Hot Honey Chicken
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 631kcal
Golden, crispy, sweet, and spicy, this Hot Honey Chicken is on the table in just 20 minutes, and it pairs beautifully with all your favorite sides for a fast, flavorful dinner the whole family will love.
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Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts boneless and skinless (about 1 pound total)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Flaky salt for sprinkling
- 2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil plus more as needed (or canola or vegetable oil)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil plus more as needed
Hot Honey
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
Hot Honey
- In a small saucepan, warm the 1/2 cup honey, 2 Tablespoons hot sauce, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 pinch red pepper flakes, plus 1 pinch of salt. Keep warm over low heat.
Chicken
- Cut 2 2 chicken breasts in half horizontally so you end up with 4 thin pieces of chicken. Working with 1 piece of chicken at a time, place in a large zip-top bag and pound with a meat mallet or cast iron skillet until 1/4-inch thick. Set aside and repeat with the remaining 3 pieces.
- Grab 3 shallow bowls for your breading station.
- In the first bowl, whisk together the 1 cup all-purpose flour, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.
- To the second bowl, add the 2 large eggs and 2 Tablespoons hot sauce, and whisk until well combined.
- In the third bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder and another big pinch of salt and pepper.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs onto the outside of the chicken to help it adhere.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil and 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. (You should have enough oil to cover the bottom of your pan by about ⅛ inch.) Working in batches if needed, add the breaded chicken cutlets in a single layer and cook until cooked through and lightly browned on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side.Transfer the chicken onto a paper towel-lined plate baking sheet and sprinkle with flaky salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken if needed, adding additional oil to the pan as needed.
- Drizzle the hot honey over the chicken. Enjoy!
Notes
Storing
- Store leftover hot honey chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, keeping in mind that the crispy breading will start to soften. I don’t recommend freezing hot honey chicken as the freezing and thawing will affect the crispy texture of the breading.
- For the crispiest results, reheat the chicken in an air fryer at 350 degrees F for a couple of minutes per side. Warm any leftover hot honey sauce over low-heat in a small saucepan.
- Alternatively, warm leftover chicken pieces in a skillet over low heat or microwave in 30-second bursts until heated through.
- Pound the chicken pieces to an even thickness so they cook uniformly and stay juicy.
- Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper before cooking, or customize with your favorite herbs and spices. Check out this BEST Chicken Dry Rub Recipe made with simple ingredients.
- Cook the chicken pieces over medium-high heat just until cooked through, being careful not to overcook or they will turn out dry and tough.
- Serve the hot honey chicken immediately alongside your favorite sides for the best texture and flavor. You can also make extra homemade hot honey if you enjoy more sauce with your food.
- I prefer panko breadcrumbs for the extra crunch. Regular breadcrumbs work just fine if that's what you have available.
- Check the chicken for doneness. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest section of the chicken which should read 165 degrees F for it to be safe to eat. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, test the chicken for doneness by cutting into it and ensure that it’s no longer pink inside.
- Allow the oil to reheat in between cooking batches of breaded chicken pieces as the oil will naturally drop in temperature when food is added. If the temperature isn’t high enough, the coating will soak up oil instead of turning golden and crispy.
- Buttermilk Hot Honey Chicken - Marinate the chicken in buttermilk for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge. Drain well before dredging, then proceed with the recipe as written.
- Spicier Hot Honey Chicken - Stir extra cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes into the hot honey sauce. You could also add cayenne pepper to the hot sauce egg mixture.
- Gluten-Free Hot Honey Chicken - Replace the bread crumbs with almond flour. Alternatively, crushed pork rinds make an excellent gluten-free substitute.
- Bread crumb alternatives - Swap out the bread crumbs for finely crushed pretzels like these Pretzel Crusted Chicken Cutlets or finely crushed tortilla chips, like these Tortilla Crusted Chicken Cutlets.
Nutrition
Calories: 631kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 680mg | Potassium: 623mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 898IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 4mg