Turn up the heat with these crispy Hot Honey Chicken Tenders! Juicy fried chicken tenders tossed in a homemade hot honey sauce, giving you the ultimate tenders.
Keep it simple and try my classic air fryer chicken tenders!
HOT HONEY CHICKEN TENDERS
Get ready to spice things up with these irresistible Hot Honey Chicken Tenders! Crispy and juicy chicken tenders tossed in a sweet and spicy hot honey sauce, giving you the ultimate chicken. Whether you’re serving them for a quick weeknight dinner, a party appetizer, or just craving something bold, this recipe will hit the spot!
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Chicken– You can use either chicken tenderloins or just cut boneless skinless chicken breast into chicken tender pieces.
- Marinade– The marinade calls for whole milk, eggs, pickle juice, salt and pepper! You can swap the milk out for buttermilk.
- Flour Batter– The flour batter is what will give you that crispy and crunch to your chicken tenders! The batter calls for all-purpose flour, panko breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Hot honey– Use either store-bought hot honey or homemade hot honey! Either will work in this recipe.
- Buffalo hot sauce– For added heat, the hot honey sauce calls for buffalo hot sauce, I like to use Frank buffalo hot sauce.
- Butter– Adding honey to the sauce gives you extra richness and added flavors. You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe.
HOW TO MAKE HOT HONEY CHICKEN
With just a couple steps, you can have these crispy fried chicken tenders ready!
- Combine all the ingredients for the wet batter in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken tenderloins to the wet batter and mix so that all the tenders are coated. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the dry flour mixture.
- Take the chicken from the wet batter and coat in the flour batter. Repeat this twice, to get doubled battered chicken.
- Add the coated chicken to a plate or baking sheet. Repeat this with all your chicken.
- In a deep skillet or large pot, add oil and heat on high.
- Once the oil is hot, add the coated chicken tenders and fry until golden brown on both sides.
- Remove from the oil and transfer the chicken to a paper towel lined plate or sheet.
- Fry all the chicken tenders, covering the ready ones to keep warm.
- In the meantime, prepare the hot honey sauce by bringing all the ingredients to a simmer. in a saucepan.
- Add the chicken tenders to a bowl and pour in the hot honey sauce. Toss until the chicken is fully coated in hot honey sauce.
- Serve with desired sides and enjoy.
| Want to avoid the mess and grease? Make the chicken tenders in the air fryer! Check out my air fryer chicken tender’s recipe for the perfect batch of crispy and crunchy tenders made in the air fryer, avoiding all the frying and grease. Once the tenders are cooked, just toss in the prepared sauce and enjoy! |
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
Yes! Skip all the work and just warm the frozen tenders and then toss in the hot honey sauce.
Although the chicken tenders don’t require a marinating time, I highly recommend marinating for at least 30 minutes, up to 18 hours! This will give you juicy, soft and tender chicken.
For frying, the oil should stay around 350°F to fry chicken tenders evenly. Measure the heat of the oil with a thermometer or test the oil by dropping a piece of chicken batter into the oil and if it starts to bubble and starts to brown, the oil is ready.
If the chicken is too wet, the flour won’t stick properly. scrape any excess wet batter right before dipping it into the flour batter. Also, pressing or patting the flour onto the chicken helps create a better bond between the batter and the meat.
Cook chicken will have an internal temperature of 165°F. You can take out a tender and check the center to make sure there is no pink left, or measure with a thermometer.
No worries! Just use regular honey and 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes!
I highly recommend that you enjoy these fresh, but you can make the tenders ahead of time, then when ready to enjoy, reheat and toss in the hot honey sauce and enjoy.
Store the leftover chicken tenders in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes, once the hot honey tenders are cooled, add them to a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3-4 months! When ready to enjoy, warm in the oven, air fryer, or toaster oven until warmed through.
SERVING IDEAS
Pair these tangy hot honey chicken tenders with the right sides for the perfect meal! Here are some great side ideas:
- Greek Salad
- French Fries
- Potato Wedges
- Olive Garden Salad
- Onion Rings
- Veggie Tray
- Garlic Bread
- Pickles
| Dip these sweet and spicy hot honey tenders in some Wingstop Ranch! |
OTHER CRISPY CHICKEN RECIPES
Try some other delicious chicken recipes:
- Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
- Boneless Buffalo Wings
- Air fryer Drumsticks
- KFC Chicken Bowls
- Crispy Popcorn Chicken
Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
Marinade-
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp pickle juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Breading-
- 1 1/3 all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
Hot Honey Sauce-
- 1/2 cup hot honey
- 1/3 cup Franks buffalo hot sauce
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter or salted
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, pickle juice, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- Add the chicken tenders into the egg mixture and allow them to marinate for at least 30 minutes. (You can marinate the chicken for up to 18 hours, overnight.)
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, panko crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika.
- Take the chicken from the wet batter and coat in the dry flour mixture, making sure it is fully and evenly coated.
- For extra crunch, repeat the process: dip the floured chicken back into the wet batter and coat again with the dry flour mixture. This double coating creates an extra crispy crust.
- Set the battered chicken aside on a plate or baking sheet. Repeat with all the chicken tenders.
- In a deep skillet or large pot, pour about 2-3 inches of oil, or enough to submerge the chicken. Heat the oil on high heat, until it reaches 350°F. Test the oil by dropping in a small pinch of the flour batter—if it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready for frying.
- Carefully add the coated chicken tenders into the hot oil, do not overcrowd the pan. You will need to fry the chicken in a couple of batches.
- Fry the chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and crispy.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove the tenders from the oil and add them to a paper towel lined plate, to drain excess oil.
- Continue until you fry all the chicken tenders, keeping the cooked ones covered to stay warm.
- As the chicken is frying, prepare the hot honey sauce. In a small saucepan, mix the hot honey, hot sauce and butter.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Coat the crispy chicken tenders in the hot honey sauce, ensuring the tenders are fully coated. (You can keep the sauce in the saucepan and dip each chicken separately, or add the chicken to a bowl, and pour the hot sauce over the chicken, then gently toss to coat all the chicken.)
- Serve the hot honey chicken tenders immediately with your favorite sides.
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