Hot Honey Oven Fried Chicken

Be instantly transported down South when you take a bite of this crispy, sweet with a slight kick, Hot Honey Oven Fried Chicken. Baked in the oven instead of fried in oil makes it healthier and guilt-free. How do we achieve the crispy breading? Corn Flakes! Crush 'em up with your food processor or in a ziplock baggy and a rolling pin. Then drizzled over the top is the easy hot honey that you can easily customize to make spicier or less.

What You'll Need for this Baked Hot Honey Chicken:

• Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless
• Buttermilk
• Hot Sauce - use your favorite that you have in your fridge. I used Frank's!
• Corn Flakes
• Butter
• Honey
• Salt, Pepper, and Dried Thyme

The first, and very important, step is to marinate our chicken. We toss our chicken pieces with buttermilk, salt, and hot sauce for at least a half an hour. You can even do overnight! This helps tenderize the chicken and adds flavor too. It's a must. Once you're done marinating the chicken we just bread the pieces in the crushed cornflakes, a little flour, S&P, and some dried thyme. The key is to kind of press the crumbs into the chicken.

I like to bake the chicken on a rack-lined baking sheet. This helps ensure even crispness all around and eliminates the need for flipping! But, if you don't have a rack that fits your cookie sheet, then go ahead and use a parchment lined sheet. You'll want to flip your chicken halfway through but it will still be amazing and crispy.

While the chicken is baking, let's make the hot honey. It's shockingly easy. Just bring to a simmer the butter, honey, and some hot sauce. That's it. Simmering it for a minute helps to thicken it up, but it will thicken more as it cools. The recipe gives enough honey for all the chicken to have a hearty drizzle. But hey, if you prefer to dunk your chicken, then go ahead and double the Hot Honey recipe! The steps remain the same.

Now drizzle or dip away! This crispy, healthier, Hot Honey Oven Fried Chicken is surely to please anyone who is lucky enough to have you share.

Now tell me.. What is your favorite, go-to hot sauce that you'll be using for this recipe? Let me know in the comments!

This recipe is featured in a roundup of Best Buttermilk Recipes. Check it out!
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Recipe

Hot Honey Oven Fried Chicken

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5 from 1 review

Crispy and made healthier, this Oven Fried Hot Honey Chicken is stuff of dreams. Breaded in cornflakes to make it crisp and crunchy.

• Author: Kathleen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 70 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size chunks)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce

Chicken Breading

• 3 cups crushed corn flakes
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Hot Honey

• 1 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted is fine)
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce, adjust to taste

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Instructions

1. Combine the chicken, buttermilk, salt and hot sauce in a large bowl or gallon zip top bag. Marinate in fridge for at least a half an hour, or up to overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with a rack or parchment if you don't have a rack.
3. In a medium bowl, toss together cornflakes, flour, thyme, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken pieces in crumbs, pressing crumbs in. Place chicken on rack or parchment. Don't have the chicken pieces touching. You may need to use a second baking sheet depending on size.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the breading is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Use a meat thermometer if you're unsure the chicken is cooked. The chicken should be 165°F.
5. While the chicken is baking, make the hot honey. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, honey, and hot sauce. Bring to a simmer and simmer for one minute. Remove from heat. The honey will thicken as it cools.
6. Drizzle over the chicken pieces and enjoy!

Notes

To crush the corn flakes, you can use your food processor or place in a gallon zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin.

The chicken is best served warm soon after making. If eating as leftovers, I recommend warming in the oven or toaster oven to help maintain the crispy crunch!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
• Calories: 444
• Sugar: 18.1 g
• Sodium: 1478.1 mg
• Fat: 7.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 54.9 g
• Fiber: 0.9 g
• Protein: 38.9 g
• Cholesterol: 118.8 mg