This hot honey chicken sandwich brings the crunch and the addictive sweet and spicy vibes. The chicken is marinated, breaded, and fried until golden, then finished with a homemade Calabrian chili honey sauce. Stack it on a bun with pickles and you’ve got your new favorite dinner.
If you’re thinking about hot honey chicken sandwiches like the ones from Popeyes or Chick-fil-A, but want to make them at home, this version is for you.
My version of a spicy chicken sandwich is fully homemade and loaded with flavor from the batter to the hot honey sauce.
This recipe leans modern with a Greek yogurt marinade, a hot honey sauce made with Calabrian chilis, and the option to layer on homemade sauces like an herby ranch.
My hot honey chicken sandwich skips the classic breading process of flour, egg, and breadcrumbs and keeps things simple.
After soaking in a yogurt and milk marinade, the chicken just gets coated once in seasoned flour. It’s easier than the 3-step process, especially if breading stuff stresses you out, and it still gives you that crispy coating everyone’s after.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Chicken breasts: Purchase thin chicken breast cutlets (use 4) or slice and pound whole chicken breasts to an even thickness for consistent frying.
- Plain Greek yogurt: Adds tang and helps tenderize the chicken.
- Milk: Loosens up the marinade and helps it soak in.
- Sriracha: For heat.
- Pickle juice: A little acidity.
- Flour: The base of the crispy coating. Use all-purpose for classic crunch.
- Salt and Pepper: A must for seasoning.
- Paprika, Garlic powder + Onion powder: For flavor in every bite.
- Honey: The base of the hot honey sauce (obviously). Adds sweetness and helps everything stick to the chicken.
- Calabrian chili sauce: Spicy and slightly smoky with a hint of vinegar.
- Hamburger buns: I like using my brioche buns recipe for sandwiches and burgers.
- Pickles: Bright, tangy crunch that cuts through the heat and richness.
Don’t have Calabrian chili sauce? Use Sriracha Hot Sauce or try my honey sriracha sauce instead.
Substitutions
- Calabrian chili sauce: Use hot sauce or crushed chili flakes with a bit of oil if needed, but flavor and heat levels will vary.
- Pickle juice: Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar adds acidity if you don’t have pickles on hand.
Instructions
Prep Tips
To make this spicy sandwich, start by prepping the chicken.
How to Butterfly Chicken: Step-by-Step
- Place the chicken breast flat on a cutting board.
- Hold a sharp knife parallel to the cutting board at the thickest part of the chicken.
- Carefully slice horizontally through the chicken, starting at one edge, and continuing all the way through. (For reference, to butterfly chicken, stop just before cutting all the way through, to leave a small part connected, as in the photo on the right above.)
- Gently pound each chicken cutlet with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin on its thickest end to even it out for cooking. For food safety, wrap it in plastic first to prevent any liquid from the chicken from splashing around your work area.
This method creates a thinner, more even piece of chicken that cooks faster and fits perfectly in a sandwich.
- Next, make the marinade by mixing together the marinade ingredients.
- Add the chicken. Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes in the fridge.
While the chicken marinates, make the seasoned flour coating and the hot honey sauce.
- After 30 minutes of marinating, let the excess marinade drip off the chicken and then coat each piece in flour.
- Mix the hot honey ingredients in a small pan and heat gently over medium-low heat until everything comes together.
- Shallow fry the chicken pieces in a hot skillet for 4-5 minutes.
- Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165℉ (74℃) on a meat thermometer.
- To serve, I like to cover the bottom bun with an herby yogurt sauce like my ranch dressing, or with mayo.
- Next, add the chicken and the hot honey. Follow with pickles and the top bun, and you’re ready to serve!
Tips for Making Hot Honey Chicken
- Slicing and pounding the chicken helps it cook at the same rate and gives the sandwich a better bite. Uneven chicken will overcook in some spots and undercook in others.
- The marinade has a yogurt, milk, and pickle juice combo that tenderizes the chicken and adds layers of flavor. Don’t skip this, it makes a huge difference in taste and texture.
- Season the flour well. We’re not going to rely on the sauce to do all the work. Seasoning the breading ensures you build flavor in layers for an outstanding outcome.
- Hot oil = crispier crust: Make sure your oil is hot enough before frying. Too cool, and the chicken will absorb the oil and get greasy. Medium heat is what I use.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Fry in batches if needed. Crowding drops the oil temperature and makes soggy breading.
- Warm the hot honey before using. This helps it pour easily.
What to Serve with Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches
For a classic, no-fuss meal, serve your hot honey chicken sandwich with crispy air-fried sweet potato wedges or a simple salad.
If you want to turn this into a game-day feast, pair the sandwich with creamy Gouda mac and cheese or Parmesan garlic fries.
Try baked hot honey with Panko breadcrumbs or a chicken ciabatta sandwich next!
More Chicken Recipes
Storage
Store the fried chicken, hot honey sauce, and buns separately for the best results. Keep the chicken pieces in an airtight container in the fridge to preserve their crispiness as much as possible.
Store the hot honey sauce in a sealed jar or container and refrigerate.
When reheating the chicken, avoid microwaving as it can make the breading soggy. Instead:
- Air fryer: Reheat chicken at 375°F for about 3-5 minutes until hot and crispy.
- Oven: Place chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 8-10 minutes.
- Microwave (if needed): Microwave on medium power in 30-second intervals.
Reheat sauce gently in a small saucepan on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave until warm.
FAQs
For less heat, reduce or skip the Calabrian chili sauce in the hot honey and skip the Sriracha in the marinade.
For more heat, add crushed red pepper flakes to the flour or drizzle extra hot honey sauce on the sandwich. You can also swap in hotter chili sauces.
Store the fried chicken, hot honey sauce, and buns separately for the best results.
Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts about 8 oz each
Marinade
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha Hot Sauce
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
Breading
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Hot Honey
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon calabrian chili sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
For Serving
- 4 hamburger buns
- Sliced pickles
Instructions
To Cut the Chicken
- Lay a chicken breast on a cutting board. Press down on the chicken breast, and slide your knife through horizontally. Do this carefully and go slowly if you need to. Cover each cutlet with plastic wrap. Use a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or something similar to pound the chicken thinner in its thickest spot until you have a pretty uniform thickness. Repeat for the second chicken breast.
To Marinate the Chicken
- Mix the yogurt, milk, pickle juice, and hot sauce in a large bowl to make the marinade.
- Add the chicken pieces to the yogurt mixture and marinate for 30 minutes to a couple of hours.
- Make the hot honey sauce by mixing the hot honey ingredients in a small pan and heating gently over medium-low heat until everything comes together.
To Cook the Chicken
- Mix the flour and spices and scatter the mix on a plate.
- Lift a piece of chicken from the yogurt mix, letting the extra liquid drip off. Lay the chicken in the flour, turning and coating to completely cover the chicken in the flour. I use tongs.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the skillet with a layer of oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Fry on one side for 4-5 minutes. Flip and fry on the other side for 3-4 minutes or until crispy, browned, and cooked through.
To Serve
- Serve as is or on a bun for a burger. I like to use a thick version of my ranch dressing on the bottom, and sometimes just mayo. Next, add the chicken, hot honey sauce, pickles, and the top bun. Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Slicing and pounding the chicken helps it cook at the same rate and gives the sandwich a better bite. Uneven chicken will overcook in some spots and undercook in others.
- The marinade has a yogurt, milk, and pickle juice combo that tenderizes the chicken and adds layers of flavor. Don’t skip this, it makes a huge difference in taste and texture.
- Season the flour well. Don’t rely on the sauce to do all the work. Seasoning the breading ensures you build flavor in layers for an outstanding outcome.
- Hot oil = crispier crust: Make sure your oil is hot enough before frying. Too cool, and the chicken will absorb the oil and get greasy. Medium heat is what I use.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Fry in batches if needed. Crowding drops the oil temp and makes soggy breading.
- Warm the hot honey before using. This helps it pour easily.
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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