Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken

Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken

Cornflake-coated chicken delivers all the fried-chicken crunch without a pan of oil, and lean breast meat keeps each portion high in quality protein—useful for maintaining muscle mass, especially when paired with an active lifestyle. Recent intervention studies tie regular chicken-protein intake to measurable gains in strength and fat-free mass in adults.

The finishing drizzle of hot honey does more than taste good. Honey’s phenolic compounds have antioxidant activity, while capsaicin in the chilli sauce and spices is linked to lower cardiovascular-mortality risk and favourable metabolic effects.

Together they turn a simple tray-bake into a crowd-pleaser with perks.

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  • What you need:

    For the chicken

    • 120 g cornflakes
    • 50 g finely grated Parmesan
    • 2 g smoked paprika powder
    • 2 g onion powder
    • 2 g garlic powder
    • 2 large eggs, beaten
    • 30 ml hot sauce
    • 900 g chicken-breast tenderloins
    • 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little for the tray

    For the hot honey

    • 120 ml runny honey
    • 15 ml hot sauce
    • Pinch (≈1 g) cayenne pepper
    • 1 g chipotle chilli powder
    • 1 g garlic powder
    • 1 g onion powder
    • 2 g sea salt
    • Hot filtered water, if needed
    • Fresh thyme, coriander or parsley, to serve
  • How to do it:

    1. Prep the coating. Pre-heat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan). Line a large baking tray with baking parchment and brush lightly with olive oil. Blitz the cornflakes in a food-processor to fine crumbs, then pulse in the Parmesan, paprika, onion powder and garlic powder. Tip into a shallow bowl.
    2. Set up the dredge. Whisk the beaten eggs with the 30ml hot sauce in a second bowl. Working in batches, dip each chicken tender first into the egg, then press firmly into the cornflake crumbs. For an extra-thick crust, repeat the egg–crumb dip once more. Arrange coated pieces on the prepared tray and drizzle with the 30 ml olive oil.
    3. Bake. Bake for 25 minutes, turning once, until the coating is deep golden and the chicken is cooked through (70 °C internal temperature).
    4. Make the hot honey. While the chicken bakes, combine the honey, 15 ml hot sauce, cayenne, chipotle, garlic powder, onion powder and salt in a small saucepan. Warm over low heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the honey thins and the spices bloom. If it seems too thick to drizzle, whisk in a splash of hot filtered water until pourable.
    5. Finish & serve. Transfer the baked chicken to a platter and spoon or brush over the hot honey—use as much or as little as you like. Scatter with fresh herbs and an extra pinch of sea salt.

    Leftovers

    Cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Re-heat in a 190 °C oven or air fryer for 6–8 minutes until hot and crisp again.

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