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 !
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:
- Classic Broccoli Coleslaw
- Celery Salad
- Garlic Butter Rice
- Spicy Mexican Rice
Hot Honey Chicken Thighs Recipe (Spicy Honey Chicken)
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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
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here .
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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.
