Description
Baked crunchy hot honey chicken delivers a spicy-sweet punch that will make your dinner table seriously sizzle. Crispy chicken coated in golden honey glaze guarantees clean plates and happy smiles around the table.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins
Coating and Crunch:
- 6 cups cornflakes
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
Supporting Ingredients:
- ½ cup honey
- 2–3 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1–3 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- ¾ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Sea salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh thyme
- Cilantro or parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Crush 6 cups of cornflakes in a food processor with ¼ cup parmesan, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder until you have fine, even crumbs.
- Whisk 2 large eggs with 2 tablespoons hot sauce in a separate bowl for chicken coating.
- Add 2 pounds chicken tenderloins to the egg mixture and toss until each piece is thoroughly coated.
- Dredge each chicken piece completely in the cornflake crumb mixture, pressing gently to ensure a thick, even coating.
- Optional: For extra crispiness, dip chicken back into eggs and then into crumbs a second time.
- Arrange coated chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each piece.
- Drizzle chicken with extra virgin olive oil to help achieve golden, crispy edges.
- Bake at 425°F for 20-25 minutes until chicken is completely crisp and golden brown.
- While chicken bakes, combine ½ cup honey, 2-3 tablespoons hot sauce, 1-3 teaspoons cayenne, ¾ teaspoon chipotle chili powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon onion powder in a saucepan.
- Warm the honey mixture over low heat, stirring until ingredients are well blended.
- Remove chicken from oven and immediately drizzle with the spicy honey sauce.
- Garnish with fresh thyme, cilantro, or parsley before serving.
Notes
- Crush cornflakes finely to ensure an extra crispy coating that sticks perfectly to the chicken.
- Double-dredging creates an incredibly crunchy exterior, so take the extra time to do the second coating.
- Use a meat thermometer to check that chicken reaches 165°F internally for safe cooking.
- For a gluten-free version, swap cornflake crumbs with crushed gluten-free rice cereal or almond flour.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
- Category: Baked
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 408 kcal
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 380 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg