Hot Honey Chicken Thighs
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Hot honey chicken is the best chicken recipe around. The super-crispy, oven-fried chicken is finished with sweet and spicy honey to make it unbelievably delicious. You will love it!
Hot honey chicken is everything I crave when I want big flavor and serious crunch. It’s crispy, juicy, sweet, spicy, and completely irresistible. This is the kind of chicken I make for game day, casual get-togethers, or anytime I’m in the mood for something bold and a little fiery.
The real star here is the hot honey. It’s exactly what it sounds like — spicy honey — and it hits that perfect balance of sweet heat that keeps you going back for just one more bite. I use a scaled-down version of my hot honey recipe for the chicken, but fair warning: it’s so good you might want to make extra to drizzle over everything else.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how customizable it is. You can turn up the heat with more hot sauce or keep it on the mellow side if that’s more your speed. Either way, this chicken disappears fast.
If you have some leftover hot honey, try my hot honey baked brie!
Honey hot chicken FAQs
Is this recipe like Popeye’s hot honey chicken?
Yes! This is so much like Popeye’s deliciously sweet and spicy chicken, only much better for you.
Does this chicken reheat well?
Yes! Hot honey chicken reheats very well. Reheat it in your oven for about 12-15 minutes.
Can I freeze hot honey chicken?
Yes! You can freeze this chicken after you bake it, preferably before you add the hot honey. Put the crispy chicken pieces you want to freeze on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place them in your freezer. Once they’re frozen, move them to a freezer bag, like one of these Stasher Bags. Reheat them in your oven until they’re not, then coat them in hot honey before serving.
What to serve with hot honey chicken
This is a great recipe to serve with a simple salad like our creamy cucumber salad or our blue cheese coleslaw. Here are a few other sides that go great with this sweet and spicy chicken:
Hot Honey Chicken Thighs Recipe (Spicy Honey Chicken)
Ingredients
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup buttermilk (can be light)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (divided)
- Spray oil
- 3 cup panko (gluten-free if needed)
- ½ cup whole wheat flour (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Put the chicken thighs into a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of sea salt and mix well. Put the bowl into your fridge for at least 20 minutes (or up to 8 hours.)8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 cup buttermilk
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray it generously with spray oil.Spray oil
- In a shallow bowl, mix the panko, flour, paprika, Italian seasoning, and the remaining teaspoon of salt.3 cup panko, ½ cup whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip it into the panko mixture and make sure that it is well-coated. Put the chicken on the baking sheet then continue to coat the rest.
- Spray the tops of the chicken with oil then put them into your oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until they are crispy and golden.
- While the chicken bakes, make the honey. In a small pan, warm the honey, chili flakes, and hot sauce over medium heat. Once the honey starts to bubble a little, remove the pan from the heat. Let it infuse for 5 minutes then strain the honey through a fine-mesh sieve.½ cup honey, 1 tablespoon chili flakes, 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- When the chicken has finished cooking, drizzle it with the hot honey and serve immediately.
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Nutrition
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Absolutely delicious!
Great and easy to make recipe. This crispy chicken cooked in the oven is so delicious. It surely is success with us.
I served it in a tomato pita bread with a mixed veggy slaw, grated cheese and mayo. Oh la la!
The only downside is the waste of panko. When I made it I used two chicken breast cut in good size fingers, and followed the rest of the recipe to a tee.
In the futur I’ll only use 1 cup of panko.
Thank you so much Kristen! Very happy with your new recipe.
Would chicken breast pieces work with this recipe?
They sure would! Just adjust the cooking time so they don’t over cook.
Can you use bone-in chicken thighs as well? What’s the benefit to using boneless chicken thighs?
Bone in will work, but you’ll need to bake them longer – usually 45 minutes.
I haven’t tried this yet but I was curious. Can any of the ingredients be substituted out? Like the whole wheat flour for all purpose flour.
Stuff like that.
You can definitely use all-purpose flour. And regular breadcrumbs will work – although they’re not quite as crispy.
I haven’t made this yet, but I was curious why the honey needs to be strained?
We like to strain the chili flakes out for a smoother texture. If you don’t mind the chili flakes (or the extra heat) then you can skip straining it.
Loved this!! I added some garden fresh snap peas and a squeeze of lime — yummy!!!
I have made this recipe many times and it has become my go to chicken recipe. Crispy and delicious with a touch of sweetness and heat, Try with waffle- awesome. Mark
Great idea about serving this with waffles!
I love this recipe! It’s so easy and turns out so well every time. Only thing I do different is season the chicken before putting it in with the buttermilk (just salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a little paprika). I serve it with rice and green beans. The hot honey is so delicious!
Delicious!! I used pork rinds as the breading for my chicken. Everyone gave it a thumbs up! Thanks for a great recipe! Always a win when my kids approve!!
Delicious! So crispy, tasty and easy! Reheated next day in the air fryer for crispy chicken sandwiches was also a winner. Thanks for the A+++ recipe!
Wow! Easy and delicious. Wasn’t sure if the hot honey would be too spicy or worth it, but it definitely adds another layer of flavor. Hands down would make this again
The sweetness on this chicken is perfectly balanced will make again its really delicious!