Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

Chicken tenders are always a family favorite, especially on busy weeknights when time is of the essence. While it’s easy to grab a bag of frozen chicken tenders from the freezer section in the grocery store, it’s nearly just as easy to make them from scratch at home—all it takes are a few simple ingredients. This hot honey chicken tenders recipe adds another level of flavor by combining honey with peppers to make a sweet and spicy hot honey—’swicy’ is everything right now!—that’s perfect for drizzling over the crispy fried chicken strips.

These hot honey chicken strips are perfect for a family weeknight dinner, or save this recipe for the weekend and serve these tasty bites of chicken as a craveable football food. It’s perfect as part of a game day spread alongside a flavorful ranch dip.

Ingredients for Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

Hot honey:

• Honey: You can use any type of honey you like for this recipe, but you don’t need to use anything too fancy. (I use a basic clover honey.) If you don’t have a favorite honey to use, try one of the best honey brands as tested and chosen by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen.
• Apple cider vinegar: The sour and bright flavor of apple cider vinegar, as opposed to that of other types of vinegar, adds a bit of acidity to complement the sweetness of the honey.
• Crushed red pepper flakes: Crushed red pepper flakes are a pantry staple spice that makes this hot honey, well, hot.
• Cayenne pepper: Ground cayenne pepper adds a subtle smoky, slightly sweet flavor and a pungent punch of spice.
• Kosher salt: Salt enhances the flavors of this hot honey.

Chicken tenders:

• Chicken tenderloins: Both fresh and frozen (thawed) meat will work in a chicken tenderloins recipe. In a pinch, chicken breast strips will work as well.
• Buttermilk: A dip in tangy buttermilk helps ensure the fried chicken is moist and tender inside the crisp breading.
• Egg: An egg is combined with buttermilk to help the breading bind to the chicken.
• Flour: Seasoned all-purpose flour is used to make a simple but flavorful breading for the chicken. For gluten-free hot honey chicken strips, use a gluten-free flour mix, cornstarch, rice flour or tapioca flour in place of the all-purpose flour.
• Seasonings: The flour is seasoned with a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, coarse black pepper, salt, paprika and dried thyme.
• Oil: You will need to use a neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point to fry the hot honey chicken tenders recipe. A few of our favorite oils for frying include soybean oil, peanut oil and safflower oil.

Directions

Step 1: Make the hot honey

Add the honey, apple cider vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and salt to a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly. If desired, strain the honey through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the solids. Set aside.

Step 2: Prep the egg and flour mixtures for the chicken

In a shallow baking dish, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. In a separate shallow baking dish, stir together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt, paprika and dried thyme.

Step 3: Dip and coat the chicken

Dip each chicken tenderloin in the egg mixture, followed by the flour mixture, shaking off any excess flour. Place on a plate or baking sheet until ready to fry.

Step 4: Fry the chicken

In a deep-sided skillet, heat the oil to 375°F. Fry the chicken tenders, a few pieces at a time, for two to three minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°. Set the cooked chicken on a wire rack placed over a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chicken tenders.

Step 5: Drizzle with hot honey

Once all the chicken has been fried, drizzle both sides of each piece with the hot honey. Serve the chicken with the remaining hot honey as a dipping sauce.

Editor’s Tip: If your family includes picky eaters who are sensitive to spice, you can opt to serve the hot honey solely as a dipping sauce instead of drizzling each piece of chicken with the honey.

Hot Honey Chicken Tender Variations

• Use store-bought hot honey: Simplify this recipe by using store-bought hot honey rather than making it yourself. You’ll find it in the aisle with other honey products in most grocery stores.
• Turn up the heat: For an even spicier hot honey, add fresh sliced jalapeno peppers to the simmering honey.
• Try hot honey nuggets: Cut the chicken tenders into bite-sized pieces to make easy-to-dip hot honey chicken nuggets.

How to Store Hot Honey Chicken Tenders

Leftover hot honey chicken tenders should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers within two hours after cooking.

How long do hot honey chicken tenders last?

Most leftover cooked chicken lasts for three to four days in the fridge, including homemade chicken tenders recipes.

How do you reheat hot honey chicken tenders?

You can reheat fried chicken in the oven, toaster oven or air fryer. Avoid reheating the fried chicken tenders in the microwave unless you don’t mind a mushy breading.

Hot Honey Chicken Tender Tips

Can you bake or air-fry hot honey chicken tenders?

You can easily convert this to an air-fryer chicken strips recipe. Prep the chicken as directed, then preheat the air fryer to 400°. Place the chicken tenders in a single layer on a greased tray in the air-fryer basket. Spray the top of the chicken with cooking spray. Cook for seven to eight minutes before flipping the tenders over, and cook for another seven to eight minutes. The coating should be golden brown and the chicken should no longer be pink.

Similarly, to bake this hot honey chicken tenders recipe in the oven, place the prepped chicken on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400° for 10 to 15 minutes.

How else can you use the hot honey sauce?

Try hot honey sauce drizzled on roasted vegetables or mashed potatoes. It would also be a tasty addition to jalapeno cornbread or freshly baked buttermilk biscuits. You could also use a couple tablespoons of hot honey as a dressing for a fresh fruit salad.

What can you serve with hot honey chicken strips?

You have a lot of options when it comes to sides that pair with hot honey chicken strips. Because the hot honey does pack a punch of heat, some of our favorite sides are fresh and cooling, such as cucumber salad, green salad or fruit salad. Classic picnic sides like macaroni and cheese, cold pasta salad or tangy baked beans would also be tasty choices.