Baked Hot Honey Chicken

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Everyone loves a new way to prepare chicken. And when the dish is as delicious as this one is, it’s an even bigger win!

This dish hits all the right notes. The extra-crispy exterior chicken breast is baked in a high-heat oven producing a golden breading and extra juicy cutlets. Control the amount of heat in the hot honey sauce. If you love the taste of classic hot wings, but with a little sweetness, this dish is for you.

A straight-on view of a cutlet of hot honey chicken that has been cut into strips and drizzled with hot honey sauce and is surrounded by more cutlets and butter pickles.

How To Make Baked Hot Honey Chicken

 

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The Ingredients You Will Need

The ingredients in this incredible dish are pantry-friendly and can be adjusted to your family’s heat preferences. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:

For the Chicken

Chicken breast – Boneless, skinless. If they are large, cut them in half vertically and then pound them to about ¼” in thickness. Chicken tenders can also be used.
Flour – All-purpose.
Brown sugar – Dark or light, both are perfectly fine.
Seasonings – Garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
Eggs – Lightly beaten.
Hot sauce – We recommend Frank’s Hot Sauce.
Cornflakes – Crushed with a food processor in a large baggie and rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy bottle. Panko breadcrumbs can be substituted.
Olive oil – Extra-virgin, canola, or vegetable oil can be substituted.

For the Hot Honey Sauce

Honey – Go with a quality brand for the best flavor.
Hot sauce – Frank’s Hot Sauce is best. But, any cayenne pepper hot sauce will work.
Butter – Unsalted, chilled.
Seasonings – Garlic powder, cayenne powder (optional), red pepper flakes (optional), salt.
Thyme – Fresh, for garnish. It adds great flavor!

EXPERT TIP: Set up a dredging station to bread your cutlets. Rubbing the oil into the cornflakes will help the flakes to get even crispier and more golden.

Three images with the first being a person dredging a chicken breast cutlet through seasoned flour in a pan, and then coating with an egg bath in a pan, and then in crushed corn flakes in a pan.

Tips For Making Perfect Baked Hot Honey Chicken

Pound Chicken Cutlets to Even Thickness – To ensure the cutlets all cook evenly, use precision in pounding them to a thickness of around ¼-inch. If they are thicker, that’s no problem, they just may take longer to cook. An instant-read thermometer will ensure that the cutlets are baked perfectly to 165°F.

Pulverize the Corn Flakes to Your Desired Consistency – We use our food processor to pulverize the corn flakes. If you pulverize them to the point they are like dust, you won’t get as crispy of a breading, but it will still be delicious. You’ll want to have about 4 cups (after crushing about 5 cups of flakes).

Let Guests Add the Hot Honey Sauce – Most people have different spice levels they like in their food. Allowing friends and families to drizzle on their own hot honey sauce will enable them to control how much heat they’ll have on each piece of chicken.

Turn the Cutlets Halfway Through Baking – To ensure even baking, turn the pan 180° around in the oven about halfway through the baking process.

A person lifting up a silver dinner spoon filled with hot honey sauce of a small skillet filled with the same.

How To Serve

This chicken makes for an amazing chicken dinner or lunch. We love to serve it with a side of our Smashed Potatoes. Start the meal off with a nice green salad for a perfect combination of satisfying flavors

You can also serve this as an appetizer. We often use this recipe, but instead of chicken breasts, we use chicken tenders. They are always huge when served when entertaining guests at a party or for game-day grub.

And if you happen to have cutlets left over, you are in luck. These make absolutely epic sandwiches. Simply toast your favorite sandwich buns, and then heat the leftover cutlets in a 325°F oven with a slice of cheese (ie, cheddar, colby, provolone) over the top. Add a few bread and butter pickles for a sandwich that you will want to serve time and time again.

EXPERT TIP: To ensure perfect baking and a crispy exterior all over the cutlet, place the breaded chicken on a baking rack with a baking sheet.

An overhead view of five baked corn-flake encrusted chicken cutlets all resting on a baking rack in a baking pan.

Other Amazing Chicken Dinner Recipes to Try

If you’re always on the lookout for an amazing new chicken dinner recipe to try, you’ll want to check these out. They are delicious, easy to prepare, and always a hit with family and friends.

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Vodka Sauce
Chicken Saltimbocca with White Wine Butter Sauce
Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Cheddar and Rice
Caprese-Stuffed Chicken
Classic King Ranch Casserole
Chicken Florentine (Creamy Chicken and Spinach)
Baked Teriyaki Chicken
Creole Chicken with Rice
Authentic Chicken Fried Rice
Chicken Fricassee
Roasted Chicken and Black Bean Tostadas

These are all amazingly delicious chicken dinners. But, in the meantime, isn’t this “winner winner chicken dinner” calling your name?

A person using a silver spoon to drizzle honey hot sauce over the top of a crispy corn flake-crusted chicken cutlet.

If you’re looking for a new chicken dinner that is sure to please even the pickiest eaters in your family, you need to try this recipe.

You can decrease or increase the heat to your own tastes.

And don’t forget, leftovers make amazing sandwiches! Reheat in the oven with a slice of cheese and then top with more sauce, pickles, and toasted buns!

You’ll want to put this amazingly flavorful dish in rotation at once!

An overhead view of several pieces of hot honey chicken that are sitting the middle of a small jar filled with hot honey sauce all on crumpled brown butcher paper.

Ready to make the best chicken dinner in town? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

A straight-on view of a cutlet of hot honey chicken that has been cut into strips and drizzled with hot honey sauce and is surrounded by more cutlets and butter pickles.

Baked Hot Honey Chicken

Baked Hot Honey Chicken is an explosion of flavor. You can easily control the heat levels with the amount of hot sauce and seasonings you include in the sauce. Baking the breaded chicken cutlets gets them perfectly cooked and extra crispy, but, it's also healthier than frying them in oil! See NOTES on how to prepare them in an air fryer.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy hot honey chicken recipe, how to make hot honey chicken
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 19 minutes
Total Time: 39 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 736kcal

Equipment

  • 1 baking sheet with baking rack

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 3 lbs chicken breasts boneless, skinless, pounded to ¼-inch thickness
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp hot sauce ie, Frank's Hot Sauce
  • 5 cups cornflakes crushed (5 cups uncrushed)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Hot Honey Sauce

  • ½ cup honey
  • ¼ cup hot sauce ie, Frank's Hot Sauce
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper optional, increase for more heat
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional, increase for more heat
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp thyme fresh, chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • If your chicken breasts are large, use a sharp knife to cut the breasts in half, lengthwise. Then pound to ¼ to ⅓-inch in thickness. Liberally salt and pepper the cutlets all over.
    3 lbs chicken breasts, Salt and pepper
  • Place the flour, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper in a pan or bowl. Stir together with a fork or whisk until completely combined.
    ¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • In a separate pan (or bowl), add the eggs and lightly beat with the hot sauce.
    3 large eggs, 1 tbsp hot sauce
  • In a third pan (or bowl), add the crushed cornflakes. Add the olive oil and use your fingers to work the oil into the cornflakes.
    5 cups cornflakes, 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Working one cutlet at a time, dredge the seasoned chicken through the flour, turning it to completely coat. Lower into the egg mixture and turn to coat. Allow excess egg to drip off of the chicken. Place into the cornflakes and press to help them adhere. Turn over and use your fingers to help completely cover the cutlets with the cornflakes. Place on a baking pan that is lined with a baking rack. Continue with the remaining cutlets.
  • Bake the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F.
  • While the chicken is baking, add all of the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Simmer and keep warm until the chicken is ready.
    ½ cup honey, ¼ cup hot sauce, 2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, ½ tsp salt
  • Serve the chicken with hot honey sauce drizzled over the top and garnished with chopped fresh thyme. Serve extra sauce on the side.
    1 tbsp thyme

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel
To cook the cutlets in an air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Spray the basket and breaded chicken liberally with cooking spray. Working in batches, cook for 5 minutes, open the basket and flip the cutlets, cook for another 5 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
The recipe, as written (including the tsp cayenne and tsp red pepper flakes) is a bit on the spicy side. To reduce to mildly spicy, eliminate the cayenne and red pepper flakes). 
Leftovers will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat (uncovered) on a baking sheet in a 325°F until heated through and lightly crispy again. These make amazing sandwiches! Reheat the sauce in the microwave. 

Nutrition

Calories: 736kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 83g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 372mg | Sodium: 1012mg | Potassium: 1523mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 1820IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 14mg
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