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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
I made this last night and it turned out so well and was surprisingly very easy to make! My husband had finished his first piece of chicken before I could even sit down! Thank you for another great recipe!
Wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
What do you recommend serving with the chicken? ?
Hi Jen! I would serve it with some rice and vegetables! Which ever are your favorites! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Loved it -we actually had some gochujaro flakes on hand (similar to gochujang) that we added to the butter and we will definitely be making this again. We paired it with the warm herby potato salad (also a hit!).
Amazing!! I am so glad this turned out so well! Thank you Jessica! xTieghan
This was delicious! We had this tonight and my family is a big fan! My only question is how I can better keep the breading on the chicken. A lot of mine fell off ?
Hi Megan! Did you pack it on well enough? I try to really push it into the chicken so it stays on! Please let me know if there is anything else I can help with! xTieghan
Delicious but my hot honey did not turn out! It separated from the start and also didn’t look appealing. Do you think I overstirred or perhaps didn’t use enough (or the right) type of honey? Have you encountered this issue? Thanks!!
Hi Meredith? Is it possible you over cooked the hot honey? It’s never meant to boil and should only be gently melted together. Also, did you use a runny honey? That is what I recommend. Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thank you!! xTieghan
This was so easy to make, and my whole family loved it! I am a vegetarian, so I put the sauce on a veggie chicken patty, and even that was amazing! Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you Julie! I am so glad this turned out so well for all of you! xTieghan
Yum yum yum! Made this tonight and we loved it! We even made extra hot honey butter for drizzling on other things. I love it on brussel sprouts! Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
Thank you Maureen! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious! I made this last night for dinner and devoured it in under 2mins. It was that good. And so easy to make. I’ll be making this on the regular!
Thank you so much Cristina! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I just made this with your Baked Mac & Cheese and OMG what a great combo. This chicken is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy with just the right crunch. The sauce totally makes it. Pretty easy to make for a crowd and impress. Thank you!!
Thank you so much Angela! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
When using chicken breast, do you leave them whole? Or cut them into smaller pieces?
Hi Emily! I cut the chicken breast in half! I hope you love this! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Will coconut milk/cream work to make it dairy free?
Hi Bri! Yes, coconut milk works great. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Made it with waffles, great combo! Thanks
Thank you Jake! xTieghan
This recipe was amazing! Super easy to prepare. I didnt have corn flakes on hand so I substituted it for panko and it tasted great. I’ll be sure to pick up some corn flakes the next time I make this dish! Thanks for sharing ?
Thank you Krista! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this tonight. My husband and I loved it! Can’t wait to make it again
Thank you so much Margaret! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was SO GOOD. Only disappointing part was that we didn’t have any cornflakes left for breakfast…FYI you’ll need the whole box to get 3 cups of crushed crumbs 🙂
Thank you so much Michelle! xTieghan