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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
This is my favorite recipe to make!!! My husbands too. It made me fall in love with smoked paprika and now its my favorite spice to use! To me, since im a baby, its very spicy. So I just cut back on the cayenne pepper and its perfect. 🙂
I am so glad you both love this recipe! Thank you Chardea! xTieghan
This was an absolute hit with the family … And the hot honey was divine perfection!
Thank you so much Melanie! I am so glad you all loved this! xTieghan
I LOVED this. Made it for my family as part of our Christmas brunch. It was such a hit!!! You’re amazing, thank you for sharing.
Thank you Danielle! So glad this turned out so well! xTieghan
SOOO GOOD! Made this for dinner (drumsticks) tonight & it was a BIG hit with the husband! Definitely easy and we especially loved the spicy honey sauce!! Didn’t have corn flakes on hand so I used Panko crumbs instead- deeeelish! Definitely turned what would have been a boring chicken dinner into a new fave! Thank you for sharing:)
That is so amazing! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Evelyn! Thank you! xTieghan
Incredible! so good highly reccommend
Thank you so much Emily! xTieghan
Tieghan,
We’re devouring this hot honey chicken right now- it’s one of our favs, we’ve had it multiple times in the last few months! My boyfriend made it today and declared that I was “cut off” cause he makes it better ? Also big fans of your Korean popcorn chicken, terra chip chicken, etc. We absolutely love all of your recipes and tell everyone about you! Thank you for feeding us MULTIPLE times a week and for giving me a lot more confidence in the kitchen! I don’t have an Instagram but I’m going to get on there soon just so I can post my very below average pictures of your delicious food- I know it’s your favorite part of the day! We can’t wait to meet you at Eataly in Chicago next month!!
Emily Andersen
Hi Emily! I am so glad you loved this recipe and I hope you both continue to enjoy them! xTieghan
Amazing!!! have shared this recipe with so many friends everyone loves………….it!! Love all your recipes. Keep them coming
That is so sweet of you! I am so glad you all have loved this recipe, Debbie! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this recipe and it was absolutely amazing! My husband is super picky about his spicy chicken but he loved this recipe so much when I made it! The sauce is addicting!
Thank you so much Katie! xTieghan
My family loved this dish so much! I made too much so we had great sandwiches the next day with honey mustard, blue cheese crumbles and pickled vegetables, and then use the recipe to make great chicken and waffles for brunch! Just added a little maple syrup to the hot honey mixture! Thanks for a keeper!
Thank you so much Amy!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This recipe got amazing reviews in my cooking group on Facebook and I’m making it tonight. Can you recommend a dipping sauce for this? Thank you!
Hey Theresa, there is extra sauce that you can dip the chicken into, but I would also recommend a honey mustard. Linked below! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
https://fett-weg.today/baked-spicy-ranch-chicken-fingers/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I have the same dairy substitute question but for the butter. Should I use “better than butter” type substitute or just an oil instead? Please let me know! Thanks!
Hi there! I would recommend using olive oil. That will be great!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I found this recipe going through your website! I love everything I’ve made from it!
This was delicious! So crispy and crunchy, the sauce tasted hot on it’s own but on the chicken it was just the right amount of heat! I am a baby and only used 1 tsp of cayenne!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you for trying this and many others Ashley! I hope you continue to love my recipes! xTieghan
By FAR my favorite chicken recipe ever! I want to make this all the time, and my husband doesn’t argue 😉 Thanks for a great recipe!
Wow so amazing! Thank you so much Sarah! xTieghan
I know you published this recipe last year, but I only just recently tried it and it is so, so good!! I’ve already made it several times for my family and everyone loves it. The recipe is simple and the flavors are really unique. It’s great with roasted Brussels sprouts and corn on the cob for summertime. Thanks for your amazing recipes – they’re always winners! ❤️
Thank you so much Sara! xTieghan
I love this and so does my family so I have made it several times. The first few times the sauce was great. Then another time it “broke” (didn’t emulsify). Any suggestions?
HI there! Sounds like you might just be over boiling the sauce. too much heat can cause it to break apart. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan