Twelve ingredients and forty-five minutes, and no pot of oil anywhere.
The crunch comes from the coating rather than the cooking method: crushed cornflakes mixed with panko, baked on a rack in a 425°F oven.
Why This Recipe Works
- Crushed cornflakes give big, irregular flakes that bake into a craggy crust.
- Panko fills the gaps between the flakes so the coating has no bare patches.
- Spacing the pieces on a rack lets hot air crisp every side.
- A light mist of oil is what browns the crumbs in the oven.
- Tossing in the hot honey just before serving keeps the crust crunchy.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken breast in 1 1/2-inch pieces
- A pound and a half. Bite-size is the form — these are bites rather than cutlets or whole breasts.
- Crushed cornflakes and panko
- A cup and a half and half a cup. Together they give the craggy, deeply crisp crust without frying.
- Honey, hot sauce and red pepper flakes
- A third of a cup, one to two teaspoons and half a teaspoon, warmed together briefly. The flakes stay visible in the glaze.
How to Make It
Oven to 425°F, a wire rack over a sheet pan
Heat oven to 425°F and set a wire rack over a sheet pan.
Chicken coated in flour, egg, then the cornflake-panko crumb
Coat chicken first in flour, then beaten egg, then a mixture of crushed cornflakes, panko, paprika, garlic powder and salt.
Spaced out on the rack and misted lightly with oil
Arrange pieces with space between them and mist or brush lightly with oil.
Baked until deeply crisp and every piece reaches 165°F
Bake 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until deeply crisp and every piece reaches 165°F.
Honey warmed with hot sauce and chilli flakes
Warm honey with hot sauce and red pepper flakes for 1 to 2 minutes.
Bites tossed in the hot honey just before serving
Toss the baked chicken bites in the hot honey just before serving, leaving a little glaze to pool on the plate.
An Oven Crust and a Warm Glaze, Joined at the Last Moment
This chicken looks fried, but it is baked - THE CRAGGY CRUST COMES FROM CRUSHED CORNFLAKES PLUS PANKO BAKED ON A RACK WITH LIGHT OIL. That is what keeps it a baked chicken, with no feta on top. Two things are made apart and joined only at the table.
In the oven, at 425°F
- Coating
1 1/2 lb of CHICKEN BREAST in 1 1/2-INCH PIECES coated in 1/2 cup FLOUR, then 2 BEATEN EGGS, then 1 1/2 cups CRUSHED CORNFLAKES mixed with 1/2 cup PANKO, 1 tsp PAPRIKA, 1 tsp GARLIC POWDER and 3/4 tsp FINE SALT. Cornflakes give the big irregular flakes; panko fills between them.
- On the rack
ARRANGED WITH SPACE BETWEEN THEM on a WIRE RACK OVER A SHEET PAN and MISTED OR BRUSHED LIGHTLY with 2 tbsp NEUTRAL OIL OR COOKING SPRAY. Space and a rack are what stand in for a fryer: air reaches every surface. The oil is what browns the crumbs.
- 20 to 25 minutes
BAKED, TURNING ONCE, UNTIL DEEPLY CRISP AND EVERY PIECE REACHES 165°F. Every piece, because bites cut by hand are never quite the same size. For safety: COOK CHICKEN TO 165°F BEFORE GLAZING.
In a small pan
- 1 to 2 minutes
1/3 cup HONEY WARMED with 1 TO 2 tsp HOT SAUCE and 1/2 tsp RED PEPPER FLAKES. Warm, not boiling - just enough to loosen the honey so it coats, and to carry the chilli through it.
The toss - at the last moment
The BAKED CHICKEN BITES TOSSED IN THE HOT HONEY JUST BEFORE SERVING, LEAVING A LITTLE GLAZE TO POOL ON THE PLATE. Just before, because a crisp crust under a warm glaze starts softening within minutes. NO FETA OR OTHER CHEESE goes on.
Success Tips
- Crush the cornflakes coarsely — fine crumbs give a smooth crust, not a craggy one.
- Leave space between the pieces on the rack so steam can escape.
- Toss in the honey at the last moment; left to sit, the crust softens.
Serving Ideas
Four servings of bite-size chicken pieces in a craggy crisp baked coating, tossed in glossy amber hot honey with red pepper flakes and a little glaze pooling on the plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this chicken fried?
No. It is baked on a rack at 425°F. The craggy crust comes from crushed cornflakes and panko with a light mist of oil.
Does it have feta or cheese on top?
No. It is chicken, crumb and hot honey with red pepper flakes — no cheese of any kind.
When should I add the hot honey?
Just before serving, once the chicken has reached 165°F. Toss quickly so the crust stays crunchy.
