Hot Honey Chicken Nuggets

Sure, your kids love chicken nuggets but how often do you sneak a few yourself? And how often do you wish that crispy nugget was coated in a sticky, homemade hot honey sauce? Well, if you’re me, that happens ALL THE TIME. So I created these hot honey chicken nuggets just for me! And for you, my fellow grown up nugget fans. 

Making chicken nuggets from scratch isn’t that hard, and this simple hot honey sauce is liquid gold. Serve these perfect bites as a hearty appetizer, main, game day snack, or even chopped up over salads. If you love these, try my hot honey chicken, too!

What You’ll Need

See the ingredient list with exact measurements in the full recipe at the bottom of this post.  

• Chicken breast: Boneless, skinless thighs work great, too and will make your nuggets extra juicy. Note that they take an extra minute to cook. 
• Spices: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, sugar, cayenne, paprika 
• Flour: Use gluten free flour if you want to make this recipe gluten free. 
• Egg
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk is my favorite, but if you don’t have it, just mix 1 cup regular milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Baking soda: Really important for a light, crispy outer coating. 
• Oil: 64 ounces of oil may sound like a lot, but when you're deep frying nuggets, that's just what you need!
• Butter: Salted butter is my go-to, but if you only have unsalted, use it and then add salt to taste. 
• Honey: Any type of honey is fine here.  
• Sriracha: Sriracha is garlicky and spicy, I loooove using it to make hot honey. Other Asian chili sauces like sambal oelek work, too. 

Make Ahead & Reheat

This recipe may feel quite involved, especially if you don’t do a lot of deep-frying. So, a great way to make it feel manageable is to work ahead of time. You can prep both the nuggets and the hot honey sauce up to three days ahead of time and store them separately in the fridge. 

• To reheat the nuggets: Warm them on a baking sheet in a 375°F oven for about 10 minutes, or in an air fryer at 350°F for 4 minutes. (Don't microwave them, or they will be soggy.) 
• To warm the hot honey sauce: Warm it gently over low heat before serving in a small sauce pan. 
• Freezing: You can freeze cooked chicken nuggets for up to 3 months. Reheat directly from frozen in a 400°F oven for 12-15 minutes.

Tips For Deep Frying Chicken Nuggets 

The difference between deep frying that results in crispy, delicious nuggets and frying that results in soggy, greasy messes is so huge! To have crispy, perfectly fried nuggets, maintain an oil temperature of 325°F. Here’s how that’s done: 

• A good, accurate thermometer is essential. There’s just no work-around for this.
• Don't overcrowd the pan. Every nugget you add drops the oil temperature a little, and if you add too many at once, you’ll drop the temperature way too low, and your nuggets will be soggy.
• Use the right pan. I like to use this.
• Test your oil temperature. To be sure it is time to fry your nuggets, drop a small piece of the batter coating into the hot oil. It should sizzle immediately and float to the surface, but not burn. If it burns, the oil is too hot. If it barely bubbles, the oil isn’t hot enough.
• To keep the crispy coating on the nugget: Make sure your chicken is dry before coating, and press the coating gently to help it stick to the chicken. 

More Creative Appetizer Ideas This Way

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