Baked hot honey chicken sandwiches on a cutting board.

We are always trying to come up with new recipes that are crowd pleasing but also fairly easy to put together and our Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with Honey are one of our favorite sandwiches ever!

Nashville hot chicken became super popular in recent years so we wanted to take a stab at making a baked version (for sandwiches) that also had a sweet and spicy combination. Baking the chicken makes it so much easier to make this recipe for a larger group of people and they’re healthier! Our baked Nashville hot chicken sandwich still has the awesome crunch and flavor of the fried original, so you’re definitely not missing out there!

How to Make Our Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

Process

Chicken

Pat each chicken breast dry with paper towels.
Season both sides of each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.

Chicken breasts being pat dry on a plate.

Chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper.

In a shallow baking dish combine flour, 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisk together.
In another shallow bowl whisk together eggs.

Flour mixture in a shallow baking dish to make hot honey chicken sandwiches.

Eggs in a dish scrambled for a chicken sandwich.

In a third shallow dish combine panko and remaining spices. Whisk together.
Dredge each chicken breast into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

Panko and seasoning in a shallow baking dish to make a breakfast sandwich.

A chicken breast being dredges in a flour mixture.

Dredge each chicken breast in beaten eggs until fully coated.
Last, dredge each chicken breast in the panko mixture, pressing the crumb coating firmly onto each piece of chicken.

A chicken breast in an egg wash to make a hot honey chicken sandwich.

A chicken breast being coated in panko to make a chicken sandwich.

Transfer coated chicken to a well, greased cooling rack placed over a baking sheet, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400˚F. Remove chicken breasts from refrigerator and spray each coated chicken breast with cooking spray on each side and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until coating has lightly browned and the chicken has cooked through.

Panko coated chicken breasts on a baking sheet.

Panko coated chicken breasts sprayed with cooking oil.

Hot Honey Butter

While chicken is baking, combine melted butter, honey, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small mixing bowl and whisk together.
Once chicken is done baking, remove from oven and carefully brush spicy-honey butter all over each piece until fully and evenly coated.

The spicy honey mixture whisked in a bowl.

Hot honey chicken sandwiches being brushed with spicy honey.

Assembly

To assemble: Spread ranch over the bottoms and tops of each bun.
Top with a piece of coated chicken.

Burger buns topped with homemade buttermilk ranch.

A burger bun being topped with spicy honey chicken.

Top chicken with a handful of shredded lettuce.
Place top buns over each sandwich and serve.

Hot honey chicken sandwich with lettuce on top.

A hot honey chicken sandwich recipe made on a kitchen counter.

Close up on a hot honey baked chicken sandwich.

Tips and Tricks for Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Success

Splitting each breast in half lengthwise will even out the thickness of each breast and create a shorter baking time without having to pound out each breast.
It’s important to really press the panko mixture onto each chicken breast to ensure it sticks well.
Allowing the breaded chicken to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes will also really help the breading adhere to the chicken.

Vegetarian Friendly Version

Although we love is baked Nashville hot chicken sandwich just the way it is, every now and then we enjoy sinking our teeth in a vegetarian friendly version using tofu steaks!

To do this, simple swap the chicken breasts for 1 inch thick slices of extra firm tofu. Wrap each slice of tofu in paper towels and press between weighted rimmed baking sheets for an hour to release as much excess liquid possible. Then dredge, refrigerate, bake, brush, and assemble sandwiches according to the original instructions! Simple and delicious!