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.
- 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.
- In a third shallow dish combine panko and remaining spices. Whisk together.
- Dredge each chicken breast into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Assembly
- To assemble: Spread ranch over the bottoms and tops of each bun.
- Top with a piece of coated chicken.
- Top chicken with a handful of shredded lettuce.
- Place top buns over each sandwich and serve.
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!
Side Dishes to Serve with a Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
Some of our favorite sides to serve alongside these delicious sandwiches are:
- Creamy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- Creamy Potato Salad
- Corn Salad
- Fried Pickle Chips
More Delicious Sandwich Recipes You Will Love
Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with Honey
A Delicious Baked Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with Honey that is easy to make, just as delicious, but healthier than fried version! We guarantee everyone will absolutely love this mouthwatering sandwich!
Servings:
INGREDIENTS
Chicken
- 2 (8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts each split in half lengthwise (so you have 4 thin breast)
- 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp garlic powder divided
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
hot honey butter
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
assembly
- 4 burger buns lightly toasted
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- ½ cup buttermilk ranch
INSTRUCTIONS
chicken
- Pat each chicken breast dry with paper towels. Season both sides of each piece of chicken 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.
- In a third shallow dish combine panko and remaining spices. Whisk together.
- Dredge each chicken breast into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. 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.
- Transfer coated chicken to a well, greased cooling rack placed over a rimmed 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.
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.
assembly
- Spread ranch over the inner sides of each bun. Top with a piece of coated chicken. Top chicken with a handful of shredded lettuce. Place top buns over each sandwich and serve.
NOTES
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.
Calories: 720kcal Carbohydrates: 74g Protein: 14g Fat: 42g Saturated Fat: 18g Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g Monounsaturated Fat: 10g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 162mg Sodium: 1366mg Potassium: 332mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 24g Vitamin A: 2354IU Vitamin C: 2mg Calcium: 140mg Iron: 5mg
CUISINE: American
KEYWORD: chicken, nashville hot chicken, sandwich
COURSE: dinner, lunch
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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Hello, I am just wondering why the butter is listed as divided? How much butter should be used in the sauce
Hi Carolyn! Thanks for letting us know – that was from an older version of our recipe. The entire amount of melted butter should be used for the sauce. The recipe has been updated to reflect the correct instructions!
This was excellent! I added a few extra spices to the breading (marjoram, dill, thyme, onion powder, shallot powder, and rosemary).
I also used the air fryer to cook this, so I massaged some avocado oil into the panko before breading the chicken and it was super crispy and yummy :)
For the sauce I added a dash of Frank’s red hot.
Great recipe, thanks!
just had your Nashville chicken and was it ever good. What I like best about it is it was baked not fried. It’s a keeper recipe.
Made this for friends while watching the Titans on MNF. It was a hit. 😋 Everyone made yummy sounds and wanted the recipe! Highly recommend!! Thanks Jenny!!
It’s good but I definitely liked the original recipe more… Wish it never got changed.
Only put turmeric in flour. Served with coleslaw and pickles, no ranch. Toasted buns with mayo. It was really good and crispy. I will make again.
I’m thinking of making this for a party. How long ahead of time do you think I could make the chicken and panko and refrigerate?
I’ve made this and it’s delicious. Question: why do you list the melted butter as divided in the ingredients? Thanks.
Thanks for letting us know. That’s an error! The recipe will be updated shortly
I love this recipe, but I think the part about soaking the chicken in buttermilk has been changed/removed? Would you be able to repost the original recipe? Thanks!
Hi Leah, this is our updated version where the buttermilk part isn’t necessary. You’ll still get juicy, tender chicken with this new recipe!
do we have to refrigerate for 2 hours?
I do recommend it bc it helps the breading stick to the chicken
This was really good! Thanks for a great recipe!
This was great – thank you. I made it as described – the smoked paprika makes a difference, IMO.
Really good, just a touch too much turmeric and butter for me
Can these be cooked in an air fryer?
Yes, definitely! Cooking times would need to be adjusted though.
Easy to follow, quick to make and family enjoyed it. Used thin chicken breasts. Next time I’ll use thinker cuts of chicken and a little more cayenne. Wife said it tasted more sweet than hot. Will definitely make this again.
Made this for dinner went down a treat🙂
I LOVE this recipe, but the crust always falls off my chicken. Tips?
Make sure you refrigerate after breading. It makes all the difference!
Finger lickin good!
These weren’t bad, but the name should ideally be changed to something other than Nashville hot chicken. Although the ingredients of the sauce are similar, the honey and butter really dominated the taste and made it taste very different. Even with some adjustment to cut the sweetness, I couldn’t get it to spicy.
I made it, and it was totally awesome!
This chicken brought me right back to Nashville!! I do recommend grilling the buns with a little butter or mayo first, but I do that with every sandwich :/
These were fantastic! I did blow it and forgot to grease the rack. Don’t forget to do that! Thanks so much for a great recipe.