Crispy Hot Honey Feta Chicken
Crispy Hot Honey Feta Chicken is a mouthwatering dish that brings together the perfect balance of flavors and textures. The chicken is coated in a crispy, seasoned crust, then drizzled with hot honey and topped with creamy feta cheese. The result is a savory, sweet, spicy, and tangy combination that is sure to tantalize your taste buds. This dish is perfect for a weeknight dinner, a special occasion, or when you want to impress guests with a flavor-packed meal. The crispy exterior, sweet and spicy heat, and the tangy feta make it truly irresistible.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup / 110g Honey
- 1 1/2 tsp Hot Sauce I like Frank's or Cholula
- 3/4 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 2 x 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
- 35 g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 65 g / 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- Veg Oil as needed (6-8 tbsp)
- 200 g / 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).
Notes
a) Hot Honey - You can make hot honey in a variety of different ways (you can now also buy it from supermarkets too!). I like the simple spice from chilli flakes, alongside some tangy heat from some hot sauce. I like to heat the honey then let it cool as it helps the chilli flakes infuse the honey more efficiently/quickly. You can adjust this to your preferred spiciness if you like. Just add in a dash more chilli flakes after it has cooled, or if you want more spice with the extra tangy flavour, add in a dash more hot sauce. You can also make this ahead of time and tightly store in the fridge.
b) Can I bake the chicken instead? - If you want to bake the chicken then follow these steps:
d) Calories - Slight overestimate as not all the flour/egg/Panko is picked up by the chicken.
- 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.