Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
The best hot honey chicken tenders recipe. Crunchy tenders drizzled with a sweet and spicy hot honey glaze—perfectly addictive and full of flavor!
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Servings 6 servings
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
- 3 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the wet batter.1/2 cup whole milk, 2 large eggs, 2 Tbsp pickle juice, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 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.)1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
- In a separate bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dry 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
- Take each chicken tender from the wet batter and coat it in the dry flour mixture, making sure it is fully and evenly coated.
- Optional- For extra crunch, repeat the process: dip the floured chicken tender back into the wet batter and coat it again with the dry flour mixture. This double coating creates an extra crispy crust.
- Place the coated chicken tenders 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 fully 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. Fry the chicken in batches, if needed, so the tenders have enough room to cook evenly.
- Fry the chicken for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the outside is golden brown and crispy and the chicken is cooked through.
- Once the chicken is cooked, carefully remove the tenders from the oil using tongs or a slotted spoon and place them on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to drain any excess oil.
- Continue frying the remaining chicken tenders in batches. Keep the cooked tenders warm while you finish frying the rest.
- While the chicken is frying, prepare the hot honey sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients for the sauce.1/2 cup hot honey, 1/3 cup Franks buffalo hot sauce, 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, or salted, 3 tsp red pepper flakes
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the butter has melted and the sauce is smooth.
- Once all the chicken is fried, coat the crispy chicken tenders in the hot honey sauce, ensuring each tender is fully coated. (You can keep the sauce in the saucepan and dip each tender individually, or add the chicken to a bowl, pour the hot honey sauce over the chicken, and gently toss to coat.)
- Serve the hot honey chicken tenders immediately with your favorite sides.