Spicy Honey Butter Chicken Sandwich Bake (Print Version)

Crispy chicken tenders in hot honey butter with pickles and cheese, baked inside soft slider buns for easy crowd-pleasing comfort food.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken Tenders

01 - 12 chicken tenders, approximately 1.5 pounds
02 - 1 cup buttermilk
03 - 1 teaspoon hot sauce
04 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
05 - 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
06 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
07 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
08 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
09 - 1 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
11 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 - Cooking spray or oil for baking

→ Hot Honey Butter

13 - 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
14 - 1/4 cup honey
15 - 1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce, to taste
16 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

→ Assembly

17 - 12 slider buns
18 - 1 cup sliced dill pickles
19 - 6 slices sharp cheddar cheese, halved
20 - 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing buns
21 - 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, optional

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and lightly grease with cooking oil.
02 - In a bowl, combine buttermilk and 1 teaspoon hot sauce. Add chicken tenders, toss to coat thoroughly, and marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to overnight for enhanced flavor.
03 - In a shallow dish, combine flour, panko breadcrumbs, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix well to distribute spices evenly.
04 - Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Dredge each tender in the flour-panko mixture, pressing gently to ensure the coating adheres properly.
05 - Arrange breaded tenders on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Lightly spray with cooking oil. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through.
06 - In a small saucepan, combine melted butter, honey, hot sauce, and red pepper flakes if using. Warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until ingredients are combined.
07 - Once chicken is baked, brush generously with the hot honey butter mixture on both sides of each tender.
08 - Lower oven temperature to 350°F.
09 - Slice slider buns horizontally, keeping bottoms and tops connected if possible. Place bottom halves in a greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
10 - Layer with half the cheese slices, followed by pickles, then the hot honey butter coated chicken tenders. Drizzle with additional hot honey butter. Top with remaining cheese slices and place bun tops over the filling.
11 - Brush bun tops with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
12 - Bake uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and buns are lightly toasted.
13 - Cool slightly, then pull apart and serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything comes together in under an hour, and most of it is hands-off baking time.
  • It feeds twelve people without you feeling like you've been stuck in the kitchen all day.
  • The hot honey butter is genuinely addictive—that balance of sweet, spicy, and buttery hits different.
  • You can prep it hours ahead and just pop it in the oven right before serving.
02 -
  • Don't skip the flipping halfway through baking or one side will cook faster than the other and you'll have uneven crispiness.
  • The chicken needs to be completely cooked before you glaze it; baking it again in the assembled dish won't finish cooking undercooked chicken, it'll just dry it out.
  • Marinating overnight really does make a difference in tenderness; plan ahead if you want restaurant-quality chicken.
  • Brush the honey butter on the hot chicken, not cool chicken, because it'll coat and stick so much better.
03 -
  • Make these the morning of and assemble them right before the second bake; the chicken stays crispier and everything comes together faster.
  • If you're feeding a really big crowd, double the recipe and use two 9x13 pans instead of trying to cram everything into one.
  • Buy pre-made breaded chicken tenders and skip the buttermilk marinade step if you're truly short on time; it cuts your prep down to almost nothing.
Go Back