Hot Honey Chicken Bowls
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These hot honey chicken bowls are as good as it gets! The crispy, sweet, and spicy chicken contrasts wonderfully with a bowl of rice, coleslaw, sweet pickles, and a drizzle of spicy mayo. You get all the good flavors and textures in every bite.
Guys, these hot honey chicken bowls are truly one of my favorite meals right now. The chicken alone is reason enough to make them — bite-sized, ultra-crispy, and drenched in hot honey so it’s sweet, spicy, and completely irresistible. Even without all the bowl extras, it absolutely stands on its own.
What makes me come back to this recipe again and again is how easy and flexible it is. When my 7-year-old asks for a repeat, I know it’s a winner. It comes together quickly, works with whatever extras I have on hand, and even frozen chicken nuggets are fair game on busy days — the hot honey does most of the heavy lifting. And that hot honey mayo drizzle? I always make extra because one pass is never enough.
To build the bowls, I start with basmati rice, though coconut rice or even my extra garlicky butter rice are both incredible here. Add some crunchy slaw, a few crisp veggies, and sweet pickles (trust me on this one), then finish with that creamy hot honey mayo. Every bite hits the perfect balance of crunchy, saucy, sweet, and spicy.
Frequently asked questions
If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for here, you can ask it in the comments below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
I use thighs in this recipe as they stay tender and juicy even when baked long enough for the breading to turn crispy. While you can absolutely use chicken breast instead, just know that it may be a bit on the drier side – but that might be a good excuse to add extra hot honey mayo!
If I want to meal prep this recipe, what can I make ahead?
Great question! The chicken can be breaded, frozen on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, transferred to a freezer bag once frozen, and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. The hot honey and hot honey mayo can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. And even the rice can be made ahead and reheated.
What’s the best way to store leftovers?
Ideally, you’ll want to store all the parts in separate containers in your fridge for up to 3 days. But I’ve also mixed them all up and reheated the jumble together in a pan – and while it’s not quite as good, it still makes a pretty good lunch.
Watch how to make this recipe
Hot Honey Chicken Bowls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- ½ cup buttermilk (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup panko (see notes)
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour (can sub all-purpose flour)
- 1 tablespoon EACH: paprika and Italian seasoning
- Cooking spray oil
Hot Honey
- ½ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
For the bowls
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 3 cups coleslaw (see notes)
- Sweet pickles
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces, buttermilk, and salt into a large bowl and mix to combine. Set aside for 20 minutes (or up to 8 hours) to marinate.1 ½ lb chicken thighs, ½ cup buttermilk, ½ teaspoon salt
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the panko, flour, paprika, and Italian seasoning to a shallow bowl and mix well. Working with a few pieces of chicken at a time, add them to the bowl with the panko and coat them well.1 cup panko, ¼ cup whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon EACH: paprika and Italian seasoning
- Transfer the breaded chicken to the baking sheet, spray the tops with cooking oil, and then bake the chicken for 25 minutes.Cooking spray oil
- While the chicken is baking, make the hot honey by mixing the honey and Sriracha in a small bowl. Put the mayonnaise into another small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the hot honey.½ cup honey, 1 teaspoon sriracha, ¼ cup mayonnaise
- When the chicken is crispy and cooked through, remove it from the oven and brush the top with the remaining hot honey.
- To assemble the bowls, add rice, coleslaw, sweet pickles, and hot honey chicken to a dinner bowl and then drizzle with the hot honey mayo.3 cups cooked rice, 3 cups coleslaw, Sweet pickles
Video
Notes
This Month’s Cooking Club
These hot honey chicken bowls are this month’s cooking club challenge recipe. If you make them, leave a photo in the comments section, and you’ll be automatically entered to win a $100 gift card! See all the details here. Chicken: You can also use chicken breast if that is what your family prefers. Just be aware that breasts tend to dry out quicker and may be a bit overcooked by the time the breading is crispy. Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to ½ cup of milk. Panko: Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs that provide an extra-crispy texture. You can use regular breadcrumbs if that is what you have in your pantry. Coleslaw: We make a simple coleslaw with thinly shredded cabbage, a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lime juice, and a little salt and pepper. But feel free to either get creative and make one of our other coleslaw recipes or pick up a bag of slaw from the grocery store.Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Please can you put ingredients in metric
This recipe is wonderfully forgiving, but if you want exact metric measurements, just ask Google.
Sadly this recipe has some flaws in my opinion. The amount of breadcrumbs is far too little for the amount of chicken. It almost needs to be doubled. Also, a teaspoon of sriracha is too little for the amount of honey. Italian seasoning does not blend well and tastes odd with the other flavors.
Sorry to hear it wasn’t a hit for you.
I’m so excited to make this tonight but unsure what “EACH” means after 1 tablespoon paprika. 1 tablespoon per each nugget? Video shows 1 T paprika and 1 T Italian seasoning. Am I missing something?
Just 1 tablespoon of paprika and 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning! I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!
Very tasty! I found that a pound and a half of chicken made a lot of nuggets – had to make up more Panko breading. I also used a bit more Sriracha in the honey to turn the heat up a bit more (maybe the brand I used??) Will be making it again for sure.
I made the honey sauce and spread it on store bought chicken strips at the end of cooking then popped them back in the oven for a minute. I followed the rest of the recipe. This elevated chicken strips into a new bracket! We will never eat them any other way. So Good!
I’m thrilled that you loved the recipe!!
This looks really good and easy. Question, since i would want to make this with chicken breasts, to ensure the panko gets brown, i wonder if the panko can be browned ahead of time, then it wouldn’t need much time in the oven to finish cooking. I’m guessing the panko could even be browned a day ahead to make for an easier preparation. Do you think that would work?
Toasting the panko is a great idea! I think that will work really well. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Dinner perfection! Thank you, Kristen!