Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken 🍗🍯 features breaded chicken cutlets air fried until crispy, then drizzled with spicy sweet hot honey. This QUICK and EASY chicken recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes, and oven baking instructions are also included!
Easy Air Fried Chicken Cutlets with Hot Honey Recipe
- This air fryer hot honey chicken is crispy on the outside thanks to the seasoned panko breadcrumb coating, while staying ultra moist and juicy on the inside.
- The air fryer crisps up the breading beautifully without overcooking the chicken, and using chicken cutlets instead of full chicken breasts helps reduce the cooking time.
- As soon as the chicken is done, it’s brushed with homemade hot honey for the perfect sweet-and-spicy finish. Hot honey is simply honey with a kick, and this version uses hot sauce, chipotle chili powder, and cayenne pepper for both spice and depth of flavor.
- It’s an easy, quick chicken dinner for nights when you don’t want to preheat the oven, and it’s so much more interesting than the usual baked chicken breasts.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken
- Chicken cutlets or thin-sliced chicken breasts: Chicken cutlets are chicken breasts that have been sliced in half horizontally to create thinner pieces. They cook quickly in the air fryer and stay moist and tender. If you only have chicken breasts, slice them into thinner cutlets and pound them to an even thickness. Chicken tenders also work, and chicken thighs can be used if pounded thin, although they may take slightly longer to cook.
- Panko breadcrumbs, all-purpose flour, eggs, and hot sauce: These create the crispy coating. Panko breadcrumbs are best because they crisp up better than regular breadcrumbs. Use any bottled hot sauce you like; I prefer sriracha because it is spicy but not overpowering.
- Smoked paprika, dried parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper: These season the breading and give the chicken plenty of savory flavor.
- Honey, unsalted butter, hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, chipotle chili powder, and cayenne pepper: These make the homemade hot honey that gets drizzled over the crispy chicken. Store-bought hot honey can be used, but it is easy to make if you already have honey and hot sauce on hand.
- If you are sensitive to heat, start with half the hot sauce, chipotle chili powder, and cayenne in the hot honey, then add more to taste.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Hot Honey Chicken in an Air Fryer
- Pound the chicken cutlets to an even thickness so they cook quickly and stay juicy.
- Whisk together the seasoned panko mixture in one bowl and the egg mixture in another, then dredge each chicken cutlet through both.
- Arrange the breaded chicken in the air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry until crispy, flipping halfway through.
- While the chicken cooks, stir together the hot honey ingredients and warm the sauce until smooth.
- Drizzle the hot honey over the crispy air fried chicken and serve right away.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
What to serve with Hot Honey Chicken
Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound chicken cutlets or thin-sliced chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4-inch thick (4 pieces that are about 1/4 lb each)*
Dredging and Battering
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce such as sriracha, or to taste
Hot Honey
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Optional fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro, for garnishing if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F. I use a Cosori Extra Large Air Fryer. I've had it for a few years and there are newer/bigger models around. However, if your air fryer is smaller, you may need to cook 2 pieces of chicken at a time, and repeat with the other 2 pieces.
- Chicken – If necessary, pound the chicken to 1/4-inch thick using a meat tenderizer. Just place it on a cutting board and give it a couple whacks until it's as thin as necessary. You want it to be quite thin so it cooks evenly and quickly; set aside momentarily.
- Dredging and Battering – To a medium or large yet shallow bowl, add the panko, flour, smoked paprika, dried parsley, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and whisk to combine. Note – All seasoning amounts should be added to taste. If you like things more or less salty, more garlicky, etc. add more or less, based on your preferences.
- To a separate medium or large yet shallow bowl, add the eggs, sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce), and whisk to combine.
- Dip each piece of chicken briefly into the egg mixture, coating both sides, but allowing any excess to run back off into the bowl.
- Then dip and dredge through the dry ingredient mixture, pressing the panko into each piece of chicken using your fingers.
- Air Frying – Open the air fryer, lightly spray the basket with cooking spray or an oil mister, and then lightly spray both sides of each chicken breast before placing them in the basket in an even flat layer. Tips – Make sure to spray the chicken lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister because the small bit of oil really helps the chicken crisp up nicely. Don't crowd the chicken and cook in two batches if necessary which it likely will be. Crowding will cause the chicken to steam (get soft, soggy) as opposed to if air is allowed to circulate freely which helps create a nice crispy exterior texture.
- Close the basket door and air fry for 5 minutes, flip, give a quick cooking spray or oil misting to the top of each chicken breast, close the basket door, and air fry again for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is done. Cooking Tips – Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temp of 165F. If in doubt, check it with a digital cooking thermometer. Exact cooking time will depend on the size, shape, and thickness of your chicken breasts; the size and heat output of your air fryer so cook until it's done, however long that takes. I suggest starting to check it after about 3-4 minutes after you've flipped it because I find the second side cooks quicker than the first side, but your mileage may vary.
- Repeat the cooking process with the second batch of chicken if you are cooking in batches due to your air fryer basket being smaller.
- Hot Honey – While the chicken is air frying, to a large microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup, add all the ingredients, cover with a plastic wrap, and heat on high power for about 1 minute, or until butter has melted and everything can be stirred smooth. You can also warm together in a skillet on the stove but I think the microwave is quicker and easier. Tips – All seasoning amounts should be added to taste. If you like things more or less salty, more garlicky, etc. add more or less, based on your preferences. As written, it's not particularly 'hot' but it's flavorful. However, adjust the amount of hot sauce and cayenne, to taste. If you're very spice sensitive, omit the cayenne and potentially reduce the amount of hot sauce. You can also use store bought hot sauce, however this is super easy. If you don't have all the ingredients, use what you do have with honey + hot sauce being the most essential!
- Serving and Storage – Immediately after removing the chicken from the air fryer, drizzle with the hot honey to taste, slice, and serve. Extra chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months, noting that leftover chicken will lose they crispy texture that freshly air fried chicken has. You could put it back in your AF to crisp it up, although it's not worth it to me to clean my AF again and I simply just eat it after a quick nuke in the microwave. Extra hot honey will keep for 1-2 weeks, stored airtight in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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