Honey Jalapeño Chicken Tenders
Honey jalapeño chicken tenders are a sweet and spicy dish perfect for game day, easy dinners, and parties! They’re quick and easy to make and you can even prep ahead of time and freeze for later.
Related: Creamy Lemon Sage Sauce for Chicken Recipe
Related: Chicken Manchurian Recipe
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how to make honey jalapeno chicken
Honey jalapeño glazed chicken tenders are slightly sweet with a bit of a kick! The sauce is great for wings, drumsticks, thighs, or any cut of chicken you’d like!
The honey cream glaze cools down the heat and adds a little more sweetness to this sweet and savory chicken dish!
sweet and spicy chicken Ingredients
- Honey – Raw, local honey is best
- Coconut aminos – this is similar to soy sauce, but a healthier version (tastes exactly the same).
- Extra virgin olive oil – extra virgin is best since it has undergone less processing and thus has less chemicals.
- Garlic – my secret to always having garlic ready for my dishes is to cheat and buy the prepreeled garlic from the store, then just pop it in the garlic press and I’m done!
- Jalapeño pepper – you can keep the seeds in if you want a spicier dish, or remove them for something more toned down.
- Lemon – I’m a bog fan of meyer lemons in any lemon scenario since they’re sweeter and just taste better, but regular is fine for this recipe too.
- Sea salt and black pepper – be sure to use sea salt and not table salt. Table salt is devoid of nutrients but sea salt has many beneficial trace minerals.
- Butter – grass-fed butter is a great option.
- Chicken tenders – you could use any cut of chicken for this! Drumsticks, wings, breasts or thighs would all be great.
- Heavy cream – just a little cream to round out the sauce!
- Cilantro – cilantro is a great way to top the honey jalapeño chicken, you could also top with avocado!
Honey cream sauce ingredients
- Greek yogurt or sour cream – I often use greek yogurt in place of sour cream for my recipes – just make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Honey – honey gives the cream sauce a naturally sweetened flavor.
jalapeño honey chicken Instructions
- Whisk together the honey, coconut aminos, olive oil, garlic, green onions, jalapenos, lemon juice and zest.
- Place chicken tenders and marinade in a zip lock bag then, let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, turning over occasionally.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Then add your butter and let that preheat.
- Add the tenders to the skillet and sear for about 3 minutes on one side until goldren brown.
- Flip and do the same to the other side. Add butter if needed to keep the cast iron greased.
- By now they should be fully cooked, unless they are quite thick. If that’s the case, turn the heat down to low-medium and let them continue to cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and drain the marinade from the bag into the skillet you just cooked the chicken in. Turn the heat to medium-high and let simmer until reduced by half.
- While your sauce is reducing make your honey cream sauce by mixing together the cream and honey until fully combined.
- Once your sauce is reduced, add the heavy cream, give it a stir, then add the chicken tenders back into the skillet with the marinade and use a spoon to scoop the sauce over the chicken.
- Serve by adding a dollop of the honey cream sauce over the honey jalapeno chicken tenders.
how to store honey jalapeño chicken
Refrigerator
Place your cooked honey jalapeño chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Keep the sauce and the chicken together then reheat in a cast-iron skillet over low-medium heat. Cover with a lid (or baking sheet) to keep the juices in and heat until warmed throughout.
Freezer (cooked)
Store your cooked chicken in the freezer for up to a month.
Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in a cast-iron skillet over low-medium heat. Cover with a lid (or baking sheet) to keep the juices in and heat until warmed throughout.
Freezer (uncooked)
To store as a freezer meal, follow the first two instructions, then place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To prepare, defrost the bag of chicken with marinade overnight in the refrigerator. Cook using the same instructions above.
In a pinch instructions
When you’re in a pinch and want this dish even faster, follow these tips.
- Use the preminced garlic
- Make this into a freezer meal and prep it for later when you’re in a pinch.
honey jalapeño chicken Tips
- Marinade – the longer you marinate the chicken the better. If you’re marinating the chicken longer than an hour, place in the refrigerator.
- Cast iron – cooking chicken in a cast iron skillet gives it the best browning and crust on the outside and also gives that restaurant quality flavor!
- Preheat – Be sure to preheat your skillet (especially cast iron) and then also preheat your butter prior to adding your chicken. This ensures the chicken wont stick and will also give you the perfect crust.
Serving Suggestions
side dish ideas
Rice cooked in bone broth
Roasted garlic sourdough bread
when to serve this dish
- Make ahead meal
- Tailgate parties
- Game day
- Potluck
- Easy weeknight dinner
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print the jalapeño honey chicken recipe
Honey Jalapeño Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk together the honey, coconut aminos, olive oil, garlic, green onions, jalapenos, lemon juice and zest.
- Place chicken tenders and marinade in a zip lock bag then, let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour, turning over occasionally.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Then add your butter and let that preheat.
- Add the tenders to the skillet and sear for about 3 minutes on one side until golden brown.
- Flip and do the same to the other side. Add butter if needed to keep the cast iron greased.
- By now they should be fully cooked, unless they are quite thick. If that's the case, turn the heat down to low-medium and let them continue to cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and drain the marinade from the bag into the skillet you just cooked the chicken in. Turn the heat to medium-high and let simmer until reduced by half.
- While your sauce is reducing make your honey cream sauce by mixing together the cream and honey until fully combined.
- Add the chicken tenders back into the skillet with the marinade and use a spoon to scoop the sauce over the chicken.
- Serve by adding a dollop of the honey cream sauce over the honey jalapeno chicken tenders.
Video
Notes
how to store honey jalapeño chicken
Refrigerator
Place your cooked honey jalapeño chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Keep the sauce and the chicken together then reheat in a cast-iron skillet over low-medium heat. Cover with a lid (or baking sheet) to keep the juices in and heat until warmed throughout.Freezer (cooked)
Store your cooked chicken in the freezer for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat in a cast-iron skillet over low-medium heat. Cover with a lid (or baking sheet) to keep the juices in and heat until warmed throughout.Freezer (uncooked)
To store as a freezer meal, follow the first two instructions, then place in the freezer for up to 3 months. To prepare, defrost the bag of chicken with marinade overnight in the refrigerator. Cook using the same instructions above.In a pinch instructions
When you’re in a pinch and want this dish even faster, follow these tips.- Use the pre-minced garlic
- Make this into a freezer meal and prep it for later when you’re in a pinch.
honey jalapeño chicken Tips
- Marinade – the longer you marinate the chicken the better. If you’re marinating the chicken longer than an hour, place it in the refrigerator.
- Cast iron – cooking chicken in a cast-iron skillet gives it the best browning and crust on the outside and also gives that restaurant-quality flavor!
- Preheat – Be sure to preheat your skillet (especially cast iron) and then also preheat your butter prior to adding your chicken. This ensures the chicken won’t stick and will also give you the perfect crust.
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