Description
Hot Honey Chicken is a crispy, juicy, and flavorful dish featuring fried chicken tenders coated in a sweet and spicy honey glaze. Perfect for family meals, game days, or when you’re craving bold comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenders
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons water
- 2 ½ cups honey
- 5 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 ½ tablespoons cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Vegetable oil or shortening, for frying
- Kosher salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, salt, and pepper. Add chicken tenders and coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- In one bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, baking powder, and black pepper. In another bowl, beat eggs with hot sauce and water.
- Remove chicken from marinade. Dredge in the flour mixture, then dip in egg mixture, and dredge again in the flour. Let coated chicken rest on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, combine honey, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, and salt. Heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, for 10–15 minutes until warm and fragrant. Let cool slightly.
- Heat ½ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Fry chicken in batches, turning once, about 3 minutes per side until golden and crispy. Drain on a wire rack and sprinkle with salt.
- Keep cooked chicken warm in a 325°F oven while frying remaining pieces. Drizzle with warm hot honey before serving. Serve with extra sauce if desired.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of cayenne pepper in the honey for milder or spicier heat.
- Keep chicken crispy by draining on a wire rack instead of paper towels.
- Make the hot honey ahead and store it in a sealed jar for up to one week.
- Use gluten-free flour for a gluten-free version.
- Do not drizzle hot honey on chicken you plan to store for later.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/5 of recipe)
- Calories: 620
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 980mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 145mg
