I paired up with one of my absolute favorite foodies, Carissa Stanton of @broccyourbody, and what we came out of the kitchen with was truly insane. These Gluten-Free Hot Honey Chicken Sliders have to be one of my favorites recipe of 2023. They’re so quick and easy, super healthy, but they taste like so much like a fast food chicken sandwich (looking at you, McDonalds). You have to try these asap, and make them for your next game day!
FAST FOOD, BUT MAKE IT HEALTHY
One thing that Carissa and I both do well is a fast-food remake, or a classic comfort food made healthy. Whether it’s a candy bar from your childhood or a takeout classic, my goal is to show you that every meal is an opportunity to make something truly delicious without having to sacrifice the nutritional quality.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
For the chicken
- Chicken Breast
- Arrowroot Starch
- Cassava Flour
- Garlic Powder
- Chili Powder
- Sea Salt
- Paprika
- Onion Powder
- Ground Pepper
- Avocado Oil
- Eggs
For the sauce
- Hot Sauce (we used Cholula)
- Honey
For the sliders
- Buns
- Lettuce
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY CHICKEN SLIDERS
Prepare the assembly for the crispy chicken by getting 3 wide, shallow bowls. Add arrowroot starch to one bowl, whisk the eggs in the second bowl, and to the third bowl add cassava flour, garlic powder, chili powder, sea salt, paprika, onion powder, and ground pepper.
Trim and tenderize the chicken, and slice each breast in half to make slider-sized pieces. Once the chicken is prepped, dredge each in the arrowroot bowl, then the egg bowl, and finally the cassava and seasonings bowl. Repeat until each piece is through the assembly.
Once the chicken is prepped, add avocado oil to a skillet and heat over medium. Once hot but not smoking, add the chicken to brown (you may have to do this in several batches) and cook 3-5 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked, adding more oil to the pan as you go.
To make the sauce, add a 2:1 ratio of hot sauce to honey and whisk until well combined. Toss the chicken in the sauce until well coated.
Once the chicken has been coated in hot honey, assemble your sliders. We used Hawaiian rolls and butter lettuce, and add any additional toppings that you like. Enjoy!
RECIPE QUESTIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Feel free to substitute corn starch for the arrowroot starch. Any type of hot sauce will work well in this recipe, we used Cholula.
WHAT IS THE SECRET TO CRISPY CHICKEN?
There are a few key tricks to getting your chicken perfectly crispy. Using starch (we use arrowroot in this recipe, but you could also use corn starch) helps crisp up the crust on the chicken. It’s also important to have enough oil in the pan, and have the pan at the right heat. You want your pan (and oil) to be hot but not smoking.
WHAT IS HOT HONEY SAUCE MADE OF?
Hot honey is exactly what it sounds like: honey and hot sauce in one perfect sweet and spicy combination. We use a 2:1 ratio of hot sauce to honey in this recipe for the perfect amount of spice, and the ideal consistency. Hot honey is not only good on this sandwich, but great as a dip, to drizzle on pizza or even roasted veggies, or to toss with your wings. The combinations are endless and this sauce is too easy and delicious to not keep on hand.
WANT MORE HEALTHY RECIPES?
Healthy Fried Zucchini Blossoms
Looking for more healthy recipes? Check out my New York Times Best Selling Cookbook, Rachael’s Good Eats. 110+ easy, laid-back, nutrient-rich recipes.
Gluten-Free Hot Honey Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
Chicken
- 3-4 organic chicken breasts, trimmed and tenderized to 1/2-inch thick
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch powder
- 3/4 cup cassava flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 3-5 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 eggs
Hot Honey Sauce
- 1/4 cup hot sauce, we used cholula but Frank’s or any hot sauce works great
- 2-3 tbsp honey
Sliders
- Buns
- Lettuce
Instructions
- Set out 3 wider shallow bowls, one with the arrowroot, one with two whisked eggs and one with the cassava flour and seasonings whisked together.
- Once chicken is trimmed and tenderized, slice each breast in half.
- Take turns dredging each half first in the arrowroot, then in the egg, then in the cassava + seasonings.
- Add avocado oil to a skillet and heat on medium. Once hot but not smoking, add chicken to brown about 3-5 minutes on either side. Repeat for all chicken halves.
- In a large bowl, add a 2:1 ratio of hot sauce to honey, whisk, then toss each crispy chicken until fully covered.
- Build your sliders 😍
SO GOOD! You and Carissa did a phenomenal job on this recipe! I used chicken thighs because I prefer them. Didn’t have lettuce but they’d be so good with some. I will definitely be making them again!
I made these and they were sooo good, I even used leftover chicken for a salad and was delicious. The only thing I struggled with was the cook time, not sure if needed to keep flame super low or just make the pieces of chicken a lot thinner because the middle was not cooked through so I had to make multiple cuts which messed up the breading presentation.