Air fryer hot honey chicken bites
Crisp, smoky chicken bites tossed in sweet and spicy hot honey butter, with buttery corn on the side.
- 40 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.39 a serving
- 460 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ lb chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp butter, divided
- 3 cups frozen corn
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Each serving has about 460 calories, 42 g protein, 43 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $2.39 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No honey? Maple syrup works.
- No hot sauce? Sriracha works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the air fryer to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
the chicken with the cornstarch, smoked paprika, garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon of salt and the pepper until coated, with the oil, and wash your hands and board.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Air fry in two batches, 10 to 12 minutes each, shaking halfway, until and the biggest piece reads 165°F.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 11 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Microwave the honey, hot sauce, pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon of butter for 30 seconds and until smooth.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Timer: 30 sec
Microwave the corn with the rest of the butter and salt, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes, once.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Timer: 4 min 30 sec
the hot chicken with the hot honey and serve with the corn.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Toss right before eating so the bites stay crisp under the glaze.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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