This baked cornflake coated hot honey chicken tenders recipe is delightfully sweet, hot, and crispy all in one. No deep fryer needed. Chicken tenders marinated in buttermilk, coated in crunchy cornflakes, baked to golden perfection, and then drizzled with homemade hot honey, these chicken tenders will have you skipping the take out!
This easy baked chicken tender recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner, game day appetizer, or whenever you're craving crispy chicken with a sweet and spicy kick. You can even chop it up and add it to a salad, rice bowl, wrap, and more!
The cornflake coating makes the tenders extra crunchy, while the homemade hot honey adds just the right balance of sweetness and heat that will have you reaching for seconds. Make an extra batch of these oven baked crispy chicken tenders for the freezer for an even easier dinner down the line!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- So flavorful! These chicken tenders are marinaded in seasoned buttermilk, so not only does the chicken come out beyond tender, they're flavorful as well. There are layers of flavor to these chicken tenders as not only is the buttermilk seasoned, but so is the flour coating.
- Extra crispy! The cornflake crust is *chef's kiss*. It's sooooo crispy without deep frying. It makes cleaning up even easier as they're baked on a sheet pan.
- Better than takeout. Honestly, these honey hot chicken tenders are way better than store-bought.
- Easy to customize. You can easily make this as sweet or as spicy as you'd like with small tweaks to the homemade hot honey.
Ingredients You'll Need
- seasoning — this recipe requires smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. These are pantry staples for me, and I highly recommend you always double checking these to make sure they're not expired. While spices and seasoning don't technically expire, over time, they lose their potency.
- buttermilk — I always use full-fat buttermilk because it helps tenderize the chicken while adding flavor to the marinade.
- chicken tenders — chicken tenders (aka chicken tenderloins) are the thin muscle that is attached to the underside of the chicken breast. They're super tender, as the name suggests. If you cannot find chicken tenderloins, you can slice chicken breasts into strips for this recipe.
- flour — you'll need to coat the chicken tenderloins in flour. Feel free to use all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour to keep this chicken tenderloin recipe gluten-free.
- eggs — the eggs are beaten so you can dip the chicken in to get the cornflakes to stick to them.
- cornflakes — make sure you're getting cornflakes and not frosted flakes! If you don't have cornflakes, you can use panko breadcrumbs.
- honey — I used local honey.
- hot sauce — feel free to use your favorite hot sauce. I usually use Tabasco, but if I'm in the mood for a sweeter heat, I use sriracha. Gochujang is great as well.
Why Cornflakes Are a Great Coating for Chicken
I highly recommend trying cornflakes as a breading for chicken as they create a crispier, crunchier, and slightly sweeter coating than traditional breadcrumbs. As we are not deep frying these cornflake chicken tenders, the cornflakes provide a thicker and crunchier texture without the oil. Just make sure you are not crushing the cornflakes too finely as you want some texture to make for a crispy coating.
You can easily crush the cornflakes by adding them to a ziptop bag and crushing them with your hands or a rolling pin.
How To Make This Hot Honey Chicken Tenders Recipe
- Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Combine half of the seasoning mix with the buttermilk.
- Add the chicken tenderloins to the buttermilk marinade. Cover and place in the fridge for one hour up to overnight.
- Prepare the dredging station by mixing the flour and the remaining seasoning mix in a bowl.
- In another bowl, beat the eggs and add the crushed cornflakes in a third bowl.
- Dip the chicken tenders in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess buttermilk before coating.
- Then, place them in the egg to fully coat, and then place them in the crushed cornflakes, making sure to fully coat the chicken tenderloins. Place on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat the process with all of the chicken.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Meanwhile, while the chicken cooks, add the hot sauce and honey to a saucepan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes whisking throughout to combine. Alternatively, place the honey and hot sauce in a microwave-safe container and microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until well combined.
- Once the cornflake chicken tenders are done, remove them from the oven and drizzle the hot honey over it. Serve immediately with whatever sauce is leftover.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can adjust the heat or the sweetness by adding more hot sauce or more honey.
- You can buy pre-made hot honey if you prefer. You can still adjust the heat or sweetness by adding extra honey to the store-bought bottles.
- Adjust the seasoning to change the flavor. You can add dried herbs such as dried oregano, basil, thyme, etc for a herby flavor or even add some cayenne pepper for extra heat.
Air Fryer Hot Honey Tenders
If you would like to make this crispy cornflake chicken tenders recipe in an air fryer, here is how you do it:
- Spray the air fryer basket with some oil and arrange the cornflake coated chicken tenders in a single layer. You will have to cook in batches as it won't all fit in one basket.
- Air fry the chicken tenders at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Drizzle the hot honey onto the chicken tenders before serving.
- Repeat until you are done with all the chicken.
How To Keep Hot Honey Chicken Tenders Crispy
- Store any leftover chicken tenders in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I recommend not drizzling them with hot honey if you plan on saving the tenders for another day. This way, they stay crispy. The hot honey can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for quite a while!
- To reheat leftovers, you can bake them in a 400°F oven until heated through or in the air fryer. I love reheating the chicken tenders in the air fryer as they get nice and crispy.
- Avoid pouring the hot honey onto the baked chicken tenders until serving. This will prevent the coating from getting soggy while waiting to be served.
- If you are waiting to serve the chicken tenders, avoid covering it while hot as the condensation will make the coating soggy. Keep the chicken warm by holding it in the oven at around 150°F and 200°F on a sheet pan (or use a "keep warm" setting).
- For an even crispier finish, you can broil the chicken tenders before adding the hot honey. Make sure you keep a close eye on the oven as you can quickly go from crispy to burnt when broiling.
- Make sure you don't place the cornflake chicken tenders too close together on the sheet pan. Having space between them allows for air flow in the oven, ensuring they become crispy!
Recipe
Crispy Baked Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
You will fall in love with these hot honey chicken tenders! They're delightfully sticky, sweet, hot, and crispy all in one. Chicken tenders marinated in buttermilk, coated in crunchy cornflakes, baked to golden perfection, and then drizzled with homemade hot honey, these chicken tenders make for an easy appetizer or weeknight dinner.
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RateServings: 4 servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 lbs chicken tenders
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups crushed cornflakes
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup hot sauce, or less
Instructions
- Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Combine half of the seasoning mix with the buttermilk in a bowl and add the chicken tenderloins.
- Cover and place in the fridge for one hour up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the dredging station by mixing the flour and the remaining seasoning mix in a bowl and beaten eggs in a separate medium bowl, and crushed cornflakes in a third bowl.
- Dip the marinaded chicken tenders in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess buttermilk before coating. Then, place them in the egg to fully coat, and then place them in the crushed cornflakes, making sure to fully coat the chicken tenderloins. Place on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat the process with all of the chicken.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Meanwhile, while the chicken cooks, add the hot sauce and honey to a saucepan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes whisking throughout to combine. Alternatively, place the honey and hot sauce in a microwave-safe container and microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until well combined. Do this near the end of cooking the chicken, so the hot honey stays warm.
- Once the chicken is done, remove it from the oven and drizzle the hot honey over it. Serve immediately with whatever sauce is leftover.
Notes
Please note that the calories are for all the listed ingredients. However, not all the cornflakes will be used, the buttermilk marinade is not consumed, and the hot honey amount used will vary.
To freeze and reheat homemade chicken tenders, let cool to room temperature and then flash-freeze them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet before storing in a freezer safe container or bag, then bake or air-fry straight from the freezer until crispy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 968kcal | Carbohydrates: 150g | Protein: 66g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 251mg | Sodium: 2664mg | Potassium: 1343mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 2811IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 37mg
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More places to find me: @onepotonlyrecipes on Instagram and One Pot Only on Pinterest.
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