Go Back

Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken

Baked crunchy hot honey chicken with a golden panko-parmesan crust and a glossy hot honey drizzle. Oven-baked at high heat for crisp texture, then finished with warm honey, butter, and spicy red pepper flakes.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
marinating 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 690
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 1.5 lb boneless chicken thighs or breasts Use boneless for faster, even baking.
For buttermilk marinade
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 0.5 tsp hot sauce
  • 0.5 tsp salt
For crunchy coating
  • 1.5 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 0.5 cup parmesan Finely grated.
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp salt For seasoning the coating.
For hot honey
  • 0.33 cup honey
  • 2 tsp hot sauce
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp butter

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 wire rack

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. In a bowl, mix buttermilk, hot sauce, and salt, then add the boneless chicken thighs or breasts to coat. Cover and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Prep the oven and coating
  1. Preheat the oven to 425F and place a wire rack on a lined baking sheet, then spray the rack with cooking spray.
  2. In a shallow dish, combine panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and salt until evenly mixed.
Coat and bake
  1. Remove chicken from the marinade and dredge each piece in the panko mixture, pressing firmly so the coating adheres.
  2. Set the coated chicken on the rack, then spray the tops generously with cooking spray.
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 425F until the crust is golden and the chicken is cooked through to 165F.
Make hot honey and serve
  1. In a small pan, warm honey, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, and butter together until the butter melts and the sauce looks glossy.
  2. Drizzle the hot honey over the baked chicken just before serving.

Notes

Pro tip: for extra crunch, keep the coating pressed firmly and bake on the wire rack so airflow crisps the bottoms. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat on a rack in a 400F oven until hot and crisp again. Freezing is not recommended because the panko texture softens after thawing. For a dairy-light option, use finely grated parmesan-style vegetarian hard cheese (or omit parmesan) and consider increasing panko slightly to keep the coating sturdy.