Published May 2, 2025. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These finger-licking good Hot Honey Chicken Tenders are a must-make for family dinners. Breaded and deep-fried chicken tenders are brushed with a homemade hot honey sauce, giving them a ton of crunch and the perfect balance of sweet heat in every bite.
One of my favorite ways to cook chicken is to bread it and deep-fry it. I can’t resist the golden, crunchy skin and juicy meat on the inside. That’s precisely why I applied the techniques from my best fried chicken recipe to this crispy chicken tender recipe. I glazed the fried chicken tenders in one of my favorite condiments, hot honey sauce, to leave them glistening and with sweet-spicy flavors everyone at the table always loves.
Hot Honey Chicken Recipe
Hot honey is a sticky sauce made from honey, hot sauce, spicy seasonings, and melted butter. When combined, they achieve the perfect balance of sweet and spicy flavors that complement nearly everything. From homemade pizza to baked salmon to fried chicken, there are endless ways to enjoy this practically perfect condiment.
If you’re new to hot honey, I’d recommend starting with this hot honey chicken tender recipe. Deep-fried chicken tenders, with their extra-crispy and golden crusts and juicy meat inside, are drenched in sauce to give them a kick of heat and a sticky sweetness that’s finger-licking good. I recommend pairing them with a side of French fries and ranch dressing for a restaurant-quality meal that’ll easily get everyone running to the dinner table.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken Tenders – I will typically slice chicken breasts into tenderloins when I’m cooking homemade chicken tenders. Pre-sliced, store-bought chicken tenderloins also work as a time-saving substitute.
- Brine – To ensure the tenders stay moist and tender even after deep frying, I soaked them in a buttermilk brine for several hours. You can use this brine—made from buttermilk, hot sauce, white vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper—for almost any fried chicken recipe.
- Flour – Coating the tenders in all-purpose flour before frying gives them a golden, crispy crust around the outside.
- Cornstarch – I find that using a 1:1 ratio of flour to cornstarch makes the chicken breading much fluffier and crispier. Potato starch should work well as a substitute.
- Seasonings – I seasoned the flour breading with garlic and onion granules, paprika, coarse salt, and ground black pepper.
- Eggs – I whisked a few eggs with extra buttermilk to create an egg wash for the tenders. Dipping them in the wash helps the flour coating stick to the chicken.
- Oil – I deep-fried the chicken in a neutral-flavored, high-heat oil. Canola oil is one of my favorites, but grapeseed and vegetable oil work well, too. Avocado oil is also a suitable option if you’re seeking a slightly healthier alternative.
- Hot Honey – The homemade hot honey sauce is the star of this recipe. I made it using a mix of honey, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, white vinegar, and unsalted butter.
How to Make Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
Marinate: I begin by tossing the chicken tenders with all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. I cover the bowl and transfer it to the refrigerator to let the tenders marinate.
Whisk: Meanwhile, I whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and seasonings together in a wide, shallow bowl. In a separate, shallow bowl, I whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, salt, and pepper.
Heat: Fill a 4- or 5-quart pot halfway with oil and heat it over medium to low heat until the temperature reaches 375°F.
Dredge: I take the tenders out of the fridge, remove some of them from the marinade, and allow the excess to drip off. I place a tender in the seasoned flour and coat it on all sides, then transfer it to the egg wash. To finish, I dredge the tender in the flour mixture again until it’s completely coated.
Rest: I place the breaded tender on a wire rack fitted on a sheet tray. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes while I continue breading the rest of the chicken tenders.
Fry: I carefully place 4 to 6 tenders in the hot oil and fry them until golden brown and cooked through. After, I transfer the crispy tenders back to the wire rack to drain while I fry the rest.
Sauce: I make the hot honey sauce while the tenders are cooking and draining. I add the honey, hot sauce, pepper flakes, cayenne, vinegar, and butter to a small pot and warm the mixture over low to medium heat until the butter melts.
Coat: Once they’re all cooked, I brush or spoon the hot honey sauce over both sides of the chicken tenders.
Serve: I serve the hot honey chicken tenders right away with a creamy dipping sauce and a few side dishes.
Chef Tips + Notes
There’s an art to making deep-fried chicken tenders at home, and it all starts with the marinade (or brine). Soaking the chicken in a buttermilk brine allows the meat to tenderize and become incredibly flavorful over time. I recommend marinating the chicken tenders for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 24 hours for the best results.
- Maintain the oil temperature: Use a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer to help you bring the oil up to 375ºF. This is just high enough that when the cold chicken tenders are added to the oil, the temperature will drop to the perfect 350°F.
- Let the breaded chicken rest before frying: Resting the breaded tenders for 15 minutes before frying ensures even cooking and helps the flour-cornstarch coating absorb more moisture without making it soggy.
- How long to fry chicken tenders: For golden brown chicken tenders that stay juicy on the inside, fry each one for 3 ½ to 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. If you’re unsure if they’re cooked through, insert a meat thermometer into a cooked tender to check if it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
Serving Suggestions
Personally, I can’t serve hot honey chicken without a creamy dipping sauce on the side. Ranch dressing tends to be a family favorite, while I’m usually the first one to reach for the blue cheese dressing. Or, if you’re a bigger fan of those sweet honey flavors, opt for honey mustard.
Not into dipping sauces? Drizzle a little melted honey butter over the top instead. It adds extra sweetness and makes the chicken feel very indulgent.
Serving chicken tenders for dinner requires a few fun side dishes as well. French fries and onion rings make it feel like we brought the pub to our kitchen. A side of mashed potatoes or rice pilaf would also be delicious and a little lighter.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: Fried chicken tenders are best enjoyed as soon as they’re coated in the hot honey sauce. If you need more time, keep the fried tenders (without the sauce) on the wire rack. Place them in a 200ºF oven for up to 30 minutes before saucing and serving. The hot honey sauce can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept in a container in the refrigerator.
How to Store: Leftover hot honey chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
How to Reheat: Place the leftover chicken back on a wire rack. Place it on a baking sheet and reheat in a 375ºF oven for about 15 minutes or until warmed through. While you wait, heat some of the leftover hot honey on the stovetop, then brush it onto the chicken.
More Chicken Recipes
Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
For the Marinade:
- 2 pounds chicken tenders
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- ¼ cup white distilled vinegar
- 5 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Breading:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic granules
- 2 teaspoons onion granules
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 3 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- oil for frying
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
- ½ stick unsalted butter
Instructions
For the Marinade:
- Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and thoroughly mix to combine. Cover and place the tenders in the fridge to marinate for 2 to 24 hours. The longer, the more flavorful and tender they will become.
For the Breading:
- In a cake tin or wide shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, garlic granules, onion granules, paprika, 2 teaspoons of salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Set it to the side.
- In a separate cake tin or a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper until well combined. Set it to the side.
- At this stage, add enough oil to a 4- or 5-quart pot to fill it halfway. Heat it over medium to low heat until it reaches 375°F. Keep it at that temperature. Once the cold tenders are added to the oil, the temperature immediately drops to 350°, which is perfect.
- Take the tenders out of the fridge and remove them a few at a time. Drain off any excess, then dip them right into the seasoned flour. Press down on the tender from all sides to ensure it’s evenly coated. Lift it, shake off any excess, then over to the egg wash. Coat it on all sides, completely covering the flour in the whisked eggs. Now, drain off any excess liquid, as before, and return to dredging the flour, pressing down to completely cover it.
- Place them on a rack over a sheet tray and let them sit for up to 15 minutes, then repeat the process to bread the remaining tenders.
- Next, place the tenders 4 to 6 at a time into the hot oil. Cook them for 3 ½ to 4 minutes while flipping them every 2 minutes. They should be golden brown and cooked throughout. Set them aside on a rack to drain off any excess oil while you cook the remaining tenders in batches. They will hold fine while you do this.
For the Sauce:
- While the tenders are cooking, I make the sauce. Add the honey, hot sauce, pepper flakes, cayenne, vinegar, and butter to a small saucepot and cook over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
- Once all the tenders are done cooking, brush or spoon the hot honey sauce onto both sides of the tenders.
- Serve with optional dipping sauces of ranch, blue cheese, or honey mustard.
Hot Honey Chicken Tenders