If there was one dinner that I could choose to eat every week, it would be these crispy hot honey chicken tenders. 9/10 times when I order fast food takeout, I get a spicy chicken sandwich. I just love it. I've been working really hard to make an amazing hot honey chicken tender at home, so I don't have to crave my local takeout all day long. I love that I can use the tenders plain to serve my kids, and then toss them with the hot honey sauce for the adults dinner. Put up a batch of fluffy white rice and let's go!
Ingredients:
Chicken tenders:
- Chicken tenders- If your lucky and have a butcher that sells chicken tenders, that would be most ideal. The chicken tender is a strip cut from the underside of the chicken breast and it's super tender. Don't worry, if you cant find chicken tenders, you can also use chicken fingers or cut boneless chicken breasts into strips yourself.
- All-purpose flour
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Eggs
- Panko crumbs (I like the homestyle type)
Hot honey sauce
- Honey
- Hot sauce
How to make crispy hot honey chicken tenders:
Start by patting the chicken tenders dry with a paper towel. Set up your dredging station by setting out three shallow bowls. Divide the elements into the 3 dishes, add flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the first. In the second bowl, add the eggs. In the third dish add the panko crumbs.
Preheat the oil for frying by heating up ¼" of neutral oil in a wide pot or skillet on medium-low. You only need enough oil to come up to half the thickness of a chicken tender.
Dredge the chicken by dipping into the flour and shaking of the excess. Next, dip it into the egg mixture and shake off the excess. Finish the dredge by gently rolling it into the panko crumbs. Store the ready-dredged chicken tenders on a cooling rack until they are all coated.
Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken tenders in batches about 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Once the tenders are cooked, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate.
Whisk together the sauce ingredients and toss with the cooked fried tenders.
Storing and reheating:
If your making this in advance, store the sauce and chicken tenders separately. Only coat them once they are warmed and ready to be served. The chicken can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. To rewarm, place the chicken uncovered in a preheated oven until warmed through. Toss with the sauce.
FAQ on crispy hot honey chicken tenders
Can the chicken be baked?
Of course! I prefer to eat them fried, it's just so fabulous. If you'd like to bake them, I suggest spraying them with oil once they are breaded and baking at 375F on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Toss with sauce.
Can I adjust the spice level of the hot honey sauce?
Definitely! Feel free to up the hot sauce ratio until equal parts honey.
Do I need to use panko or can I use breadcrumbs?
I love using homestyle Panko crumbs by Osem. You can substitute for any other plain panko or breadcrumbs.
More chicken recipes
One pan rotisserie chicken fried rice
Crispy hot honey chicken tenders
Ingredients
Method
- Start by patting the chicken tenders dry with a paper towel. Set up your dredging station by setting out three shallow bowls. In the first dish, add flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In the second dish, add the eggs. In the third dish add the panko crumbs.
- Preheat the oil for frying by heating up ¼" of neutral oil in a wide pot or skillet on medium-low. You only need enough oil to come up to half the thickness of a chicken tender.
- Dredge the chicken by dipping into the flour and shaking of the excess. Next, dip it into the egg mixture and shake off the excess. Finish the dredge by gently rolling it into the panko crumbs. Store the ready-dredged chicken tenders on a cooling rack until they are all coated.
- Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken tenders in batches about 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Once the tenders are cooked, transfer them to a paper towel lined plate.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients and toss with the tenders.
