Crispy Hot Honey Chicken Bowls (with rice and coleslaw)

My hot honey chicken bowls have crispy, oven-baked chicken bites, fluffy rice, crunchy slaw, sweet bread-and-butter pickles, and a hot honey mayo drizzle. Every bite is crispy, creamy, sweet, and spicy, and the whole thing comes together in 40 minutes without any frying.

The chicken here is the star. I take the same buttermilk-brined, panko-crusted chicken thighs from my hot honey chicken recipe and cut them into bite-sized pieces before baking. Smaller pieces mean more edges, more crispy panko crust, and more surface area for the hot honey to catch. The crispy, juicy chicken bites in my recipe are so much better than the plain chunks of chicken breast you may have tried in a Sweetgreen salad.

I’ve built this bowl to maximize contrast. Fluffy basmati rice grounds it, crunchy cabbage slaw brightens it, and bread-and-butter pickles add the snappy, tangy bite that ties everything together. The sweet pickles are an idea I picked up from Downlo Chicken Shack, a local fried chicken joint in Vancouver. I tested adding them to this bowl, and my family and I were instantly hooked. They add the perfect sweet tang, which cuts through the honey and crispy chicken beautifully.

I use two sauces here, so every bite hits sweet, spicy, and creamy. Straight hot honey is brushed onto the chicken right out of the oven, and a hot honey mayo is drizzled over the assembled bowl. Because that mayo doubles as a creamy coleslaw dressing, I keep the actual slaw dressing simple: olive oil, lime juice, and salt. Less work, more flavor.

Make-ahead and store

If I want to meal prep this recipe, what can I make ahead? Great question! You can bread the chicken, freeze it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, transfer it to a freezer bag once frozen, and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can make the hot honey and hot honey mayo up to 2 weeks in advance. You can even make the rice ahead and reheat it.

What’s the best way to store leftovers? Ideally, store each part in separate containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. But I’ve also mixed them all up and reheated the jumble together in a pan. While it’s not quite as good, it still makes a pretty good lunch.

Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs? I use thighs in this recipe because they stay tender and juicy even after baking long enough for the breading to turn crispy. You can absolutely use chicken breast instead, but it may be a bit drier (which might be a good excuse to add extra hot honey mayo).

Watch how to make this recipe.

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Crispy Hot Honey Chicken Bowls (with rice and coleslaw)

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

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Crispy oven-baked chicken bites over rice with cabbage slaw, sweet bread-and-butter pickles, and a creamy hot honey mayo. All the crunch of fried chicken, no frying.

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)
• ▢ ½ cup buttermilk (see notes)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (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 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, ½ cup buttermilk, ½ teaspoon sea 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 breadcrumbs, 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

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

Serving: 1 bowl, Calories: 621kcal (31%), Carbohydrates: 108g (36%), Protein: 28g (56%), Fat: 10g (15%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 102mg (34%), Sodium: 652mg (28%), Potassium: 531mg (15%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 57g (63%), Vitamin A: 157IU (3%), Vitamin C: 20mg (24%), Calcium: 131mg (13%), Iron: 3mg (17%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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