Crispy Honey Butter Chicken

This oven-fried honey butter chicken is baked until it’s crispy and crunchy, and then drizzled with a spicy honey butter sauce. It’s easy, flavorful, and delicious alongside a salad, coleslaw, cornbread, or biscuits!

If you enjoy oven-fried chicken as much as we do, be sure to try this Nashville hot chicken, a classic oven-fried chicken breast, and this oven-baked ranch chicken, too!

Why You’ll Love this Honey Butter Chicken

• Quick. Using thin chicken breasts or chicken cutlets means that the meat bakes faster in the oven. This prevents the breading from burning before the insides are cooked through, and it makes weeknight dinners easier!
• Less messy. Since you’re not deep-frying chicken on the stovetop, you don’t have to worry about splattered grease in your kitchen. Always a win!
• Healthier. Fried honey butter chicken is obviously delicious, but it’s certainly not the healthiest meal. Oven-fried chicken eliminates the added fat that you would otherwise consume with deep-frying, which means that the meal is a bit lighter (so pour on that butter sauce!). You can also control the amount of honey butter that you drizzle over your chicken, using less if you’d like to reduce the calories, fat, and sugar.
• Great texture. Baking the chicken breasts doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice that great crunchy, flavorful coating. Thanks to seasoned Corn Flakes breading, you can still enjoy crispy, crunchy, honey butter chicken breasts — no frying necessary.

The Best Chicken for Breading

Chicken cutlets are really just thin pieces of boneless chicken that have been cut from a thick breast or pounded flat. I typically purchase thinly-sliced chicken breasts or “chicken cutlets” at the grocery store to save some time on the prep work, but you can also do this step on your own at home.

While any size and type of chicken will work for breading, I find that the cutlets cook through in just the right amount of time. The breading has a chance to turn crisp and golden brown, but it doesn’t burn before the chicken is done. Chicken cutlets are a quick-cooking protein, making them incredibly convenient for easy weeknight meals.

If you prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, you’ll just need to increase the total baking time (tent the chicken loosely with foil if the breading starts to get too brown before the meat is cooked through). Looking for a recipe using bone in chicken pieces (like chicken drumsticks)? This is one of our favorites!

Serving Suggestions

For breakfast or brunch, cut the larger cutlets in half to prepare smaller pieces of oven-fried chicken. Use them to make honey butter chicken biscuits by serving the chicken and sauce on flaky biscuits — a family favorite!

For dinner, pair the honey butter chicken with any of these easy sides:

• Sour Cream Cornbread, Honey Butter Cornbread, Jalapeno Cheddar Mexican Cornbread, Cast Iron Cornbread, Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Broccoli Cornbread, Southern Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Sweet Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Skillet Cornbread, or Corn Sticks
• Hush Puppies or Hoe Cakes
• 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
• Southern Cornbread Dressing
• Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Bread, or Pumpkin Muffins
• Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, 7UP Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Pumpkin Spice Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Chives and Bacon, or Drop Biscuits
• Baked Potato Wedges, Twice Baked Potatoes, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives, Skin On Mashed Red Potatoes, Baked Potatoes, or Easy Potato Salad
• Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, Crock Pot Mac and Cheese, Stovetop Shells and Cheese, Broccoli Mac and Cheese, or No-Boil Easy Mac and Cheese
• Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Southern Caesar Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, Wedge Salad, or House Salad with Candied Pecans
• Homemade Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
• Refrigerator Dill Pickles, Cucumber Salad with Vinegar, Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad, or Cucumber Dill Salad
• Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon or Southern-Style Green Beans
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
• Southern Succotash
• Southern Collard Greens or Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens
• Fried Okra
• Broccoli and Cheese
• Easy Pasta Salad
• Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon
• Charleston Red Rice
• Okra and Tomatoes
• Southern Squash Casserole
• Cheese Grits
• Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion, Braised Red Cabbage, or Roasted Cabbage

Recipe Variations

• Use boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken tenderloins, or small boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of chicken cutlets. Thick chicken thighs will need a longer baking time, or you can pound them flatter before breading.
• Make the honey butter sauce spicy by adding more cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes, or use a 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce for a salty, umami flavor.
• I love the combination of the bread crumbs and Corn Flake crumbs, because the Corn Flakes add extra crunch and flavor that you can’t get from the breadcrumbs alone. I prefer the finer texture of regular breadcrumbs here, but you can substitute with Panko breadcrumbs if that’s all that you have.
• Instead of the breadcrumbs, add extra flavor to the breading mixture by using finely crushed Ritz crackers or Saltines with the Corn Flakes.
• Cooking just for two? Cut all of the ingredients in half and just bake two chicken cutlets. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same.

Tips for the Best Honey Butter Chicken Recipe

• The honey butter sauce thickens as it cools, so wait to make it once the chicken is done baking (or almost done). Serve it immediately!
• Use a large rimmed baking sheet rather than a baking dish. The baking sheet allows heat to circulate around the meat a bit more, yielding crispy (not soggy) chicken.
• The oil in the breading helps the chicken turn crispy and golden brown in the oven — no frying necessary! Don’t skip the oil, or the end result won’t be nearly as good.
• Boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets (or small chicken breasts) work best with this recipe, because they cook in just the right amount of time. The breading gets crispy and golden brown, but doesn’t burn before the meat is cooked through.
• The total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your chicken. Use an instant-read thermometer to know exactly when your meat is perfectly cooked. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 165°F.

More Fried Chicken Recipes to Try

Fried Chicken Recipe

Fried Chicken Cutlets and Country Gravy

35 minutes mins

Fried Chicken Tenders

35 minutes mins

Honey Butter Chicken

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

Total: 40 minutes minutes

Servings 5 people

Calories 518 kcal

Crispy, crunchy, oven fried chicken is drizzled with a sweet and spicy honey butter sauce!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thinly-sliced chicken cutlets)
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
• ½ cup Corn Flake crumbs (about 1 ½ cups of whole cereal measured before crushing)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning the meat
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Honey Butter Sauce

• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

COAT THE CHICKEN

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup, if desired.
• Lightly pound the chicken breasts to uniform thickness (about ½-inch). You can skip this step if you’re starting with chicken cutlets (thinly-sliced chicken breast). Pat the chicken dry; season with a little bit of salt on both sides. Sprinkle the cornstarch over both sides of the chicken and pat to coat evenly.
  
• In a large, shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs, Corn Flake crumbs, sugar, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle with oil and mash with a fork until the oil is thoroughly incorporated. Lightly beat the eggs with a fork in another shallow dish.
  
• Dip the chicken into the egg, then press into the breading mixture until evenly coated on both sides. (Discard leftover mixture.) Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet.
  

BAKE THE CHICKEN

• Bake until the chicken is golden brown and crispy, and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, about 20-25 minutes.

MAKE THE HONEY BUTTER SAUCE

• Once the chicken is done, combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is bubbling. Continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
  

SERVE

• Immediately drizzle the warm sauce over the crispy chicken. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs, if desired.
  

Notes

• The honey butter sauce thickens as it cools, so wait to make it once the chicken is done baking (or almost done). Serve it immediately!
• Use a large rimmed baking sheet rather than a baking dish. The baking sheet allows heat to circulate around the meat a bit more, yielding crispy (not soggy) chicken.
• The oil in the breading helps the chicken turn crispy and golden brown in the oven — no frying necessary! Don’t skip the oil, or the end result won’t be nearly as good.
• Boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets (or small chicken breasts) work best with this recipe, because they cook in just the right amount of time. The breading gets crispy and golden brown, but doesn’t burn before the meat is cooked through.
• The total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your chicken. Use an instant-read thermometer to know exactly when your meat is perfectly cooked. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 165°F.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/5 of the chicken and sauceCalories: 518kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 36gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 190mgSodium: 1064mgPotassium: 630mgFiber: 2gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1112IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 8mg

Keyword: honey butter chicken, honey butter chicken recipe, honey butter fried chicken

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Southern

Author: Blair Lonergan

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