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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
Made this last night! Paired it w/ roasted garlic green beans and rice. Very tasty!!!
Thank you so much Irene! xTieghan
Looks fantastic, can’t wait to try it!, and I had to chuckle with your description above….
Thank you! xTieghan
This looks so yummy and I can’t wait to make it for my husband! I saw your suggestions for replacing the buttermilk with something dairy free – any ideas on replacing the butter? My tummy thanks you – lol 🙂
Hey,
Just use a vegan butter:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
So delicious! I didn’t have whole wheat flour and substituted oat flour. This will definitely be a repeat. Any recommendations on how to partially pre-cook and freeze to be cooked for later?
So many amazing recipes and LOVE that they are cleaner recipes.
Hey Brittany. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. I would follow the steps up until baking and then freeze at this point. I hope this helps! xTieghan
I LOVED this recipe. My husband does all of the cooking in our house, but after I saw this recipe I decided to give cooking a try! The recipe was easy to follow for a beginner in the kitchen and was sooo delicious! I brought my mom over for leftovers the night after and she was so impressed.
Amazing!! Thank you so much for trying this one, Rebecca! xTieghan
WHOLE family favorite. I don’t even really have a weekly menu rotation but this has been on it for months!!
Thank you Hillary! xTieghan
Amazing! First bite in and my husband exclaimed that it was a repeater!
Amazing!! Thank you so much Allie! xTieghan
My hubby made this for us last night using chicken thighs. That sauce is so yummy but definitely spicy – he cut back on the cayenne by about half and it was still pretty hot – but delicious. I used ranch dressing for dipping to cool it down a bit. The cornflake coating gave it the perfect crunch. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you Bridget! I am really happy this turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
Wow!! I made this last night and it was such a hit amongst everyone! Baked. Breaded. Mouth-watering. Deliciousness. And so easy to make! Thank you for once again making a hit recipe!
Thank you Sabina!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
So delicious we love making this in our house !
Thank you Melanie! I am so glad this turned out well for you! xTieghan
My husband and I love this recipe! The flavors of the hot honey glaze are soooo good! I have made this 3-4 times now and my one trouble is the corn flakes/flour always fall off either as I am flipping mid-bake or after I take them out of the pan. I scrape them back onto the chicken. How do I keep the breading from falling off? I even butterfly the chicken breasts so they are nice and flat, and I smash the corn flakes extra small. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong with that part 🙁 otherwise the recipe is perfect!
Hey Jessica,
I am so glad you have been enjoying this recipe! I really like to press the corn flakes into the chicken, I hope this helps for next time! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
So delicious! We put this on brioche buns with a bit of lettuce and had it as a sandwich!
Ooo yum! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Christina! xTieghan
For the corn flakes, are we supposed to measure out 3 cups and then crush them, or crush them first and then measure out 3 cups?
Hey Steve,
You can measure out 3 cups and then crush. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Amazing!
Thank you Kristie! xTieghan
I made this and it was fantastic. I doubled the sauce but didn’t double the cayenne because my younger brother was going to be eating it. Next time I might add a little less butter because it was a little overpowering and the sauce not as thick as I’d like (even though it still tasted amazing). Next time I’ll make it with mashed potatoes so I can eat them with the sauce too!
Thank you so much Kelsey! That is so great to hear! I hope you continue to enjoy this and other recipes of mine! xTieghan