These hot honey chicken tenders are packed with flavor and super crispy without being deep fried. The hot honey sauce is the perfect finishing touch to the crispy chicken tenders.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These juicy chicken tenders are super crispy without being deep fried.
- The recipe uses simple ingredients that you likely have on hand.
- You can adjust the spice level in the delicious hot honey sauce.
- Serve them on game day for a perfect finger food.
- You can also serve them for dinner with rice or potatoes and some roasted or steamed veggies.
Ingredient Notes
For the chicken
- Raw chicken tenderloins - you can use raw chicken tenderloins or boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into thin long strips.
- Panko bread crumbs - you can also use crushed cornflakes for a gluten-free option. Simply crush them in a bag or use a food processor to create fine crumbs.
- Paprika, salt, garlic powder
- Eggs
- Flour
- Olive or avocado oil cooking spray
For the sauce
- Honey
- Buffalo hot sauce- use your favorite buffalo sauce! We typically use Frank's Buffalo Hot Sauce or Primal Kitchen. For more spicy flavors, you can add chili flakes.
- Apple cider vinegar
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Baking sheet & cooling rack*
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Cutting board and knife
- 3 bowls for the breading process
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Evenly spread the panko breadcrumbs on a baking sheet. Spray the tops of the breadcrumbs well with cooking spray (spray at a 45 degree angle to prevent the crumbs from flying up). Place the breadcrumbs in the oven for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch closely to prevent burning. Once they are golden brown, remove the breadcrumbs from the oven and set them aside in a medium bowl. Add the paprika, salt, and garlic powder to the breadcrumbs and mix well.
Crack the eggs in a small bowl and add 1 tbsp of the flour to the eggs. Whisk the eggs really well and set aside.
Add the rest of the flour to a separate small bowl.
Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place a cooling rack on top of the baking sheet (see step by step above if needed). Spray the cooling rack well with cooking spray.
Now you will bread the chicken tenders. Bread one individual chicken tender at a time. If your chicken tenders are extra large, feel free to cut them in half. Start by placing the chicken in the flour mixture, coating all sides. Then move it to the egg mixture, ensuring it gets fully coated. Lastly, set the chicken tender in the panko bread crumb mixture, pressing the chicken down to make sure it gets a heavy crumb layer. Set the breaded chicken tender on the cooling rack.
Once all of the chicken pieces are breaded, place the baking sheet in the oven for 14-18 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken tenders. Once the chicken reaches 165 degrees, set the oven to broil and let the tops of them broil for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch closely to prevent burning.
Once all of the chicken pieces are breaded, place the baking sheet in the oven for 14-18 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken tenders. Once the chicken reaches 165 degrees, set the oven to broil and let the tops of them broil for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch closely to prevent burning.
While the chicken tenders are baking, make the hot honey sauce. You can microwave the sauce or heat it on the stove in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the honey, buffalo sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Mix and heat until warm.
Spoon the sauce over the chicken just before serving to prevent it from getting soggy.
Tips & Variations
- For a gluten-free chicken strip option, use crushed corn flakes.
- If you don't want to make the hot honey sauce, these chicken strips are delicious dipped in ranch, bbq, or honey mustard.
- Not feeling chicken tenders? Feel free to make these into chicken nuggets following the same method, but with whole chicken breast chopped into pieces.
- You can also add a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese into the panko coating for a cheesy option.
- Use a parchment lined baking sheet to simplify clean up.
- A dash of onion powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper is a great addition to the breadcrumb mixture.
FAQ
Store leftovers in an airtight container. We recommend reheating in an air fryer or under a broiler in an oven to make them crispy again. Store the sauce separately.
These chicken fingers are dairy-free. For a gluten-free option, use 1-to-1 gluten-free flour and crushed cornflakes or gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
If you like these hot honey-glazed chicken tenders, check out a few of our other easy dinners:
If you make these breaded chicken tenders, please let us know how they turn out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Baked Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 1/2 lbs raw chicken tenderloins
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- Olive or avocado oil cooking spray
For the sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup buffalo hot sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Evenly spread the panko breadcrumbs on a baking sheet. Spray the tops of the breadcrumbs well with cooking spray (spray at a 45 degree angle to prevent the crumbs from flying up). Place the breadcrumbs in the oven for 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch closely to prevent burning. Once they are golden brown, remove the breadcrumbs from the oven and set them aside in a medium bowl. Add the paprika, salt, and garlic powder to the breadcrumbs and mix well.
- Crack the eggs in a small bowl and add 1 tbsp of the flour to the eggs. Whisk the eggs well and set aside.
- Add the rest of the flour to a separate bowl.
- Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place a cooling rack on top of the baking sheet (see step by step above if needed). Spray the cooling rack well with cooking spray.
- Now you will bread the chicken tenders. Bread one individual chicken tender at a time. If your chicken tenders are extra large, feel free to cut them in half. Start by placing the chicken in the flour mixture, coating all sides. Then move it to the egg mixture, ensuring it gets fully coated. Lastly, set the chicken tender in the panko bread crumb mixture, pressing the chicken down to make sure it gets a heavy crumb layer. Set the breaded chicken tender on the cooling rack.
- Once all of the chicken tenders are breaded, place the baking sheet in the oven for 14-18 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken tenders. Once the chicken reaches 165 degrees, set the oven to broil and let the tops of them broil for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch closely to prevent burning.
- While the chicken tenders are baking, make the hot honey sauce. You can microwave the sauce or heat it on the stove in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the honey, buffalo sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Mix and heat until warm.
- Spoon the sauce over the chicken just before serving to prevent it from getting soggy.
Notes
- These chicken tenders are dairy-free. For a gluten-free option, you can use crushed corn flakes or gluten-free breadcrumbs.
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Hot Honey Chicken Tenders."
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
*Affiliate links
Sara Nielsen
I’ve never been able to make crispy chicken tenders without drying out the chicken!! This recipe helped me get perfectly cooked chicken tenders! My new fave go to!
Begin With Balance
Yay so happy to hear it! It's a fav over here:) thanks for letting us know!