Hot honey pretzel chicken fingers are on repeat over here! We’re talking about crunchy, baked, or air-fried chicken tenders marinated in honey mustard dressing so they are full of flavor and then drizzled with homemade hot honey that tastes like magic! I kid you not; the house-made hot honey is dynamite! I’m done paying close to ten bucks for the famous kind from the store. My homemade version doesn’t have a funny after-taste; am I the only one that felt the store-bought kind had that? But the best part — you get candied jalapeños out of the deal! I’m not kidding; I’ve been putting them on 7-grain bread with a big smear of peanut butter and a drizzle of that honey. It makes the BEST SNACK.
What do you need to make hot honey pretzel chicken fingers?
Chicken tenders: you’ll want to use anywhere from 1 ½ – 1 ¾ pound chicken for this recipe. The marinade is good for up to two pounds, but you may need a bit more of the crushed-up pretzels if you decide to make a larger batch. You can use tenders or thinly sliced chicken breasts.Honey mustard dressing: I sometimes cheat and use my favorite store-bought dressing here! You can also use my homemade honey mustard dressing recipe. It’s just simple ingredients and a quick shake-up in a jar!Pretzels: I’ve played a ton with this recipe, you can use twists, sticks, and pretty much any other shape you can find! Pro tip: sourdough pretzels make this even better!Seasonings: We’re using pantry staples like garlic powder, onion powder, and a shake of cayenne pepper. Feel free to omit the cayenne in the tenders if you’re making this for little ones.Honey: The honey is the base for our hot honey sauce. I like to use something that doesn’t have a strong floral taste so that the spice stands out a bit.Fresh Jalapeño: Thinly sliced jalapeños are what give the hot honey that delicious flavor. You can use less jalapeño if you’d like, but to be honest, I’m probably going to start doubling up on the jalapeño next time because I can’t stop eating them!Hot Sauce: a dash helps add a bit of acid to cut some of the sweetness and helps give the hot honey more depth.
How to make hot honey pretzel chicken fingers:
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Sticky Baked Chicken Bites with Honey Sriracha Sauce Crunchy Buffalo Chicken Jalapeño PoppersCrispy Chicken Salad with Sriracha BBQ Dressing
Other air fryer recipes:
Crispy Coconut Shrimp (Baked + Air Fryer) Crispy Cacio E Pepe Brussels SproutsCheesy Chipotle Chicken Taquitos
The candied jalapenos are great on sandwiches or to serve with the chicken! Homemade dressing: If you use my homemade honey mustard, don’t marinate the chicken for longer than 2 hours! It’s much more potent than store-bought!
