Spicy Honey Butter Chicken Bake (Print Version)

Crispy chicken tenders in hot honey butter layered with cheese and pickles in pull-apart slider buns.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Chicken

01 - 12 chicken tenders, approximately 1.5 lbs
02 - 1 cup buttermilk
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
05 - 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
06 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
07 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
08 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
09 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 - 1 teaspoon salt
11 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
12 - Cooking spray or 3 tablespoons neutral oil for baking

→ For the Hot Honey Butter

13 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
14 - 0.25 cup honey
15 - 1.5 tablespoons hot sauce
16 - 0.5 teaspoon chili flakes, optional for extra heat
17 - 0.25 teaspoon salt

→ For Assembly

18 - 12 slider buns or Hawaiian rolls
19 - 8 slices cheddar or pepper jack cheese
20 - 0.5 cup sliced dill pickles
21 - 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing buns
22 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, optional for topping

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease.
02 - In a bowl, combine buttermilk and egg. Add chicken tenders and let marinate for 10 minutes.
03 - In a shallow dish, mix panko, flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper.
04 - Remove each chicken tender from marinade, letting excess drip off, then coat thoroughly in breadcrumb mixture. Arrange on prepared baking sheet.
05 - Spray tops with cooking spray or drizzle with oil. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and cooked through.
06 - While chicken bakes, whisk together melted butter, honey, hot sauce, chili flakes, and salt in a small bowl.
07 - Once baked, toss hot chicken tenders in the honey butter sauce until fully coated.
08 - Lower oven to 350°F. Slice slider buns horizontally, keeping bottoms connected, and place bottoms in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
09 - Layer cheese slices, then sauced chicken tenders, then sliced pickles over buns. Cover with bun tops.
10 - Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
11 - Bake uncovered for 7 to 10 minutes, until cheese melts and buns are lightly toasted.
12 - Serve warm; pull apart sliders and enjoy immediately.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It gives you all the crunch and heat of fried chicken sandwiches without standing over a pot of oil.
  • The hot honey butter is dangerously good, sticky and spicy in a way that makes you lick your fingers when no one is looking.
  • You can prep everything ahead and just bake it when people arrive, which means you actually get to enjoy your own party.
  • Everyone pulls their own slider apart from the tray, and there is something about that shared moment that makes people happy.
02 -
  • Do not skip the oil or cooking spray on top of the chicken before baking, or the breadcrumbs will stay pale and sad instead of turning golden and crispy.
  • Toss the chicken in the honey butter while it is still hot from the oven, because warm chicken soaks up the sauce better than cooled chicken ever will.
  • If you let the assembled sliders sit too long before baking, the buns will get soggy, so build them right before they go in the oven.
03 -
  • If you want extra crispy chicken, double-dip each tender by going back into the buttermilk and breadcrumbs a second time before baking.
  • Make the hot honey butter the night before and store it in the fridge, then gently reheat it when you are ready to toss the chicken.
  • Use a pastry brush to really coat the tops of the buns with butter, because that is what makes them turn golden and irresistible.
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