Crispy chicken breasts topped with creamy feta then drenched in hot honey – this dinner is truly irresistible!
This recipe is such a gorgeous combination of flavours. Spicy, salty, sweet and savoury – plus you get the contrast in textures of the creamy feta, sticky honey and crispy chicken. You’re going to love it! Follow me…
Hot Honey Chicken
I’ve been pretty late to the hot honey train, but I can say with my full chest that I’m absolutely on board. The sweet/spicy combo is almost too much to bear! Plus, you can drizzle it over just about everything. Today’s victim – feta chicken (which we’ll get to in just a sec).
How do you make hot honey?
I actually thought ‘hot honey’ just meant warm honey when I first saw the term flying around 😅. But no, the ‘hot’ refers to spice. In reality, you can make hot honey any way you fancy. Many recipes use chilli flakes, others use fresh chilli and some use various different spicy sauces. I’m opting for chilli flakes to pack in most of the heat, combined with a dash of hot sauce to add a vinegary flavour too, which in turn cuts through the sweetness of the honey.
For best results you’ll want to combine the ingredients and gently warm them. This way the chilli flakes will be able to infuse the honey more efficiently, as opposed to just mixing everything together.
Can I use store-bought instead?
I see supermarkets now do sell hot honey, so if you have a favourite brand then go for it!
Crispy Chicken
My original plan was to make the feta chicken with non-breaded chicken, but I soon changed my mind when I imagined the joy of crispy chicken drizzled with hot honey.
We’ll be using chicken breasts and slicing them through the centre to create 4 even-sized breasts. This will ensure they cook quicker and more evenly. The breading process is very straight forward and just requires flour, egg and Panko breadcrumbs.
Panko Breadcrumbs
These are Japanese breadcrumbs which you’ll find in most supermarkets. They’re perfect as they’re relatively large and airy, meaning they crisp up really nicely.
Process shots: slice chicken (photos 1&2), dredge in flour (photo 3), dredge in egg (photo 4), dredge in Panko (photo 5).
Feta Chicken
To cook the chicken we are going to fry it, although it’ll only be in a small amount of oil. There’s certainly no need for deep frying! If you can get 4 breasts in at once then great, but if not just work in 2 batches. So long as the oil is hot enough that a breadcrumb rapidly sizzles and you’ve got enough to lightly coat the base of the pan, you won’t go wrong.
For the feta chicken, you’re literally just crumbling over the feta and popping it under the grill. The feta will crisp on top and go gorgeously soft too.
Process shots: fry chicken (photos 1&2), add feta (photo 3), grill (photo 4).
Hot Honey Feta Chicken FAQ
How spicy is the honey?
I’d say it’s relatively mild, but you can very easily adjust it to your preference.
Can I bake the chicken instead?
It won’t be quite as crispy and will take longer to cook, but I have added instructions for baking in the recipe card notes below.
Can I use a different cheese?
Feta is PERFECT because it already pairs with honey so beautifully (that salty/sweet combo!). It also has the perfect texture when cooked. I’d give it a go with feta first and then you could branch out after.
Can I make this ahead of time?
I wouldn’t make the chicken ahead of time, but you can certainly make the hot honey in advance!
Serving Hot Honey Feta Chicken
You can drizzle over as much hot honey as your tastebuds fancy. Here I’ve served with rocket/arugula and Potato Wedges, but check out my Side Dishes for more inspo!
For more hot honey recipes check out my Hot Honey Butter Salmon!
For another delicious dinner using feta check out my Baked Feta Orzo!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this hot honey feta chicken shall we?!
How to make Crispy Hot Honey Feta Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)
Crispy Hot Honey Feta Chicken
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- 2 Small Bowls (one for seasoning, one for hot honey)
- 3 Large Shallow Dishes (for coating chicken)
- Large Tray and Wire Rack (for resting chicken)
- Large Pan & Tongs (for cooking chicken)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup / 110g Honey
- 1 1/2 tsp Hot Sauce (I like Frank's or Cholula)
- 3/4 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 2x 250g/9oz Chicken Breasts
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Dried Oregano, Black Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 35g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 65g / 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- Veg Oil, as needed (6-8 tbsp)
- 200g / 7oz Feta, crumbled
Instructions
- Combine the honey, hot sauce and chilli flakes in a bowl and warm in the microwave (20 seconds or so). Stir then leave to cool. You can also do this on the stove in a small pot (just bring to a simmer then remove and cool). You can easily adjust the heat with chilli flakes/hot sauce if desired.
- Horizontally slice the chicken breasts right through the centre to create 4 even-sized breasts. In a small pot or bowl combine the paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne and black pepper.
- Line up 3 large shallow dishes and place a large tray at the end. The first bowl is flour + half of the seasoning mix, the second is beaten egg and the 3rd is the Panko with the rest of the seasoning. One by one take the chicken and dredge through the flour, into the egg, then the breadcrumbs and finish by placing on the tray. Make sure you thoroughly coat the chicken at each stage (namely the breadcrumbs).
- Add enough oil to coat the base of a large pan and place it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot enough that a breadcrumb rapidly sizzles, carefully place in the chicken (if you can't fit 4 pieces then work in 2 batches, top up the oil in between if needed). Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side or until deep golden and crispy on the outside and white/piping hot through the centre. Place on a wire rack above the tray.
- Add the crumbled feta, covering as much of the chicken as possible, then place under the grill on high until it starts turning golden (it should be buttery soft and a little crisp on top).
- Serve with your preferred amount of hot honey drizzled over and enjoy (tightly store leftover honey in the fridge).
Video
Notes
b) Can I bake the chicken instead? – If you want to bake the chicken then follow these steps:
- Before you mix in the seasoning, spread the breadcrumbs out on a large tray, spray with oil and bake at 180C/350F for 5 mins or until light golden (be vigilant as they burn quickly).
- Carry on with the recipe for preparing chicken (mix in seasoning, coating etc).
- Instead of frying, place the coated chicken on a large baking tray, spray with oil and bake at 220C/430F for 10 mins. Flip, spray then bake again for 8-10mins, or until golden and crispy and cooked through the centre.
- Continue with feta/grilling.
c) Serving – Here I’ve served with rocket/arugula and Potato Wedges, but check out my Side Dishes for more inspo!
d) Calories – Slight overestimate as not all the flour/egg/Panko is picked up by the chicken.
Nutrition
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