Making the perfect hot honey chicken tenders has never been easier! Crunchy fried chicken tenders are topped with a sweet, spicy and sticky glaze to create an absolute crowd-pleasing winner that you’re sure to find yourself making again and again.
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I’ve recently been obsessed with the sweet and spicy flavors of hot honey. And after making a jar full of it from scratch, I knew I had to try and put it to use with a protein of some kind. And so I did!
Both my hot honey chicken wings and hot honey salmon were absolute hits in my household, and that inspired me to try another recipe featuring those flavors. And what could be better than chicken tenders?
Why You’ll Love This Hot Honey Chicken Tenders Recipe
- Customizable: You can also customize them to your liking and adjust the heat levels to your preference!
- Wickedly delicious: They have the right balance of sweet, spicy, and savory flavors - making them absolutely addictive.
- Crispy and crunchy: With a super crunchy and crispy outside while soft and juicy inside, these chicken tenders are the perfect appetizer for your parties!
- Super quick: They come together super quick! You’ll just need a few minutes of prep time to get them together.
Ingredients
- Chicken tenders: I used chicken tenders with the tendon removed. If you don’t have tenders at hand, simply slice chicken breasts into thin strips, similar to tenders, and use them instead.
- Eggs: You’ll need these to seal in the moisture and to help the breadcrumbs cling to the chicken.
- Breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs will give you the lightest and crunchiest texture, but you can use any kind of breadcrumbs you like. I used Italian-style panko breadcrumbs here.
- Seasonings: I kept it simple and just used salt, black pepper, garlic powder and some cayenne pepper for a bit of heat.
- Olive oil: To fry the chicken tenders! Feel free to use any other kind of cooking oil you prefer.
- Hot sauce: Choose your favorite hot sauce here! Sriracha works well too! Sometimes, I end up using my Buffalo Wild Wings spicy garlic sauce.
- Honey: Just a bit of your favorite unflavored honey is perfect for this recipe.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Gluten-free: To make gluten-free hot honey chicken tenders, just swap the panko breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs, and choose a gluten-free hot sauce.
- Extra hot: To add an extra kick of heat to the chicken tenders, season the eggs with some paprika or cayenne, and add some red chili flakes to the breadcrumbs. Or of course, you can just add some extra hot sauce into the hot honey mixture.
- Egg-free: Don’t have eggs or just want to use something else to coat the chicken tenders? Use buttermilk or yogurt to help the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken.
How to Make Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
To make the crispy spicy honey chicken tenders, get all your ingredients ready, and heat the oil in a pan.
Step 1: Prep the seasoning mix. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper.
Step 2: Whisk the eggs. Whisk the eggs in another bowl and set it aside.
Step 3: Season. Season the chicken tenders with the spice mixture, ensuring they’re all well coated.
Step 4: Dip the chicken. Now dip each chicken tender in the whisked egg mixture.
Step 5: Coat with breadcrumbs. Cover each egg-coated chicken tender with the breadcrumbs, ensuring it is all evenly coated.
Step 6: Fry time. Pan fry the tenders in hot oil until they’re nice and crispy.
Step 7: Prep the sauce. Combine the hot sauce and honey in a small bowl and mix well.
Step 8: Drizzle and serve. Drizzle the hot sauce over the tenders until they’re nicely coated, and serve immediately.
⭐️ Hint: Let the chicken tenders rest for a couple of minutes before you top them with the glaze. Doing this will seal in all the juices, and you’ll get the perfectly moist and succulent chicken.
If you love spicy chicken recipes like this one, you may also enjoy my Nashville Hot Chicken Tenders too!
Storage
- Storing: Store your leftover sweet and spicy chicken tenders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: For best results, pop them in an oven preheated at 400 degrees F for 5-7 minutes until they’re heated through and tender. You can also reheat the chicken tenders in the air fryer. Place them in a preheated 350°F air fryer and cook for 5-7 minutes
- Freezing: For longer storage, you can freeze the tenders for up to 2 months. Allow the chicken tenders to cool completely, then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer the frozen chicken to an airtight container or resealable bag, and store in the freezer.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these crispy hot honey tenders with an assortment of dipping sauces like spicy mayo sauce, avocado hot sauce, and creamy herb dip at your next house party, and everyone is sure to rave about them!
And of course, team them up with other party snacks like Ritz cracker sandwiches, seafood stuffed mushrooms, and cheesy bacon potato bites.
Recipe Tips
- Brine it: To make the chicken tenders extra soft and tender, you can soak them in some pickle juice for about 20-30 minutes, get them out, pat them dry and then use them for the recipe.
- Make it quick: Save a bit of your hands-on kitchen time by using some packaged or homemade hot honey sauce instead of putting it together.
- Set up an assembly line: Keep your fingers from being fully coated in breadcrumbs and egg by setting up a simple assembly line. Set chicken tenders, whisked eggs, and breadcrumbs one after the other in separate plates or bowls, and then, all you need to do is dip!
- Double dip: To make the spicy chicken tenders extra crunchy and crispy, do a double coating of the eggs and breadcrumbs. Use one hand for the egg mixture and the other for the breadcrumbs to avoid messy fingers.
- Fry in batches: This maintains the oil temperature and ensure even cooking and the crispiest chicken.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! They should need about 8-10 minutes to cook in an Air Fryer preheated to 400 degrees. Don’t forget to flip them midway through the cooking time, and drizzle a bit of olive oil over them to keep them from drying out.
Yes, you can bake them if you want to! Just layer them on a greased wire rack, pop them in an oven preheated to 425°F and bake them for 12-15 minutes before you drizzle them with the hot honey sauce. And don’t forget to add a bit of olive oil into the sauce here to get that beautiful moist glaze.
Video
More Delicious Chicken Tenders Recipes
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Honey Hot Chicken Tenders
Equipment
- Shallow bowls (for mixing)
- Large frying pan or skillet
- Paper towels (for draining)
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup Italian Style Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup olive oil or enough to cover the bottom of the pan for frying
- ¼ cup hot sauce
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, combine the garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Stir until they are evenly mixed.
- In a separate shallow bowl, crack the eggs and whisk them until smooth. Optionally, add a pinch of salt and pepper to the egg mixture for added flavor.
- Take the chicken tenders and season them evenly with the seasoning mix you prepared in Step 1.
- Dip each seasoned chicken tender into the egg mixture, making sure it’s fully coated on all sides.
- In another shallow bowl, add the Italian Style Panko breadcrumbs along with the remaining seasoning and combine. Take the egg-coated chicken tenders and transfer them to the Panko mixture, pressing the breadcrumbs onto the chicken to ensure a full, even coating. For extra crunch, you can repeat the egg and Panko coating process.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the chicken tenders into the pan. Fry them for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F. Transfer the cooked tenders to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Note: I recommend getting the oil to around 350°F-375°F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the hot sauce and honey until well they are combined. If the honey is too thick, microwave it for 15 seconds and combine. Glaze the chicken with the sauce or serve it sauce on the side as a dipping sauce to preserve the crispiness of the chicken tenders.
- Serve the crispy hot honey chicken tenders on their own or with your favorite sides, such as coleslaw, potato wedges, or a simple salad.
Notes
- Brine it: To make the chicken tenders extra soft and tender, you can soak them in some pickle juice for about 20-30 minutes, get them out, pat them dry and then use them for the recipe.
- Make it quick: Save a bit of your hands-on kitchen time by using some packaged or homemade hot honey sauce instead of putting it together.
- Set up an assembly line: Keep your fingers from being fully coated in breadcrumbs and egg by setting up a simple assembly line. Set chicken tenders, whisked eggs, and breadcrumbs one after the other in separate plates or bowls, and then, all you need to do is dip!
- Double dip: To make the spicy chicken tenders extra crunchy and crispy, do a double coating of the eggs and breadcrumbs. Use one hand for the egg mixture and the other for the breadcrumbs to avoid messy fingers.
- Fry in batches: This maintains the oil temperature and ensure even cooking and the crispiest chicken.
Kathie says
Easy. Tast.y. Healthy??
Karin and Ken says
Definitely and I’m working on more recipes just like it! Thank you for taking the time to comment and let me know! Hopefully you find some other recipes on this site that you enjoy just as much! Take care and be well. Karin