Spicy Honey Butter Chicken Sandwich (Print Version)

Crispy chicken tenders with hot honey butter, pickles, and cheese baked in slider buns for easy pull-apart sliders.

# Components:

→ For the Chicken

01 - 12 chicken tenders, approximately 1.5 lbs
02 - 1 cup buttermilk
03 - 1 large egg
04 - 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
05 - ½ cup all-purpose flour
06 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
07 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
08 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
09 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 - 1 teaspoon salt
11 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
12 - Cooking spray or 3 tablespoons neutral oil for baking

→ For the Hot Honey Butter

13 - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
14 - ¼ cup honey
15 - 1½ tablespoons hot sauce
16 - ½ teaspoon chili flakes, optional for extra heat
17 - ¼ teaspoon salt

→ For Assembly

18 - 12 slider buns or Hawaiian rolls
19 - 8 slices cheddar or pepper jack cheese
20 - ½ cup sliced dill pickles
21 - 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing buns
22 - 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, optional for topping

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease.
02 - In a bowl, combine buttermilk and egg. Add chicken tenders and marinate for 10 minutes.
03 - In a shallow dish, mix panko, flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper.
04 - Remove each chicken tender from marinade, letting excess drip off, then coat thoroughly in breadcrumb mixture. Arrange on prepared baking sheet.
05 - Spray tops with cooking spray or drizzle with oil. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and cooked through.
06 - While chicken bakes, whisk together melted butter, honey, hot sauce, chili flakes, and salt in a small bowl.
07 - Once baked, toss hot chicken tenders in the honey butter sauce until fully coated.
08 - Lower oven to 350°F. Slice slider buns horizontally, keeping bottoms connected, and place bottoms in a baking dish.
09 - Layer cheese slices, then sauced chicken tenders, then sliced pickles over buns. Cover with bun tops.
10 - Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
11 - Bake uncovered for 7 to 10 minutes, until cheese melts and buns are lightly toasted.
12 - Serve warm and pull apart to enjoy.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • One pan does the work, and your hands stay relatively clean while everyone's too busy eating to notice.
  • The hot honey butter soaks into every crevice of crispy chicken, then the cheese melts over everything in one final bake—it's chaos in the best way.
  • You can prep everything an hour ahead and just pop it in the oven when people arrive, which is basically a superpower at parties.
02 -
  • If you skip the marinating step, your chicken will be drier, and no amount of honey butter can fix that—the buttermilk is doing actual work, not just flavoring.
  • Don't overcrowd the baking sheet when cooking the chicken tenders because steam builds up and you'll end up with soggy spots instead of that crucial crunch you're after.
03 -
  • Double-coat the chicken in breadcrumbs by dredging it a second time after the first coating sets; it sounds excessive but it's the difference between crunchy and incredibly crunchy.
  • Don't let the assembled bake sit in a cold oven for too long before baking; the cheese and butter start separating, and your layers don't bind together as nicely.
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