Why We Love Hot Honey Chicken
Crunchy, sweet, spicy, and savory Hot Honey Chicken is a classic Southern dish that’s become a national phenomenon. If you’re crazy about restaurant-style hot honey chicken, you’ll be happy to know you can make it at home! We love these thin crispy chicken cutlets with hot honey because they’re easy to cut and are extra crunchy. However, you can also make hot honey chicken using our classic bone-in fried chicken recipe, or drizzle hot honey over grilled chicken as well. This hot honey chicken recipe is great to serve as-is with comfy southern sides, or use the fried chicken cutlets for hot honey chicken sandwiches! PS – You can certainly buy hot honey at the grocery store, but we are CRAZY over our simple hot honey recipe here on the site. It has a bolder, and more balanced flavor. You’ll want to drizzle this hot honey on everything.
Ingredients You Need
Chicken breasts – boneless and skinless, either pounded thin or purchased as cutlets Dill pickle juice – the secret ingredient for the juiciest fried chicken Granulated sugar – the sweetness balances the strong pickle juice flavor All-purpose flour – to dredge the cutlets and get a crispy coating Cornstarch – makes the breading extra crunchy Spices – paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt Milk – whole or 2% milk (or buttermilk) Eggs – to bind the breading onto the chicken Peanut oil – for frying Hot honey – either store-bought or use our fabulous homemade hot honey recipe Garnishes – chopped green onion and crushed red pepper, both optional but highly recommended
How to Make Honey Hot Chicken
Brine: Cut the chicken breasts into halves, straight through the middle to make two thin chicken breast cutlets from each breast. You should have 8 pieces total. Pour the pickle juice in a microwave-safe bowl. Warm the pickle juice in the microwave, until hot to the touch. Stir in the sugar until completely dissolved. Add the chicken cutlets and allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes, or overnight. Place in the refrigerator while brining. Prep the Breading: While the chicken is brining in the pickle juice, mix the flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt in a medium bowl. Drain off the pickle juice and thoroughly pat each chicken breast cutlet dry with paper towels. (This helps the breading hold tight to the chicken while frying. Don’t skip!) Dredge the Chicken: Set out a drying/cooling rack and dredge the chicken cutlets in the flour. Shake off all excess flour so the coating is very thin. Lay the chicken on the rack. Coat all the chicken pieces before moving on. Next beat the milk and eggs in a separate bowl. Pour 2 tablespoons of eggwash into the remaining flour mix and work it into little pebbles with your fingers. Dunk the chicken cutlets in the eggwash, then dip them back into the flour mixture. Shake off the excess flour and lay them back on the drying rack. Pro Tip – Also, don’t try to speed up the process… The extra time the chicken lays on the drying rack improves the texture of the breading. Fry the Chicken: Once all the chicken is double-dipped in the flour mixture, pour the oil in a large sauce pot. Turn the heat on medium-high. Place a clip-on thermometer on the side of the pot and bring the temperature up to 350 degrees F. Once the oil is ready, gently place 3 of the chicken pieces to the hot oil. Stir once, and fry for 4-5 minutes until golden brown on the outside and tender and juicy inside. Flip once after 3 minutes. (If the temperature dips lower than 345 degrees F, the cooking time may need to be adjusted to 5-6 minutes, but the breading could get too dark. Watch the thermometer and adjust the heat as needed to keep it right at 350.) Pro Tip – Use a meat thermometer to ensure the center of the chicken is 165 degrees F. Use a spider skimmer to scoop the chicken cutlets out of the oil. Place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Allow the temperature to rise back to 350 degrees. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces two more times. You can keep the fried chicken pieces warm in a 200 degree F oven, while the other batches are cooking. When ready to serve, drizzle a generous amount of hot honey over the top of each piece of chicken. Then sprinkle the top with chopped scallions and crushed red pepper flakes. Serve warm!
Serving Suggestions
These sticky-sweet and spicy fried cutlets are delicious with classic comfort food side dishes. You can’t go wrong with southern favorites like mashed potatoes, deviled egg potato salad, mac and cheese, mashed sweet potatoes, or corn spoon bread. Because fried chicken tends to be a bit on the heavier side, I also like to serve some vegetables at dinner… But keep things properly southern with collard greens, roasted okra, coleslaw, and creamy cucumber salad with dill. Pile pieces onto your choice of bread to make the best hot honey chicken sandwiches at home. I like them on toasted hamburger buns or warm hoagie rolls. This is the perfect foundation to make our spicy hot Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich Chick-fil-A copycat recipe!
Looking for More Classic Southern Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Cornmeal Fish Fry Seasoning Mind-Blowing Nashville Hot Chicken Crispy Broasted Chicken Oven Baked “Fried” Pickles Crispy Fried Steak (Country Fried Steak)
Share This Recipe With Friends!
