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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 was fantastic! We used boneless skinless chicken tenders and it was perfect! We will definitely make this again!
Thank you so much Callie! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this tonight and LOVED it. Served it with coleslaw & dill pickles. Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper!!
Thank you so much Laura! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Thanks Tieghan for this DELICIOUS recipe!!! It was a huge hit in our home! Knowing my family I cut the cayenne and chili powder down but it was still scrumptious! I even left some without the sauce for my husband (who isn’t always sure about new recipes I try) but he actually choose to go for the sauced chicken instead!
Thanks for all that you share with us!
❤️
Thank you so much Katie! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was insanely good. The sauce on top, I mean wow.
Thank you Allie! xTieghan
Perfect blend of sweet and spicy
Thank you so much Priyanka! xTieghan
Do you have recommendations of what to use to substitute buttermilk? Our local grocery stores have none in stock right now. Can’t wait to make this, thank you!
Hi Paige,
I would recommend using heavy cream or another milk that you are able to get your hands on!
Do you think chicken drumsticks would work well with this recipe? If so what would be the cooking time? It looks amazing but I can’t get Chicken breast anywhere at the moment.
Hi Hannah,
You can definitely use drumsticks, just adjust your cooking time accordingly! I would say 40-45 minutes.
Can I turn this into nuggets somehow? Would cooking time change?
HI! Yes! Just cut the chicken into smaller pieces and bake for a shorter time, maybe about 15-20 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Hi! Can any of these be frozen after cooking?
Hi Michelle! Yes, of course! I hope you enjoy them! Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Could I put the chicken in the air fryer? What are your thoughts as to the temperature and time?
HI! I am sure the air fryer will be great, but I do not personally own one so I can’t advise on time or temp. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
This was a hit! Didn’t have corn flakes so I used panko instead with boneless skinless chicken thighs (also used yogurt instead of buttermilk). We devoured almost all of it. Even my toddler enjoyed it (minus the spicy honey sauce which really took it to the next level). Will definitely be adding this to our rotation! Thank you for another great recipe!! So far we are loving every HBH recipe we have tried. Definitely my new favourite food blog!
Hi Amanda! I am so glad you are loving my recipes! I hope you continue to! Thank you so much! xTieghan
To hard to leave feed back. Not coming back
Hi Ted! Could you please inform me of the issues you are having? I would love to get them resolved and make it easier for people to leave feedback! xTieghan
Not at all hot, but tasty
Thank you for trying this, please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
I love everything Half Baked Harvest, but this was one of the first times that the recipe did not go according to plan. The hot honey was good, it just never combined together and the spices just clumped. Not entirely sure what went wrong and will probably add extra butter and honey next time.
Hi Leigh! Is there anything that went wrong while making this? I would love to help out! Please let me know! xTieghan
Very good! I made the sauce (using 1 teaspoon of cayenne) for chicken tenders that we had on a lovely mixed salad. I’ll make this again! Thanks.
Thank you so much Janice! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan