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Hot honey is all the buzz! And we have to agree that you can never go wrong with a sweet and spicy combo! This pretzel crusted hot honey chicken is a twist on your usual chicken dinner!
Crispy pretzel crusted chicken, drizzled and baked with a warm hot honey glaze. Each chicken fillet is pan fried and then baked in the oven to make the crust super crunchy and delicious. And once the salty crusted chicken is baked, it is glazed in a spicy honey glaze. It’s salty, it’s sweet, it’s spicy! Each bite is a yummy blend of savory sweet heat that will keep you coming back for seconds.
Whether you’re looking for weeknight dinner idea or a yummy chicken dinner, this dish will impress!
Looking for more weeknight dinners? Check out these!
Roasted Chickpea and Gnocchi Salad
Baked Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
The Best Pepperoni Pizza with Homemade Pizza Sauce
Pretzel Crusted Hot Honey Chicken
Your Grocery List
- Pretzel Twists
- Eggs
- Chicken breasts
- Olive Oil
- All Purpose flour
- Honey
- Paprika
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Chili flakes
- Cinnamon
- Smoked paprika
Before you batter, you need to prep the chicken!
Start by slicing each chicken breast in half, lengthwise, like you would if you did a Butterly cut. Then slice each half in half a second time. Once the chicken is cut, use a meat mallet or a wooden rolling pin to tenderize the chicken.
Make sure you tenderize the chicken. Tenderizing the chicken, will break down the chicken fibers, making them cook evenly. There are several ways you can tenderize chicken, through enzymes or you can pound the chicken. This is our favorite way because it doesn’t take much time and works well. You can pound them until they are about 1/2 inch thick.
Tips for Battering Chicken
- Dry chicken first. If your chicken is not completely dry, the wet batter won’t stick to the chicken. So pat each chicken breast with a paper towel to remove all the moisture before battering. For extra measure, you can coat the chicken in a thin layer of flour.
- Tenderize the chicken. As mentioned above, you want to tenderize the chicken before battering. Tenderizing will give the chicken a softer texture and will cook more evenly.
- Double batter for thicker crust!! This is a must for us. Start Then dredge your chicken in the beaten egg, followed by the pretzel-flour mixture. Repeat this step another time for a thicker crust. Then transfer the chicken to a large plate or platter for frying.
How to pan fry chicken on the stove…
Don’t worry, we aren’t doing any deep frying here, it’s just a light fry on the outside before you finish cooking the chicken in the oven. This light fry step will cook the batter on the outside and the crust a super crunchy finish.
Here’s what you need to do…
- Start by adding 1/4 cup of olive oil to a cast iron pan and allow it to get hot.
- Add a couple chicken pieces to the pan at a time. If you crowd the pan with too many pieces, the temperature of the oil will drop and it won’t cook as quickly.
- Fry each side of the chicken for 1-2 minutes and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue this step until all of your chicken pieces are fried. Once they are fried, you will bake them in the oven to cook through and get super crispy.
Why do you fry and bake the chicken?
This two step cooking method of frying first and baking second is the secret to getting a super crispy crust while making sure your chicken is cooked through.
How do I know my chicken is done cooking?
Your chicken will be cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF. You can check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Make sure you insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken.
Should I make or buy hot honey?
We recommend making homemade because it tastes fresher and you can control the heat. So if whether you want a milder honey sauce or one that packs on the heat, you will be able to taste test and find the right medium while you are making your sauce. Our hot honey glaze has a touch of cinnamon to add extra warmth that you can’t beat.
If you are looking for a good store-bought hot honey, we recommend Mike’s Hot Honey or Momofuku.
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Pretzel Crusted Hot Honey Chicken
- Total Time: 60 minutes
Description
Crispy pretzel crusted chicken, drizzled and baked with a warm hot honey glaze. Each chicken fillet is pan fried and then baked in the oven to make the crust super crunchy and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil (for light frying)
- 5 cups pretzel twists, crushed
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 3 eggs (beaten)
- 2 lbs chicken breasts
Hot Honey Glaze
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
- 2–3 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a skillet, preheat 1/4 cup olive oil on medium/high heat in the bottom of the pan.
- On a cutting board, flatten the chicken breasts with a mallet or rolling pin until they are 1/2 inch thick.
- Add the pretzels, flour, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and chili powder in a plastic bag. Crush the pretzel mixture with a rolling pin until it’s reduced down to crumbs. Then, dump the pretzel crumbs into a shallow bowl.
- Next, beat your eggs in a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken in the eggs and then in the pretzel crumb mixture. Repeat this step one more time for a thicken, crunchier crust. Then place the chicken on a plate to get ready to lightly fry.
- Place two chicken breast in the pan at a time—you don’t want to overcrowd the pan because the temperature will drop. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the first side, then flip it over and cook for another 2 minutes. Then, transfer the chicken to the prepared baking sheet.
- Once the chicken breasts have all been cooked on the stovetop, drizzle with half of the hot honey sauce, and transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, flip them and bake for another 10 minutes on the other side. They will be cooked when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove from oven and cool for a couple minutes, drizzle with extra honey sauce and serve.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
