This air fryer hot honey chicken is perfectly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, loaded with amazing flavor, drizzled with hot honey! It cooks quickly and is one of the best chicken recipes ever!
I had to jump on the hot honey trend again after you all loved my hot honey beef bowl! This time, we’re making hot honey chicken and it may be my new favorite. My entire family went crazy for this recipe, including my father in law.
This crispy hot honey chicken is everything you want in a chicken dinner: golden and crunchy on the outside, tender and juicy in the center, and finished with a drizzle of sweet and spicy hot honey.
The secret to that incredible crunch is corn flakes instead of breadcrumbs. They create the most amazing crispy, golden coating that holds up beautifully to the hot honey drizzle. Every bite is crunchy, juicy, sweet, and a little spicy. It’s the kind of easy high protein chicken recipe you’ll want to make on repeat!
Now, you all know I love a crispy chicken recipe like these oven baked chicken cutlets, air fryer breaded chicken thighs and these air fryer chicken nuggets. This new hot honey air fryer chicken recipe is my new go to!
Bonus: The cornflakes actually make this a lower calorie recipe when compared to making it using panko breadcrumbs and you still get a super crunchy crust on the chicken!
Why you’ll love this hot honey chicken recipe
- Best crispy, healthy chicken recipe
- Cooks quickly in the air fryer
- Better than take-out!
- Crunchy, sweet and spicy chicken that is amazing!
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love this hot honey chicken recipe
- What does hot honey taste like?
- Ingredients needed for this hot honey chicken
- How To Make Hot Honey Chicken In The Air Fryer
- Tips for the best crispy hot honey chicken
- Can I bake this crispy chicken in the oven?
- Storage and Reheating
- More Healthy Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken
What does hot honey taste like?
Hot honey has become incredibly popular for its irresistible combination of sweet honey and a subtle spicy kick. Most grocery stores carry both mild and hot varieties, so you can easily choose the heat level you prefer.
I’m not a huge fan of spicy foods, so I usually stick with mild hot honey. It adds just a touch of heat without overpowering the dish, while the sweetness of the honey brings everything together. It’s such a simple way to take the flavor of a recipe to the next level. Mikes Hot Honey is my favorite and it comes in a bottle that allows you to easily drizzle it over anything!
Ingredients needed for this hot honey chicken
This crispy air fried chicken with hot honey only requires a few simple ingredients. Here is what you’ll need to make it.
- Chicken – I used chicken breast but boneless chicken thighs will also work great.
- Corn flakes – yes, we are using good old corn flakes cereal as the breading on this hot honey chicken. It is so much better than breadcrumbs because it is already nice and crunchy and makes the perfect coating for the chicken.
- Seasoning – paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper
- Egg – the egg is to dip the chicken in so the coating will stick to it and it also adds even more protein.
- Hot honey – grab your favorite hot honey to drizzle on the hot crunchy chicken as a delicious finishing touch.
Get the complete list of recipe ingredients, instructions and nutrition in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Hot Honey Chicken In The Air Fryer
Here is a summary of the steps with step by step photos for how to make this air fried hot honey crispy chicken.
- And the corn flakes and seasoning (paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper) to a food processor.
- Pulse a few times to blend.
- Set up a dredging station and dredge each piece of chicken in the egg then in the cornflake coating.
- Place the coated chicken onto a lined pan.
5. Preheat the air fryer to 390°F and spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Place a few of the coated chicken pieces into the air fryer in a single layer.
6. Cook for 10-11 minutes, flipping the chicken over halfway through cooking. The chicken should be done once it is nice and golden and reaches 165°F on the inside when checked using a meat thermometer. Top with hot honey drizzle and enjoy!
Tips for the best crispy hot honey chicken
- Don’t pulse the cornflakes too much because you want them to create a nice coating on the chicken that is crunchy.
- Spray the coated chicken with cooking spray before cooking it to allow the breading to become nice and crispy as it cooks. I also like to spray it again once it is done.
- Double coat it – For an extra crispy outer layer you can dip the chicken in the egg, then the coating, then in the egg and coating a second time for an extra crunchy crust on the chicken.
- The size and thickness of the chicken pieces will determine the cooking time. Large pieces will take longer to cook and smaller pieces will take less time to cook so keep on eye on it.
Can I bake this crispy chicken in the oven?
Yes! Crispy hot honey chicken can absolutely be baked in the oven, and you can still get that corn flake coating nice and crunchy. Here is how to do it:
Prepare the chicken as directed in this recipe and place it onto a line baking sheet or even better a baking sheet lined with a rack. Bake the coated chicken at 425°F for 18–25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Drizzle with hot honey and serve!
Storage and Reheating
This crispy chicken with hot honey stores great in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat portions in the microwave or air fryer at 350°F until fully heated through. Honestly, this hot honey chicken is just as good the next day!
More Healthy Chicken Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Did you try this hot honey chicken recipe? If you did then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!
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Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Description
This air fryer hot honey chicken is perfectly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, loaded with amazing flavor, finished with hot honey! It cooks quickly and is one of the best chicken recipes ever!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast cut into large pieces.
- 2–3 large eggs – lightly whisked
- 2 cups corn flake cereal or panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Mike’s hot honey or your favorite hot honey
- Sea salt – optional for topping
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry and set aside.
- Crack the eggs into a medium shallow bowl with a splash of water and lightly whisk them.
- Add the corn flakes, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder to a food processor and pulse a few times to crush up. Transfer the crushed breading mixture to another medium shallow bowl.
- Dip each piece of chicken into the egg, then the corn flake breading then in the egg again and then into the breading again. Press the corn flake mixture into the chicken to get it nice and coated.Place the coated chicken onto a clean plate or lined pan and continue until you have coated all of the chicken.
- Preheat the air fryer to 390°F. Once the air fryer is ready, spray the basket with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place 4-5 coated chicken pieces into the air fryer in an even layer leaving a little bit of space in between each one to ensure all sides become nice and crispy and golden. I like to spray the chicken with olive oil spray for extra crispy chicken.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. The chicken should be done once it is nice and golden and reaches 165°F on the inside when checked using a meat thermometer.
- Serve the chicken hot drizzled with your favorite hot honey and enjoy!
Notes
You can use chicken breast or chicken thighs.
To make this chicken recipe gluten free, use gluten free corn flakes.
Double coat the chicken for an extra crispy crust.
Flip the chicken halfway through cooking to ensure it gets crisp on all sides.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350°F until fully heated through.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: air fryer
- Cuisine: American
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