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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
So I cheated and pan seared my chicken, 5-6 minutes per side, in my cast iron skillet before baking. It came out extraordinary crispy, so, so delicious! And the sauce was absolute perfection – amazing balance of sweet and spicy. This will be on regular rotation at my house!! A keeper 🙂
Thank you so much Kristen! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
This was so so good and super easy!! I put it on top of a salad with some green goddess dressing from another hbh recipe. My husband that doesn’t eat salads devoured the chicken and even the salad! He also mentioned he could see this chicken being delicious in a chicken and waffle dish. Awesome!!
That is so amazing!! Thank you so much for trying this one, Ally! So glad it turned out so well for you both! xTieghan
My husband and I just finished eating this for dinner. It was absolutely amazing and one of our favorite recipes to date. It was so dang good and also not difficult to make! Thank you for sharing this!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much Angelica! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make this! Do you cut your chicken breast in half or just cook the whole thing?
Hi Jonica! I do cut the chicken breast in half! I hope you love this recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
You’re recipes are amazing! I want to try this one but am curious if you can do it with Wings? Would the cooking time be less? I may want to try it with various pieces all in same pan…..breasts, drumsticks, wings. THANKS!
Hey! The cooking times will vary depending on the size of your chicken. I can’t really advise much since I don’t know the sizing or pieces you will be using. Just be sure to check for doneness before serving. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
So weird, I was just talking about Nashville got chicken with someone then you go and post this recipe on Instagram! Looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!
One question though – I was surprised to see you don’t bake them on a rack. Do you have a trick for keeping them crispy on both sides??
Hey! I don’t find a rack to be needed. You can flip the chicken half way through cooking, but honestly I don’t usually do this and find that the chicken crisp up just perfectly when left alone and baked as directed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Oh my gosh. Made these tonight with chicken thighs and they were just something else. My husband and I both went back for seconds. Absolutely delicious!!
Wow that is so great! Thank you so much for trying this recipe Lindsey! xTieghan
So delicious – tons of flavor for baked (not fried) chicken – absolutely love it. Used the extra buttermilk I had to make biscuits. Such a great pairing. Love this blog!!!
Thank you so much Marissa! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes and blog!! xTieghan
How do I keep the coating from sliding off the chicken when I turn it over? Also, whichever side cooks facedown last always comes out soggy for me, even if it was crispy when I turned it. This recipe is so amazing and yummy but I don’t understand what I am doing wrong.
Hi Dawn! 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! ?
Hi again. I wanted to reply to YOUR reply to my comment below but it wouldn’t work for some reason. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I am just starting my own food blog and it is A LOT of work. My only complaint is that I wanted twice the amount of sauce to pour over all the chicken because it was THAT yummy. For the hot honey, I put everything in a pot together, but I see that you melt the butter separately and just pour that onto your other ingredients. I wonder if that matters at all. My sauce separated within minutes of coming off the heat. But it still tasted fabulous.
Can regular all-purpose flour be substituted for whole wheat flour?
Hi Dawn! Yes, all-purpose flour works great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Help! I don’t’ know what I could have done wrong but my honey sauce separated. I melted the butter with all the other ingredients and double-checked the amounts. ANy idea where I went wrong?
Hi Laura! The hot honey separates once cooled, if you keep it warm it shouldn’t separate! Just keep stirring it up before you spoon over the chicken. Once it hits the chicken it will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
3 cups crushed cornflakes is about 6 cups whole cornflakes….. just FYI
Thank you Laura! xTieghan
Hello – Love your site and your recipes. Quick question – Can I make this the day before and reheat for a bbq the next day? How would you suggest reheating? Perhaps cook chicken day before and then add the honey sauce after re-heating? Please let me know what you think is best. Thank you!
Hi there! yes, I would cook the chicken the day before, then add the sauce and warm in the oven before serving. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This sauce was amazing, but I cannot get the chicken to remain crispy, or have the skin stay on the chicken. What can I do to have it remain crispy and the breading on the chicken? I did use panko crumbs instead of cornflakes. Could this be why?
Hi Sarah! 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! ?