Hot Honey Feta Chicken became my dinner obsession after one bite at my friend Sarah’s house last month. She served it with this smug little smile, knowing exactly what was about to happen to my taste buds. The crispy golden coating gave way to juicy chicken, while chunks of creamy feta melted slightly from the heat, and that glossy hot honey drizzle tied everything together in the most incredible way.
I immediately demanded the recipe and have been perfecting it ever since. My kids, who usually turn their noses up at anything with “fancy” cheese, literally licked their plates clean. Even my picky mother-in-law asked for seconds, which honestly might be the highest compliment this recipe could get!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Listen, I’ve made my fair share of disappointing viral recipes, but this one actually works. The panko forms this absolutely stunning golden crust that remains crispy even after adding toppings. Meanwhile, the feta goes all soft, meltingly creamy hot under the broiler, so that you end up with these hot and cold little pockets of tangy richness to counter the sweetness of the honey.
What I love most is how forgiving this recipe is. Forgot to buy Frank’s? Any hot sauce works. Can’t find block feta? Pre-crumbled is fine (though block is better). The seasoning blend is also super flexible – I’ve made it with whatever spices I had on hand, and it always turns out delicious.
Plus, it looks way fancier than the effort required. My husband thinks I’m some kind of gourmet chef now, and I’m not about to correct him!
PrintHot Honey Feta Chicken
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 4 chicken pieces 1x
Description
Hot Honey Feta Chicken topped with broiled feta cheese and finished with a homemade hot honey sauce made from honey, hot sauce, and chili flakes.
Ingredients
For the Hot Honey Sauce:
-
- ⅓ cup honey
-
- 1½ teaspoons hot sauce (I use Frank’s but Cholula works too)
-
- ¾ teaspoon chili flakes
For the Chicken:
-
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 250g/9 oz each)
-
- 200 grams (about 7 oz) block feta cheese
For the Seasoning Blend:
-
- 2 teaspoons paprika
-
- 1 teaspoon salt
-
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
-
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
-
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
-
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
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- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Breading Station:
-
- ¼ cup plain flour
-
- 2 eggs, beaten
-
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
-
- 6–8 tablespoons vegetable oil for shallow frying
Optional Sides:
-
- Fresh arugula (rocket) salad
-
- Crispy potato wedges
Instructions
1. Prep Your Chicken (5 minutes) I slice each chicken breast horizontally to make them thinner – this was a game changer I learned from my mom. Thinner pieces cook more evenly and give you way more crispy surface area. Just be careful with your knife and take your time.
2. Set Up Your Breading Station (3 minutes) Three shallow dishes work best here. I learned this the messy way after trying to use deep bowls and getting flour everywhere. Flour in the first dish, beaten eggs in the second, and your panko mixed with all those gorgeous spices in the third.
3. Coat the Chicken (5 minutes) This part is oddly satisfying. Press each piece firmly into the panko mixture – you want every bit covered. I sometimes go back and add extra panko to any bare spots because those are the parts that won’t be crispy later.
4. Make the Hot Honey (2 minutes) Keep the heat low here! I ruined my first batch by letting it bubble, and the honey turned into this weird thick syrup. Just warm it gently until everything combines, then set it aside. Your kitchen will smell incredible.
5. Fry the Chicken (8 minutes) Medium-high heat is your friend. The oil should sizzle when you add the chicken but not violently bubble. I flip mine after about 3-4 minutes when the edges look golden. Don’t move them around too much or the coating can fall off.
6. Add the Feta and Broil (3 minutes) This is where the magic happens. Crumble that feta generously – don’t be shy! Pop it under the broiler and watch it like a hawk. It goes from perfect to burnt in about 30 seconds, so stay close.
7. Finish with Hot Honey Drizzle time! I use a spoon and let it pool in some spots while drizzling over others. It looks so pretty and glossy, and every bite gets a different ratio of honey to chicken to feta.
Notes
The main thing with this recipe is not rushing the frying. I used to try to hurry it up with higher heat, but you just end up with burnt coating and raw chicken. Medium-high heat and patience is key.
Some feta brands are way saltier than others. If yours tastes too salty, rinse it under cold water and pat it dry before crumbling. It won’t hurt the texture and makes a huge difference in the final dish.
Save a little extra hot honey and feta for the end if you want it to look really pretty for photos. I always end up eating some of the feta while I’m crumbling it, so I buy a little extra.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Pan-fried
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken piece with toppings
- Calories: 485 per serving
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 890mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 38g
- Cholesterol: 145mg
Ingredient List
For the Hot Honey Sauce:
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1½ teaspoons hot sauce (I use Frank’s but Cholula works too)
- ¾ teaspoon chili flakes
For the Chicken:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 250g/9 oz each)
- 200 grams (about 7 oz) block feta cheese
For the Seasoning Blend:
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Breading Station:
- ¼ cup plain flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 6–8 tablespoons vegetable oil for shallow frying
Optional Sides:
- Fresh arugula (rocket) salad
- Crispy potato wedges
I usually have most of this stuff at home already. If you don’t have panko, regular breadcrumbs work but you won’t get that same crunch.
Why These Ingredients Work
The seasoning blend happened kind of by accident – I was out of my usual chicken seasoning and just started grabbing spices from my cabinet. The paprika gives it this beautiful color and subtle smokiness, while the oregano plays so nicely with the feta later. That tiny bit of cayenne bridges the gap between the chicken and the hot honey sauce perfectly.
I learned the hard way that block feta is worth the extra dollar. Pre-crumbled stuff is convenient, but it’s usually too dry and doesn’t get that gorgeous melty texture under the broiler. When you crumble fresh block feta with your hands, you get these irregular chunks that look rustic and beautiful.
The hot honey sauce is stupidly simple but so effective. I warm everything together just until it combines – don’t let it bubble or the honey gets weird and thick. The chili flakes add this nice textural element and extra heat that builds as you eat.
Essential Tools and Equipment
- Large skillet or frying pan
- Three shallow dishes for breading station
- Small saucepan for hot honey
- Baking sheet
- Meat mallet or rolling pin (for flattening chicken)
- Tongs for flipping
- Measuring cups and spoons
Nothing fancy needed here. I use whatever shallow dishes I have – sometimes it’s pie plates, sometimes it’s just regular dinner plates.

How To Make Hot Honey Feta Chicken
1. Prep Your Chicken (5 minutes) I slice each chicken breast horizontally to make them thinner – this was a game changer I learned from my mom. Thinner pieces cook more evenly and give you way more crispy surface area. Just be careful with your knife and take your time.
2. Set Up Your Breading Station (3 minutes) Three shallow dishes work best here. I learned this the messy way after trying to use deep bowls and getting flour everywhere. Flour in the first dish, beaten eggs in the second, and your panko mixed with all those gorgeous spices in the third.
3. Coat the Chicken (5 minutes) This part is oddly satisfying. Press each piece firmly into the panko mixture – you want every bit covered. I sometimes go back and add extra panko to any bare spots because those are the parts that won’t be crispy later.
4. Make the Hot Honey (2 minutes) Keep the heat low here! I ruined my first batch by letting it bubble, and the honey turned into this weird thick syrup. Just warm it gently until everything combines, then set it aside. Your kitchen will smell incredible.
5. Fry the Chicken (8 minutes) Medium-high heat is your friend. The oil should sizzle when you add the chicken but not violently bubble. I flip mine after about 3-4 minutes when the edges look golden. Don’t move them around too much or the coating can fall off.
6. Add the Feta and Broil (3 minutes) This is where the magic happens. Crumble that feta generously – don’t be shy! Pop it under the broiler and watch it like a hawk. It goes from perfect to burnt in about 30 seconds, so stay close.
7. Finish with Hot Honey Drizzle time! I use a spoon and let it pool in some spots while drizzling over others. It looks so pretty and glossy, and every bite gets a different ratio of honey to chicken to feta.
Tips from Well-Known Chefs
My cooking teacher always said never add protein to cold oil – you’ll get soggy, greasy coating instead of crispy golden perfection. The oil needs to be hot enough that it sizzles immediately.
Another thing I picked up from watching cooking shows is that good ingredients really do make a difference. Don’t buy the cheapest feta you can find – spend a little extra on the good stuff, and definitely use real honey, not the fake corn syrup stuff.
You Must Know
The oil temperature thing took me a few tries to figure out. If it’s not hot enough, your coating gets soggy and greasy instead of crispy. I test it by dropping a tiny bit of the egg mixture in – it should sizzle right away but not violently bubble.
Don’t skip slicing the chicken breasts thinner! I thought this was just extra work at first, but thicker pieces never cook evenly. You end up with either burnt coating or raw centers, and nobody wants that.
Here’s my personal secret that makes all the difference: I let the breaded chicken sit for about 5 minutes before frying. I don’t know the science behind it, but the coating sticks way better and gets crispier. Sometimes the simplest tricks work the best!
Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks
Make a double batch of hot honey sauce – seriously, you’ll end up putting it on everything.I maintain a jar in the back of my fridge and use it on pizza, roasted vegetables, even vanilla ice cream, when I’m feeling daring.
For very crunchy tofu, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to your panko mixture. My sister taught me this trick, and it creates this almost shatteringly crisp coating that stays crunchy longer.
The biggest mistake I made early on was pressing the chicken too hard into the panko. You want a gentle but firm press – too much pressure compacts the breadcrumbs and makes them dense instead of light and crispy.
You can bread the chicken a few hours ahead and store in the fridge. Just make sure it’s completely back at room temperature before you fry or it won’t cook evenly. This is perfect for dinner parties when you want to do the messy work earlier.
Flavor Variations & Suggestions
I’ve gone a bit insane with variations of this recipe. In my Mediterranean rendition, I toss dried basil and chopped sun-dried tomatoes into the seasoning blend, and before broiling, I scatter a handful of pine nuts over top. It’s a Greek holiday on a plate.”
For my good-spice friends, I double the cayenne, and swap in smoked paprika rather than using regular. The smokiness with the heat is incredible, though definitely not for the faint of heart.
My herb garden version is perfect in summer when my basil and dill are going crazy. I mix fresh chopped herbs right into the crumbled feta before broiling. The herbs wilt a little bit and become fragrant from the heat.
I occasionally work lemon zest into the panko and finish with a splash of fresh lemon juice. It brightens everything up and cuts through the richness beautifully.
Make-Ahead Options
Bread the chicken in the morning and refrigerate it until dinner. Just be sure let it come to room temperature before cooking or the outside will burn before the inside finishes cooking.
The hot honey sauce keeps in the fridge for weeks. I make large batches of it because I use it on just about everything – pizza, roasted carrots, even drizzled over vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Make your own: If it’s what you want, but you don’t have any, you can marinate your own chicken, or you might also opt to make the chicken ahead of time — it can be pan-fried, cooled to room temperature and refrigerated for a few days before serving. And when you’re ready to eat, simply heat the oven and reheat for a few minutes, add the feta and broil as you would normally.
Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips
The main thing with this recipe is not rushing the frying. I used to try to hurry it up with higher heat, but you just end up with burnt coating and raw chicken. Medium-high heat and patience is key.
Some feta brands are way saltier than others. If yours tastes too salty, rinse it under cold water and pat it dry before crumbling. It won’t hurt the texture and makes a huge difference in the final dish.
Save a little extra hot honey and feta for the end if you want it to look really pretty for photos. I always end up eating some of the feta while I’m crumbling it, so I buy a little extra.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this over arugula because those spicy greens really mellow the sweet honey out. And it makes me feel like I’m eating something healthy even when I just had fried chicken.
Crisp potato wedges are a good one with this, or, if you feel like being fancy, you could do roasted vegetables. Sometimes I just serve it with a simple cucumber and tomato salad when it’s hot outside.
For wine, I usually go with something crisp and white. The acidity cuts through all the richness. If you’re having people over, you can slice the chicken and serve it as an appetizer with toothpicks – it disappears so fast you won’t believe it.
I hope this becomes a new go-to in your kitchen. Not for business reasons, but just because there’s something so satisfying about taking a viral trend and turning it on its head
Crispy, cheesy, honey-drizzled love from my kitchen to yours!
How to Store Your Hot Honey Feta Chicken
Leftover chicken will last in the fridge for about 3 days in a container. The coating will lose just a touch of its crisp, but it is still very good.
For reheating, I air fried my cooled off tofu in an oven at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. (Don’t use the microwave, if you can help it — that makes the coating all soggy and sad).
Keep the hot honey separate in the fridge – it lasts for ages, like a month or more. Just bring it to room temperature or warm it up a tiny bit before serving.
I wouldn’t freeze this recipe. The feta gets weird when frozen, and the coating doesn’t freeze well either.
Allergy Information
Contains: Gluten (flour, panko), eggs, dairy (feta)
Gluten-free option: Replace regular flour with almond flour and use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
Dairy-free alternative: f you’d like a cheesy twist on this dish without the dairy, you can crumble some dairy-free feta or add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast instead!.
Egg-free version: Use buttermilk or plant-based milk as your binding agent instead of beaten eggs.
Questions I Get Asked A Lot
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Just shorten the cooking time to 4-5 minutes each side and make sure the internal temp is 165°F.
How spicy is this dish?
It’s got a gentle heat that most people can handle. The honey balances the spice beautifully. Begin with less cayenne if it’s not your thing.
Can I air fry this?
Yes! Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes, BROIL for 3-5 minutes, flip them half way though.. Add feta in the last 2 minutes.
What if I don’t have a broiler?
You can skip the broiling step – just crumble the feta over the hot chicken and it’ll soften from the residual heat.
Can I prep this for meal prep?
The components can be prepped separately, but for best results, assemble and cook fresh. The crispy coating is worth the extra effort!
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I absolutely love hearing about your kitchen adventures and any creative twists you’ve added. Did you make it spicier? Try a different cheese? Share your photos and tag me – seeing your creations makes my day!