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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
Loved it but a little turned off by the amount of butter. Suggestions?
Hi Grady,
So sorry but the butter makes the sauce! You can always reduce the amount of sauce you are putting on the chicken. I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
seriously this is the best chicken!
Thank you so much Summer! That is amazing to hear! xTieghan
This is a favourite for me and my husband! His favourite way to eat them is on top of mashed potato to soak up the yummy honey butter sauce. Today we ate them as sliders on homemade biscuits and it was a game changer!
Thank you so much Stephanie! That is so great! xTieghan
Made these for a happy hour snack today, they were awesome!!!! Will be making them again for sure. Thanks!
Thank you so much Stephanie! xTieghan
Looks amazing! Could I sub panko bread crumbs for corn flakes if I don’t have the latter, or will that not be a course enough crumb?
Hi Julia! I am sure that will work great! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
This recipe has been on my list of things to make! Could I sub the wheat flour for almond flour? And Is there something similar I could use besides corn flakes?
Hi Nicole! I am sure almond flour will work great! Also, you could use breadcrumbs to replace the corn flakes! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Hello! Just wondering if you need to heat up the hot honey sauce before using on the chicken?
Hi Olivia! The hot honey sauce should already be warm from melting all of the ingredients together! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Seriously the entire time eating this I was like “wow, this sauce isn’t hot at all, it’s like dipping your chicken into honey butter.” Well, I forgot the cayenne! I added it and naturally had to eat another half a chicken thigh. Omg so good!
Hi Tess! Haha well I am so glad this was great both ways! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
We tried this recipe tonight and used chicken thighs with skin on, bone in, We also replaced the thyme with fresh basil because that was all we had on hand. It was still SO delicious, even with the modifications. Will definitely cook this again! Thank-you!
Thank you Gabby! That is so great to hear! xTieghan
can you use all purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour? And breadcrumbs instead of crushed corn flakes? Cheers!
Hi Mathuri! Both substitutes should work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
A girlfriend had just given me your cookbook as a gift last week and I fell instantly in love! This is the 3rd HBH recipe I’ve made in the last few days. Had to make this one in particular as my son who is a freshman at Vanderbilt is home “self-isolating” and is going a little stir crazy(thought the Nashville Hot chicken recipe might cheer him up). It was absolutely delicious!! Will definitely make again and again. Also, made your cuban black beans for the second time last night and your one bowl oatmeal chocolate chip cookies ~ all amazing. Thank you, thank you!!!
Hi! Wow I am so glad you are loving my recipes and I hope you continue to! Also, I hope this did cheer him up, I am sure it is so different trying to get school work done at home! Stay well! xTieghan
I have made this twice. Both times a hit, but the 2nd time, much better with my tweaks. Ingredients are all the same, fear not dear commenters, I have not changed it, only changed the ORDER. The first time was waay too hot for me, so the 2nd time, I used boneless skinless (the first time not), and after the buttermilk step, I dredged it in the hot honey sauce, THEN in the cornflake crumbs. I saved about a 1/3 of the sauce for drizzling. The amounts were perfect for 6 boneless skinless thighs, whereas I had 2 lbs of thighs (4) the first time and threw out so much cornflake mix and hot honey sauce (I hate waste).This is now a keeper for us!!
Hi Sheri! I am really glad this recipe has been working so well for you! Also, thank you for sharing your experience! I hope you continue to love this and others! Stay well! xTieghan
Can this be done with tofu?! Or even shrimp?!
Hi Emily,
Yes either of those would totally work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This chicken is PERFECT. It’s juicy, crunchy, spicy and I wouldn’t change a thing. This southern girl misses her hot chicken so thank you for this! I find it pairs very well with the Cauliflower Mac & Cheese 🙂
So glad this one turned out so well for you! Thank you Kimberly! xTieghan
Tried this last night and it was SO SO good. I only used 2.5 teaspoons of cayenne but I think next time I’ll go the full 3. I used white flour (didn’t have whole wheat flour) and dried thyme instead. Chicken was perfectly cooked, I highly recommend following the recipe when it says turn over and cook another 10 mins. The only MINOR downside was by my last chicken breast being “breaded”- the cornflake mix was getting a little clumpy cuz the buttermilk on the chicken which made it a little bit more difficult for them to stick. But I made it work and they were amazing!!!!
Thank you so much Morgan! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan