Listen, I made my hot honey chicken recipe on TODAY Show and the hosts straight fell in love. I make mine a little different, and my unique tricks pay off. I marinate the chicken in buttermilk then coat in a seasoned cereal (yep cereal) breading before frying up. Then I toss in my hot honey sauce which is the perfect mix of sweet and spicy. Make sure you make at least two batches because these are hits.
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How to make Hot Honey Chicken
Step 1: marinate the chicken and mix the coating ingredients
- Submerge the chicken in a large bowl with buttermilk.
- Cover it, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
- Add the cereal, flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, and garlic powder to a large zip-top bag once you’re ready to fry.
- Mix until well combined. Then, drizzle in milk and mix well again. Little clumps will appear.
step 2: coat the chicken and fry it
- Lift the chicken out of the buttermilk using tongs, letting excess drip back into the bowl, then place it in the bag of seasoned flour, thoroughly coating each piece of chicken.
- Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken. Let sit until the coating has set.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large, deep skillet. Carefully place the coated tenders in the hot oil and fry until golden brown and cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 165°F when checked with a food thermometer.
- Remove the tenders from the oil once fried and let them drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
Step 3: mix the hot honey sauce and coat the chicken with it
- Add hot sauce, honey, and butter to a small saucepan and heat over medium, until the butter has melted.
- Transfer the tenders to a large bowl and toss with half the sauce until completely coated, and serve immediately.
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Now, making these Hot Honey Chicken tenders in the air fryer is a breeze, and it follows the same steps we talked about above. The only twist? The air fryer! Here’s that you wanna do after you coat your tenders:
- Preheat your air-fryer.
- Spray both sides of tenders with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place in air-fryer and cook on 400F.
- Transfer to a clean, large rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Hot Honey Chicken
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Ingredients
For the Chicken Tenders:
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast tenderloins
- 2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
- 1 ½ cups finely crushed Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons Lawry’s seasoned salt
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
- 4 cups vegetable oil
For the Hot Honey Sauce:
- ½ cup hot sauce such as Frank’s
- ½ cup honey
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
- In large bowl, submerge chicken in buttermilk, cover it, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.
- When ready to fry, in large zip-top bag combine cereal, flour, seasoned salt, paprika, pepper, and garlic powder and mix until well combined. Drizzle in milk and mix well. Little clumps will appear.
- Using tongs, lift the chicken out of the buttermilk, letting excess drip back into the bowl, then place it in the bag of seasoned flour, thoroughly coating each piece of chicken. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining chicken. Let sit until the coating has set, 10-15 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large, deep skillet to about 350°F. Carefully place the coated tenders in the hot oil and fry for about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 165°F when checked with a food thermometer.
- Once fried, remove the tenders from the oil and let them drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
- In a small saucepan, combine hot sauce, honey, and butter and heat over medium, until the butter has melted.
- Once you’ve fried all the tenders, transfer them to a large bowl and toss with half the sauce until completely coated, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Taste-Test That Sauce: Before you go drizzling that hot honey sauce all over your chicken, give it a little taste test. That way you can always adjust the spice to make sure it’s just right for everyone at your table.
- Honey Slide Trick: When you’re measuring out your honey for the sauce, try spraying your measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray first. This ensures that all that sticky sweetness pours out easily, leaving no honey behind and making clean-up a breeze.
- Avoid Overcrowding: Resist the temptation to cram too many tenders in at once! Whether you’re frying or air frying, overcrowding leads to uneven cooking, resulting in less crispy tenders.
- Use a Thermometer: Don’t guess if your oil is ready for frying – use a thermometer to know for sure. Your oil should be at a steady 350°F for that ideal fry, keeping your hot honey chicken tenders crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
- Fry Station Setup: Start with your ready-to-cook chicken on the left, your deep fryer or large skillet in the middle, and then a cooling rack set over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on the right. This assembly line approach keeps things moving smoothly!
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Taste-Test That Sauce: That way you can always adjust the spice to make sure it’s just right for everyone at your table.
- Honey Slide Trick: Try spraying your measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray first. This ensures it pours out easily.
- Avoid Overcrowding: Don’t cram too many tenders when frying.
- Use a Thermometer: Don’t guess if your oil is ready for frying. Your oil should be at a steady 350°F for that ideal fry.
Recipe Help
Can I bake this recipe?
Absolutely, boo! Just preheat your oven to 400°F, place the coated chicken on a baking sheet, and give them a good spray with some oil to help them crisp up. Bake until they’re golden brown and cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.
How spicy is the chicken?
The sauce does pack a flavorful punch with some heat but it’s not gonna set your mouth on fire. Perfect for those who like a bit of spice without the burn.
Why is my fried chicken soggy?
Soggy fried chicken often comes down to a couple of factors: oil temperature and overcrowding. If your oil isn’t hot enough, the chicken absorbs more oil than it should, making it soggy. Also, crowding the pan can lower the oil’s temperature and steam the chicken instead of frying it.
More fried chicken recipes
- Ultimate Nashville Hot Chicken Recipe
- Buttermilk Fried Chicken Recipe
- Big Mama’s Fried Chicken Recipe
- Chicken Fried Steak
- Chicken Fried Chicken
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
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I made this for my family. Big hit! Thank you for such a great recipe !
Thank you for making it for your family!!
Totally looooove the recipe and it was so flavorful. The chicken was crisp n perfectly seasoned and the hot honey sauce added such an oomph factor to this recipe. Absolutely yummm.
This looks hot hot hot and I cannot wait to make it – yummmm! My kids especially will be so thrilled to have it as it is not something that I make very often and I am not even sure why. I am drooling right not even lunch time 😉
I know the kids will love this!
I love hot honey chicken…this is finger licking good! It’s one of my favorites especially for the warmer months!
Hot honey chicken was requested in my house recently as I guess it has been a trending flavor, so I decided to give this recipe a shot and I don’t know who loved it more, me or the kids! bold in flavor but not too hot that you can’t enjoy the flavor of the chicken and the honey for the perfect sweetness to balance it all out. Will be coming back to this recipe!
I’m so so glad you enjoyed this recipe! It is so full of flavor.
I felt like we were eating the ultimate guilty pleasure comfort food. A great combination of ingredients made a delicious meal!
This recipe is awesome, the seasoning is on point and the main flavors are going well together. The presentation of it is good and the instructions on making this is easy to understand!
This hot honey chicken is so good! It came out crisp on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside . There is a perfect balance of sweetness and spice to satisfy even the picker eaters in my house. I will be making this again , great recipe.
What a great idea to use honey nut cheerios for the crunchy coating. Our family loves crispy hot chicken so I’ve just got to try your recipe in our air fryer.
This was such an interesting list of ingredients and man was it ever tasty! My sons are wanting it again soon!