Crispy Hot Honey Chicken

Sheet pan with several pieces of crispy chicken drizzled with hot honey and green beans in the background.

5 from 5 votes

Crispy Hot Honey Chicken

In this Hot Honey Chicken Recipe chicken breast is coated in a double layer of crispy panko breading, pan-fried until golden brown, and served with a super simple, spicy, and sweet honey.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 648kcal

Author: Lauren Skardal

Ingredients

3 cups panko bread crumbs
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup grated parmesan
6 eggs
1 lb chicken breast
2+ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Hot Honey

½ cup honey
½ tablespoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

In a shallow square baking dish combine the panko, salt, and parmesan.
In a separate shallow baking dish whisk the eggs.
Cut each chicken breast in half, and then in half lengthwise so that you have 4 thin pieces. Place on a cutting board and cover with a large sheet of parchment or wax paper. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the meat so that it is thin, but not too thin.
Bring a large sauté pan to just below medium heat (think 4 out of 10). Add 2 tbsps olive oil and allow to warm through for 1 minute.
Dip the chicken in the egg, then the panko. Press the panko firmly into the chicken with your fingers each time. OPTIONAL: Dip the coated chicken BACK in the egg and the panko again so that you are double breading each piece of chicken. This gives you a super thick breading. I prefer a single layer of breading, but the double coating is a nice way to mix it up.
Working in batches, place the chicken in the sauté pan and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan. Check to see that the bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook on the other side for 2 more minutes. Do not overcrowd the pan. Add olive oil as you go so that the bottom of the pan is always covered in a thin layer of olive oil.
Separately, while the chicken is cooking add the honey and red pepper flakes to a small saucepan. Place on low heat. Leave the honey on low heat until ready to serve.
Drizzle the hot honey over the chicken or have it on the side to dip.

Notes

Stovetop Temperature: On an electric stove aim for a temperature that is roughly a "4" on a scale of "1-10". Anything higher than that and your bread-crumb coating is more likely to burn. It will also help to prevent the olive oil from smoking. If the olive oil is smoking, you know that the pan is too hot.

Parmesan: I recommend buying a block of parmesan cheese and grating it yourself. It will taste better and you avoid those anti-caking ingredients that come with pre-grated parmesan cheese. I really like the flavor of Trader Joe's parmesan, it's mild enough that you can add it to many dishes seamlessly and it's not too expensive.

Grate the block of parmesan on the smallest grate option on a box grater. The smaller the easier it will be to incorporate it into the breading mixture.

Breading the Chicken: With your fingers pick up extra bread crumbs and sprinkle them on top of the chicken. Then press the extra breadcrumbs firmly into the chicken piece. Flip over and repeat. This creates a full thick coating that will get crispy when panfried.

Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The oil you choose will impart taste to the breading. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for an extra savory layer of flavor. I recommend Spanish olive oil from Trader Joe's or Costco.

Coat the Pan in Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Ensure that the bottom of the pan is covered in a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil throughout the cooking process. Add more olive oil as needed to prevent the pan from being dry. The thin layer of olive oil will help create an extra crispy panko crust on the chicken.

Serving the Chicken: Once the chicken cutlets are out of the frying pan place them on a cookie drying rack over a few sheets of paper towels. This will allow excess olive oil to drip down onto the paper towels, but keeping the cutlets on the rack allows air to circulate under the cutlets keeping them crispy. You worked so hard to make crispy cutlets, keep them that way with a cookie drying rack.

Nutrition