Hot Honey Chicken Bites Recipe

These hot honey chicken bites are the perfect finger food for your next gathering or when you simply want to treat yourself! Imagine bite-sized juicy chicken thighs with a crushed tortilla crust, sauced up with homemade hot honey. It’s got the right amount of heat and sweet, and a quick disclaimer – it’s super addicting!

Why you’ll love this recipe

I usually have an opened bag of tortilla chips that have already gone stale so this is a great way to use any forgotten bag of chips in your pantry. The coating starts with flour, seasoned with my favorite spices – I’ve listed what I used below – followed by whisked eggs and finally, crushed tortilla chips. I also added freshly grated parmesan cheese to the crushed tortilla chips for an extra flavor bomb. 

Now the real star is the hot honey sauce – I used the same spices to season the flour so it’s got a little bit of heat and the perfect touch of sweetness to pair with the savory crispy chicken. I’m team thighs all the way but this can work with breasts or even wings. I double-deep-fried them for a really satisfyingly crispy exterior! You can also air-fry or bake in the oven.

Hot Honey Chicken Bites Ingredients and Substitutions 

Chicken thighs: I like using chicken thighs because I think they always come out juicy but you can also use chicken breasts or even wings!

Eggs: eggs are used to bind the tortilla chips to the chicken

Neutral oil: any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point will work including avocado, corn, canola, vegetable, sunflower seed, grapeseed, and more. I usually use avocado oil. 

Seasoned Flour Coating Ingredients & Substitutions

Flour: serves to dry out the chicken pieces so that the eggs have something to stick to. You can substitute it with gluten-free flour like cornstarch or potato starch to suit your dietary preference.

Smoked paprika: adds color and a deep, smoky, savory flavor! You might ask if you can substitute smoked paprika with sweet paprika, and the answer is yes, but the latter is milder, slightly sweet, and less smoky.

Onion powder: packs a punch of sweet, savory onion flavor to the chicken pieces without the pungent taste. 

Garlic powder: of course the onion powder is coupled with garlic powder. It completes the savory taste by providing garlic flavor, but also mellow on the pungent taste. Note garlic powder is more concentrated than fresh garlic, so a little goes a long way.

Cayenne pepper: for some heat and added color. If you don’t have it on hand, you can substitute cayenne with chili powder.

Salt: the mother of all seasonings. Of course, you can’t miss the salt.

Ground black pepper: you can also use white pepper

Tortilla Chip Crust Ingredients & Substitutions

Tortilla chips: substitute with cornflakes, panko breadcrumbs, or your choice of chips

Grated parmesan cheese: for added umami and saltiness. I highly recommend using freshly grated parmesan – and yes that means grating it fresh! 

Hot Honey Dipping Sauce Ingredients & Substitutions

Unsalted butter melted: Rich, creamy, and just decadent, butter is used to elevate these hot honey chicken bites! Butter also adds a nice sheen for an appetizing and aesthetically pleasing presentation. You can also use salted butter and skip the added salt. But for more control on the saltiness, it’s best to use unsalted butter.

Honey: sweet, bright, floral, with slight caramel undertones, honey perfectly blends with the savory ingredients like cheese and tortilla chips and the spices that are coating the chicken bites. I like using wildflower honey for its sweet but neutral taste. 

These are the same spices I used for the hot honey as the ones I used for the flour. Feel free to customize and adjust based on what you prefer. 

Smoked paprika

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Cayenne pepper

Salt

How to Prepare Hot Honey Chicken Bites

Step 1: Slice the chicken

Start by slicing the chicken thighs into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Step 2: Prepare dredge

In a bowl, combine flour, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and ground black pepper.

Step 3: Prepare egg coating

In a separate bowl, whisk two eggs.

Step 4: Prepare fried chicken coating

In another separate bowl, mix finely crushed tortilla chips and grated parmesan cheese.

Step 5: Preheat frying oil

In a large pot, heat neutral oil over medium heat to 350F (175C).

Step 6: Coat chicken 

Coat each piece of chicken in the seasoned flour, then dip it into the egg. Once coated, transfer to the crushed tortilla coating, making sure to press the coating onto the chicken to adhere better.

Step 7: Deep fry chicken

Carefully fry the chicken bites in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes. Make sure to work in batches to prevent overcrowding. Transfer to a wire rack to drain then repeat until all chicken has been fried.

Step 8: Double fry chicken

Increase the heat to 376F to 400F (190C to 205C) then double fry the chicken for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until golden brown. Be sure to work in batches to avoid overcrowding. Transfer to a wire rack to cool then repeat for the rest of the chicken.

Step 9: Prepare the hot honey dipping sauce

For the hot honey dipping sauce, combine melted unsalted butter, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mix until well combined. Pour in the honey and give it one final mix. If the sauce thickens up, microwave it for 30 seconds to loosen it up.

Step 10: Plate and serve

Serve chicken with dipping sauce and enjoy!

Preparation Tips for Hot Honey Chicken Bites

Here are some tips to ensure that your hot honey chicken bites come out perfectly every single time: 

• When buying fresh chicken, look for ones that have pinkish flesh, are firm to the touch, and smell like fresh poultry with no off or pungent odor. Avoid ones with discoloration, bruises, or skin tears. You can buy boneless skinless chicken thighs or debone bone-in chicken thighs at home and save the bones for stock. 
• I recommend using a wide-mouthed heavy bottom pan such as a cast iron frying pan. These types of pans conduct heat evenly and are great at maintaining the oil at a constant temperature.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. You want to put just enough chicken pieces so that they still have some space to move around. Otherwise, the chicken pieces might stick together and the oil temperature will drop, resulting in soggy and oily fried chicken.
• For breading, shake off the excess before proceeding to the next step. This will help each layer to adhere better to each other.
• Double the hot honey recipe to have some extra sauce for dipping! I’m sure you will want more of that sweet-spicy goodness. If the sauce thickens up, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to loosen it. 
• What’s great about cooking at home is that recipes can be tweaked and adjusted to your liking. For example, you can try adding a squeeze of lime juice and chopped cilantro for garnish for a bright, citrusy flare. You can also add more grated parmesan to top the chicken bites.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you serve with hot honey?

Hot honey is pretty versatile! Aside from this chicken bites recipe, I like serving hot honey with pizza, chicken and waffles, spam, and even BBQ. Kimchi grilled cheese sandwich, my Asian spin on the American classic, would taste great with hot honey too. I like that its balanced heat and sweetness definitely complement savory dishes. 

Is hot honey fried chicken spicy?

Yes, this hot honey chicken has a kick of spice, but it’s not over the top spicy. I recommend tasting as you go and adjusting based on what you like. You can opt to lessen or remove the cayenne pepper altogether if you prefer a milder taste or if you will serve it to kids! 

What is the secret to tender chicken?

Since I used chicken thighs for this recipe, I was fairly confident that the chicken would turn out super juicy.  With chicken thighs, you’re almost always guaranteed to have tender chicken since it has fat. But for any part or cut of chicken, the key to achieving tender meat is to cook it just until it’s done, meaning… don’t overcook! Chicken is done once it reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees F.

Brining also helps keep the chicken moist and juicy. To make a simple brine, simply combine 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of salt. Brine chicken for a minimum of 30 minutes before cooking. Be sure to pat the chicken dry before breading. 

What type of honey is best for chicken?

The most commonly used honey for cooking is clover honey but I prefer wildflower honey. It’s mildly sweet and neutral-tasting so I don’t have to worry that it’ll overpower the chicken. Orange blossom honey is quite mild, too. However, it’s important to use what’s accessible and most importantly, what you find delicious!

How to store leftover hot honey chicken?

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and it should stay good for 2 days. To reheat, you can simply pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes on medium or in the air fryer or toaster oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through. Do note that the crispiness may not be as crispy. 

Can I make this ahead of time?

In my opinion, they taste best right out of the stove! But if you want to make hot honey chicken bites ahead of time for meal prep or to serve at a party, you can do the first fry on the chicken, and right before serving, give it a second fry. The hot honey sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. When ready to serve, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds until loose. 

Looking for more easy and delicious chicken recipes?

Crispy Taiwanese Fried Chicken — These bite-sized fried chicken have super crispy and light batter, thanks to tapioca starch. They also have a unique spiced flavor from Chinese five spice powder, Thai basil leaves, and Sichuan white peppercorn seasoning.

Pepsi Chicken Wings — Another game day snack, these sweet-sticky Pepsi wings are made using only 6 ingredients and in under 20 minutes!

Easy Chicken Katsu — If you’re a fried chicken lover or a fan of Japanese cuisine, this crispy and juicy chicken katsu recipe will surely hit the spot! The combination of the beautiful golden brown exterior coupled with the tender and juicy interior makes this incredibly irresistible.

Honey Butter Fried Chicken — These honey butter crispy chicken pieces are coated in honey, garlic, soy sauce, and sugar for the ultimate flavor bomb. Slightly similar to these hot honey chicken bites, minus the spice.

Crispy Chicken Gizzards — These chicken gizzards are crispy on the outside yet delightfully tender on the inside courtesy of the milk marinade. They’re perfect to snack on or served with rice for lunch or dinner. My recipe also comes with a simple yet delicious 3-ingredient chili oil garlic dipping sauce.