Sweet and sour honey hot chicken tenders are a crowd puller and always dominate the dinner table. Juicy chicken tenderloins cooked in homemade hot honey sauce make a perfect flavor to serve with garlic butter rice or dinner rolls. Ready in 30 minutes with fewer ingredients.
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Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
I cut the chicken breast in form of long strips and sautéed in oil with spices then cooked with homemade hot and spicy honey sauce. Topped with roasted sesame to add a nutty flavor in each bite. Scallion garnishing makes it more tempting and refreshing to eat. Here is step by step method to make chicken tenderloins at home.
Juicy, moist and perfectly cooked chicken tenderloins in sticky sauce is the perfect blend of sweet and sour with the overwhelming taste of red chili flakes. You can also make it with chicken wings, tenders, breast or thighs.
In chicken finger food recipes, believe me hot honey chicken tenders are phenomenal in taste. I personally love the glaze well blended with chicken makes a perfect bite with rice.
Why Do I Love This Recipe?
- This recipe is simple, easy and quick!
- Prepare within 30 minutes.
- Only a few handfuls of ingredients that we always have in our pantry. So, no rush to the grocery store.
- Extremely easy to cook and one of the idea for an easy dinner for beginners.
- Yes, it’s spicy but you can manage the heat as I know kids will love to eat.
- Ideal for a weeknight family dinner and party.
- Make it ahead of time.
Ingredients
Chicken Tenders: Take chicken tenderloin from store or cut the breast in slices. Fresh are best.
Olive Oil: Used to sauté chicken tenders.
Spices: Used salt, garlic powder and black pepper to sauté chicken.
Hot Honey Sauce: Used butter, Salt, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Smoked Paprika, Red Chili Flakes and honey
Roasted Sesame (optional) and scallions ribbons used for garnishing
How to Make Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
Step 1: Cut the Chicken Tenders
Slice the chicken breast from middle then cut it in half to make long size chicken strips.
Pounding is not required in this recipe. You can make thick and and thin strips of chicken as per your choice.
Or, you can take the readymade chicken tenders from grocery store.
Step 2: In a heated pan, pour olive oil and sauté the chicken at high heat until it changes the color.
Season the chicken with salt, garlic powder and black peppers.
Mix it well and keep frying until the chicken changes the color.
Take it out and keep on side.
Step 3: Preparation of Hot Honey Sauce
In a pan, add butter and let it melt on medium heat. Add salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper and red chili flakes
Saute at medium heat for few seconds.
Pour honey and stir it quickly to make a thick sauce. Make sure to cook the sauce at medium temperature to avoid burning taste. Manage the sauce consistency with water/chicken stock.
As the sauce become thick, add sauteed chicken tenders and give it a good mix.
Now cover it on extremely low heat for 20 to 25 minutes to make it soft and tender.
After 20 minutes, give it a good mix, shift to platter and topped with roasted sesame. Refresh the dish with the garnishing of scallions to make it more tempting.
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Tips and Variations
- To make the chicken tenders, juicy and moist always cook at high heat to seal the pores of the chicken. In this way, the juice will intact inside the chicken and it will be tastier while eating.
- If you want to have extremely moist and juicy tenders, then brine it before cooking for about 10 minutes.Make sure the chicken tenders are half-inch thick to get the best result.
- Don’t cook the chicken for a long time as it will turn to a rubber texture.Avoid cooking hot honey sauce at high temperatures as it will add a burning taste or might make a bitter bite.
- Fresh garlic can be used as a substitute of garlic powder.Roasted sesame will add a nutty flavor to the chicken.
- You can customize this recipe to manage the heated ingredients. I used red chili flakes which are extremely hot and spicy.
How to Store and Reheat
Pack the leftover chicken tenders in airtight glass container and keep it in refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Reheat in microwave or in skillet pan. If it’s too sticky or seems dry then add a splash of water and refresh with a spoon of honey before serving.
What to Serve with Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders, strips, or fingers are extremely delicious and can be served in a variety of ways. This recipe can make a good combo with Garlic butter rice, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, skillet corn and roasted potatoes.
If serving in dinner then rice and dinner rolls are good to make it a complete meal.
Q & A
It’s spicy, sweet, and sour in taste. Red chili flakes increase the heat, honey will add sweetness and rest of the spices will make it savory in taste.
Yes, you can! In this way, sauté the chicken tenders and pour the sauce directly over the chicken and cook it at low heat for 20 minutes to penetrate the flavor in chicken.
Add little water and honey and cook it for about 2 to 3 minutes at medium heat. The sweetness of honey will balance the heat and add a glaze to lick the sauce
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Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- Saute Chicken Tenders
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 350 g Chicken tenders
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- To Make Honey Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Roasted Sesame for garnish
- Scallions sliced/chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breast from middle then cut it in half to make long size chicken strips.
- Pounding is not required in this recipe. You can make thick and and thin strips of chicken as per your choice.
- Or, you can take the readymade chicken tenders from grocery store.
Sauté Chicken Tenders
- Step 2: In a heated pan, pour olive oil and saute the chicken at high heat until it changes the color.
- Season the chicken with salt, garlic powder and black peppers.
- Mix it well and keep frying until the chicken changes the color.
- Take it out and keep on side.
Preparation of Hot Honey Sauce
- In a pan, add butter and let it melt on medium heat. Add salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper and red chili flakes
- Saute at medium heat for few seconds.
- Pour honey and stir it quickly to make a thick sauce. Make sure to cook the sauce at medium temperature to avoid burning taste. Manage the sauce consistency with water/chicken stock.
Assemble Sautéed Tenders in Sauce
- As the sauce become thick, add sauteed chicken tenders and give it a good mix.
- Now cover it on extremely low heat for 20 to 25 minutes to make it soft and tender.
- After 20 minutes, give it a good mix, shift to platter and topped with roasted sesame. Refresh the dish with the garnishing of scallions to make it more tempting.
Hinz
Let me know if you try this hot honey chicken tenders recipe. Do you make the same or breaded version?