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About This Recipe
You will not be able to resist this crunchy hot honey chicken! It’s made with tender, juicy chicken tenders coated in a crunchy, flavorful cornflake crumb and baked to golden brown crispy perfection. These tenders are the perfect healthier, weeknight alternative to fried chicken that the whole will love!
The key to this recipe? Make sure to use cornflakes instead of regular breadcrumbs. The cornflakes make this recipe extra crispy and flavorful. And you can’t forget the homemade hot honey!
My easy hot honey sauce is made with just 3 ingredients and is so much cheaper than store-bought. It’s the perfect sweet and spicy sauce to drizzle over these chicken tenders (and honestly it’s good on just about anything else!). Plus, you can easily adjust the spice levels to your preference.
Serve this simple cornflake-crusted chicken with a side of sweet potato fries or parmesan zucchini fries for a lower carb option!
Why You’ll Love This Hot Honey Cornflake Chicken
- Made with only 4 simple ingredients and a few staple spices!
- A healthier alternative to fried chicken. Enjoy this tasty baked version with the perfect crunch!
- A delicious weeknight dinner everyone will love!
- Quick and easy! Read in just 30 minutes with a few simple steps.
- The perfect combo of sweet and savory flavors with a hint of spice!
- Corn flakes: corn flakes help make these chicken tenders extra crispy and flavorful compared to using regular or panko bread crumbs.
- Parmesan cheese: I highly recommend using freshly grated!
- Seasonings: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika
- Eggs: the egg is used to bind the cornflakes to the chicken tenders and make sure it sticks.
- Chicken tenderloins: you can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2-inch strips
- Hot honey: make my homemade hot honey sauce or use your favorite store-bought
- Gluten-fee: use gluten-free cornflakes to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Favorite sauces: if spicy hot honey sauce isn’t your thing, dip these crunchy chicken tenders in bbq sauce, honey mustard, regular hot sauce, ranch or your favorite dipping sauce!
How To Make
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up) and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season with a little salt.
2. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl until fluffy. Add the chicken tenders and toss to coat.
3. To a food processor, add the Corn Flakes, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Pulse until you have fine crumbs (alternatively you can crush in a large ziploc bag). Move the crumbs to a shallow bowl.
4. Dredge the chicken tenders through the cornflake crumbs. Use your hands to press the crumbs onto the chicken so it stays.
5. Place breaded chicken tenders onto the baking sheet. Gently spray the tops with cooking oil.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through (155°F internal temperature). Carryover cooking will ensure your chicken reaches 165°F and prevents overcooking. Drizzle hot honey generously over chicken when done and enjoy!
Store leftover cornflake chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days. To help crisp them back up, I recommend reheating in the oven or air fryer.
To freeze: let cool completely then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
Helpful Tips
- Make sure your corn flakes are crushed very well! Fine crumb crushed cornflakes will stick to the chicken better.
- Spraying the tops of the tenders with a little cooking oil helps get the coating crisp. You can also broil for a few minutes at the end.
- To get tenders crispy on the top and bottom, place a wire rack on the baking sheet and place the chicken tenders on top. This will allow hot air to circulate underneath the tenders to crisp the bottoms up.
- Place each piece of chicken in a single layer on the sheet pan without overcrowding. Having ample space in between each chicken tender will ensure the hot air is able to properly circulate to crisp them up.
- If you love extra crispy chicken, do a double coat of crumbs for extra crunch!
How hot is hot honey chicken?
Since we’re drizzling the hot honey over top of the chicken tenders, you can easily adjust heat to preference with this recipe. If anyone doesn’t like the heat, simply omit the hot honey or sub for regular honey! If looking for more of a kick, add 1 tsp chili pepper flakes with the rest of the spices.
Can I cook these hot honey chicken tenders in the air fryer?
Yes, to cook these chicken tenders in the air fryer just preheat the air fryer to 400F. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Can I use breadcrumbs instead of cornflakes for this chicken recipe?
Corn flakes help make these chicken tenders extra crispy and flavorful compared to using regular or panko bread crumbs. They provide more crunch than what you’d get with regular breadcrumbs. If you have regular or panko breadcrumbs, you can try this breaded chicken or panko chicken nuggets.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Hot Honey Cornflake Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 cups Corn Flakes (90g)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (30g)
- 1 tsp each: salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika
- 2 large eggs
- 2 lb. chicken tenderloins or boneless chicken breasts cut into 1/2-inch strips
- Hot honey or store bought
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean up) and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and season with a little salt.
- Beat the eggs in a medium bowl until fluffy. Add the chicken tenders and toss to coat.
- To a food processor, add the Corn Flakes, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Pulse until you have fine crumbs (alternatively you can crush in a large ziploc bag). Move the crumbs to a shallow bowl.
- Dredge the chicken tenders through the cornflake crumbs. Use your hands to press the crumbs onto the chicken so it stays.
- Place breaded chicken tenders onto the baking sheet. Gently spray the tops with cooking oil.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through (155°F internal temperature). Carryover cooking will ensure your chicken reaches 165°F and prevents overcooking.
- Drizzle hot honey generously over chicken when done and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure your corn flakes are crushed very well! That will help them stick better.
- Spraying the tops of the tenders with a little cooking oil helps get the coating crisp. You can also broil for a few minutes at the end.
- To get tenders crispy on the top and bottom, place a wire rack on the baking sheet and place the chicken tenders on top. This will allow hot air to circulate underneath the tenders to crisp the bottoms up.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
