This Hot Honey Chicken is oven baked to crispy perfection and drizzled with sweet and spicy Hot Honey Sauce! This recipe is a flavor explosion that can be served with rice, smashed or roasted potatoes, and more!

A spoon drizzling honey on top of crispy chicken.

Hot Honey Chicken

This oven-baked, extra crispy  Hot Honey Chicken is drizzled with mouth-watering hot honey sauce that gives this chicken a sweet and spicy kick! Your taste buds will love you for this!

Believe it or not, my 7-year old daughter can handle the heat in this recipe. The real kick comes from the sauce, so you can control how powerful it is by how much hot honey sauce you drizzle on top!

Baking the chicken makes this recipe a breeze. I like to cook a pot of rice while it bakes in the oven, the two pair so well together! Be sure to check out my PRO tips below! 

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Slice chicken in half lengthwise to create 2 thinner slices and pound to 1/2-inch thick. Season with salt/pepper and dredge in flour/brown sugar.

A plate of sliced chicken breast next to a plate of chicken being dredged in flour.

Transfer to whisked eggs/hot sauce mixture, then to breading mixture (crushed cornflakes, paprika, salt, chili powder, pepper, cayenne pepper). 

Dipping chicken in eggs and in breading to bake crispy hot honey chicken.

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 425° for 16 minutes. Drizzle with hot honey sauce and serve!

Crispy Hot Honey Chicken on baking racks before and after being baked.

Pro Tips

  • Spice Level: The chicken itself is mild but the hot honey sauce does have a slight kick to it. The heat can be controlled by how much sauce you drizzle on the chicken. You can also add more honey to the sauce to offset some heat if needed. (My 7-year old can totally handle the sauce, so if your kids can handle a little spice, you should be good!) 
  • Hot Sauce: I use Frank’s Hot Sauce in this recipe.
  • For Serving: I love serving this with a side of rice. (Cook the rice in chicken broth instead of water for more flavor!) Buttered noodles, smashed or roasted potatoes, and/or roasted vegetables are great too. Find all of my side dish recipes here!
  • Deep Frying/Air Frying: This recipe instructs you how to oven bake this chicken, but deep frying and air frying instructions are included in the notes section of the recipe card below!

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
  • Leftovers reheat well in a 350° oven for 10 minutes. 

Hot Honey Chicken on a white plate with hot honey dipping sauce.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • Large Baking Sheet– I use this light colored baking sheet. There is plenty of room- for all of the chicken. 

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A white plate with crispy Hot Honey Chicken with sauce drizzled on top.

Hot Honey Chicken

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
4.96 from 22 ratings
Servings: 6 people
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This oven-baked Hot Honey Chicken is extra crispy and drizzled with a sweet and spicy hot honey sauce! Pair this with rice or potatoes for a meal that kids and adults both love!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Chicken

  • 3 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts, about 1 ½ lbs.
  • Salt/Pepper
  • Nonstick cooking spray

Flour Mixture

  • ½ cup flour, use a generous ½ cup
  • 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, I use light

Egg Mixture

  • 3 large eggs, whisked very well
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce

Breading Mixture

  • 5 cups cornflakes
  • 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
  • ½ teaspoon EACH: salt, chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon EACH: pepper, cayenne pepper

Hot Honey Sauce

  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ cup hot sauce, I use Frank’s
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder

Instructions

Prep Work:

  • Use a food processor, a rolling pin, or your hands to crush the cornflakes. (I just use my hands!)
  • Combine the flour mixture, egg mixture, and breading mixture in 3 separate shallow bowls.
  • Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create two thinner slices. Use a meat mallet to tenderize the smooth side of the chicken until it's 1/2-inch thick. Cut into smaller strips/pieces if desired.
  • Preheat oven to 425° F.

Bread the Chicken:

  • Pat the chicken completely dry and season each side with salt and pepper.
  • Coat generously in the flour mixture, then transfer to egg mixture. Use your fingers to slide excess egg mixture off the chicken so that it doesn’t bleed through the breading.
  • Transfer to the breading mixture and coat very well on all sides. If some areas need extra breading, give it a quick dip back into the eggs, then back to the breading.
  • Transfer to a lightly greased, light-colored baking sheet. (Pro Tip: Place oven-safe cooling racks over the baking sheet for extra crispy results.)
  • Spray the chicken with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake the Chicken & Make Sauce

  • Bake for 15-16 minutes.
  • While the chicken bakes, combine the hot honey sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Once the butter is melted, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low until ready to serve.
  • Remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle with hot honey sauce. Some sauce may be reserved on the side for dipping as well. Serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Spice Level: The chicken itself is mild but the hot honey sauce does have a slight kick to it. The heat can be controlled by how much sauce you drizzle on the chicken. You can also add more honey to the sauce to offset some heat if needed. 
  • Hot Sauce: I use Frank's Hot Sauce in this recipe.
  • For Serving: I love serving this with a side of rice. (Cook the rice in chicken broth instead of water for more flavor!) Buttered noodles, smashed or roasted potatoes, and/or roasted vegetables are great too. Find all of my side dish recipes here!
To Deep Fry:
  • Add oil to a dutch oven, fill it no more than halfway. Heat to 350-375° F. (You can also use a deep fryer.)
  • Fry the chicken in batches, each side will take about 4 minutes to sufficiently brown. Remove and transfer to cooling racks.
To Air Fry:
  • Preheat the air fryer to 375°. If yours runs hot, heat to 350°.
  • Place the breaded chicken on the air frying basket, do not overlap them and fry in batches if needed.
  • Use Cooking Spray to generously coat the outside prior to air frying.
  • Air fry for 10-15 minutes. Flip and spray with more Canola oil.
  • Cook for 10 more minutes.
  • Ensure the internal temperature has reached 165° prior to serving.
Storage:
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
  • Leftovers reheat well in a 350° oven for 10 minutes. 
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 133mg, Sodium: 809mg, Potassium: 346mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 992IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 8mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Stephanie