
You guys might not know this, but I actually find cooking chicken to be a little boring, so when I do cook with chicken, I have to make sure it’s extra flavorful and delicious. Kind of like the way I do up my salads.
When my brother, Creighton was in town last week, I knew I needed a good chicken recipe to serve him. The man loves himself some fried chicken, so I thought I would throw him a curve ball and turn one of his favorite greasy foods into a healthier recipe that he’d love all the same.
Enter this southern fried hot honey chicken.
I swear, this is just as good as fried chicken. Bold, but it’s true.
The key is to soak the chicken in a little buttermilk before breading. The buttermilk tenderizes the chicken while adding flavor at the same time. From here, you’ll bread the chicken in crushed corn flakes seasoned with herbs, and then oven bake. It’s pretty simple and straight forward.
The flavor is all in the hot honey sauce. Oh this sauce, it’s genuinely just so good.
The sauce was inspired by the famous Nashville Hot Chicken. It’s spicy, but balanced with a touch of sweetness. The classic way to add sweetness to this spicy sauce is with brown sugar, but you guys know I prefer using honey whenever I get the chance, so I made a few swaps and came out with one of my favorite sauces to date.
As soon as the chicken comes out of the oven, brush the hot honey over the warm chicken and allow it to soak into the crunchy coating. Then eat.
It. Is. SO. GOOD.
And I swear, you can’t even tell it’s not fried.
When I finally had the chicken perfected, I sent the leftovers home with my brother knowing he’d love them. Thing is, you can’t trust brothers to do anything because the chicken somehow managed to get burnt in the oven while re-heating. Either he burned it or my dad did, the stories are unclear, but either way, no one got any of this delicious chicken…well at least not the way it was intended to be eaten.
YES. Totally serious. My family everyone. I love um, but man they cannot cook.
Oh well, bottom line is that this chicken is delicious and you really need to give it a try. Today, tomorrow, this weekend, or maybe even this summer. This chicken would be perfect for warm picnics and summer parties.
Or how about all of the above?
If you make this Oven Fried Chicken and love it, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love, love, love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this chicken, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! I love looking at the photos of recipes you all have made. It makes my day!
Watch the How To Video:
Oven Fried Southern Hot Honey Chicken
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 651 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs (you can use skin on or off, but I used skin off)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 cups finely crushed corn flakes
- 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
Hot Honey
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2-3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt
Instructions
- 1. Add the chicken to a gallon size zip top bag. Pour the buttermilk and salt over the chicken. Toss well, cover and refrigerate 20 minutes or overnight.2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.3. Add the corn flake crumbs, flour, thyme, and a pinch of salt to a medium sized bowl. Stir to combine.4. Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk, and dredge through the crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been used. Make sure not to crowd your pan, if necessary use two baking sheets. Lightly brush the chicken with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, then flip the chicken over and continue cooking another 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. If using thighs, you may need to cook the chicken a little longer 5. Meanwhile, make the hot honey. Melt together the butter, honey, cayenne, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. 5. Brush or drizzle the chicken generously with hot honey and serve warm Enjoy!
Sounds good to me.
This post was originally published on May 2, 2018
Half Baked Harvest is my go-to and this is one of my all time favorites! I like to substitute harissa for the cayenne, but that’s just personal preference. A perfect recipe!
Thank you so much Nicole! xTieghan
This was fantastic! Will definitely be making again!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Cassandra! xTieghan
This recipe is super easy, and really good. I dropped the cayenne down to 1 tsp (I have 4 kids under 6) and it was still quite spicy. I’ll be making it again over wings for sure!
Thank you!! xTieghan
I made the recipe with 8 boneless skinless chicken Breast, arrowhead stoneground whole wheat flour, fresh thyme chopped fine and organic honey corn flakes 3 cups and organic corn flakes 3 cups. I used the food processor and I marinated the chicken in a thick Calders Brand in a glass jar buttermilk with kosher salt. The buttermilk over the chicken was thick and perfect. I took chicken out of buttermilk and coated with cornflakes mixture and placed on a baking sheet. I put some extra virgin olive oil on top lightly. I convection baked at 425 / I cooked for 20 min and then turned over and cooked another 20 min. I doubled the honey sauce but only put 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper which was hot but had a good balance. I doubled the recipe. I added the glaze when it came out of the oven . The recipe turned out FABULOUS!!!! My husband & son loved the chicken. The house smells insane. Thank You ! Michelle Saroki
Thank you so much Michelle! I am so glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
Thank you for sharing recipes and inspiring me to try new things. I did try the Oven Fried Hot Honey Chicken tonight and it was delicious but I had a problem with the sauce separating. I tried it twice, thought I may have over heated the first time. Do you have any suggestions or is that normal. I would recommend starting with the smallest amount of cayenne. We love spicy, and it is def spicy. Will make again!
Thanks.
Hey Tam! The sauce naturally separates as it cools. Just give it a stir before using and that does the trick. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was amazing!
Easy to make it gluten free by using GF corn flakes and GF flour.
Thanks so much, your site is our new Go-To for tasty recipes!
Elle from Vancouver, CA
I am so glad you loved this Elle! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Another incredible recipe! I loved the amount of heat but would warn people to lessen amt of cayenne if sensitive. I made it with a Mac n cheese side. Needless to say the significant other was very happy. Will be making again soon. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much Alexa! I am so glad you both loved this recipe! xTieghan
Ok so I don’t think I was quite ready for how spicy this really was, but it was SO flavorful and delicious!!! The flavor was even better the next day with the sauce soaked in! Seriously so good.
Any tricks to getting the crumbs to stick better? When I pulled them out of the oven, some parts were falling off from the moisture the chicken let out. ??♀️ (The crumbs were still mighty delicious though).
HI! It is important to let most of the buttermilk drip off before breading, so that might have been the reason the chicken lost crispiness. Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have other questions. Glad you love this recipe! Thanks! ?
Made these the other day – super glad that I did!! They’re nice and spicy. Definitely craveable ?
Thank you so much Kirty! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
Unfortunately this recipe was a huge miss for me 🙁
There is nothing about the flavor or texture of the chicken that I thought tasted good.
My wife and I ended up dumping it after a bite and I had to make a dinner a second time
Hi David! I am so sorry this did not work well for you. Are there any questions I can help you with if you decide to try it again? I hope you enjoy some other recipes on my blog!! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight and it came out great! But just a warning for those who don’t tolerate a lot of spice… I know it’s in the name, but this sauce it HOT. I went with the 2 tsp of cayenne rather than 3, doubled the honey and added an extra 2 Tbs of butter and it was still knock your pants off hot. This coming from a girl who dips her fries in straight Tobasco hot sauce rather than ketchup. I felt bad because my mom could not eat it. So maybe hold the sauce and let people apply on their own.
I served it with bacon Brussel Sprouts and sweet potato fries. Will definitely make again, just for a different audience.
Hi Elizabeth! I am so glad you liked this recipe! Yes, it is super spicy, but just how my family likes it haha! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Made this tonight and the flavors were SOOO gooood! However, the “crispies” turned soggy in the oven. Should I have maybe used foil instead of parchment? Any suggestions on how to keep the chicken crispy on both sides through baking? Will definitely be making this again!
HI Erin! It is important to let most of the buttermilk drip off before breading, so that might have been the reason the chicken lost crispiness. I don’t usually cook with foil, bu you could try that and see if it helps at all as well. Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have other questions. Glad you love this recipe! Thanks! ?
This chicken was SO good and really simple to make. I used a mixture of breasts and drumsticks. I was astonished that a “breaded” chicken like this didnt even make a mess, which was such a pleasant surprise. I opted for the 3 teaspoons of cayenne to the sauce, which I would assume is why it was so spicy, because the sauce had a big kick to it. Despite the heat, it was so good and we ate leftovers for days. HBH strikes again with amazingness!
Thank you so much Taylor! I am so glad you loved this recipe and it turned out amazing for you!
I am new to posting on your site but follow you. Anyhow, I made these for my Superbowl Party and they were a HUGE hit. One of the best recipes I have made in years! A KEEPER. Thank you.
I am so glad everyone loved these Claudia! Thank you so much!
So yummy!! I only used 1 tsp of cayenne, did not add any chili powder and it was the perfect amount of heat for us. The only thing I will do differently next time is crunch up the cornflakes a little smaller. Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I can’t wait to make it again!
Thank you so much Courtney! I am so glad you loved this!