Hot Honey Chicken Biscuit Sandwich Recipe

If you're looking for a burst of heat, sweetness, and all the comfort only a fried chicken sandwich can bring, these hot honey chicken biscuit sandwiches check all the boxes. Tall glasses of iced tea aren't absolutely mandatory, but they're highly recommended.

According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, there's a scientific reason many of us seem to enjoy hot, spicy food. Spicy food has pain-relieving qualities and can even help reduce inflammation. Spices and the seeds of peppers have been traditionally used in hot countries to kill bacteria and prevent food poisoning, as they have antimicrobial properties. Of course, we can't forget that spicy foods can be seriously delicious, with that kick of heat elevating any sweet, tangy, creamy, or umami tastes that you pair it with. No wonder studies have shown that eating spicy foods in the morning can even boost your general mood for the day. 

Considering all the benefits of spicy food, these hot honey chicken biscuit sandwiches are the ultimate pick-me-up. They get plenty of heat from a spicy mix of dried paprika and cayenne that's baked into the biscuits, a homemade hot honey sauce, fresh jalapeño slices, and even a healthy dose of melty, spicy Monterey Jack cheese. 

To make the hot biscuits that will house these chicken sandwiches, we'll be doctoring up some store-bought refrigerated biscuit dough and making it spicy. To flavor the biscuits, you'll need smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. For the hot honey that flavors the breasts and serves as the sauce for these sandwiches, you'll need honey, Frank's Red Hot sauce or another vinegary hot sauce of your liking, and apple cider vinegar. For the chicken itself, you'll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied to create thinner pieces, buttermilk, all-purpose flour, kosher salt and black pepper, and enough vegetable oil to fry your chicken. To assemble the sandwiches, you'll need jalapeño Monterey Jack cheese, pickle slices, and fresh jalapeño slices.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine two biscuits-worth of dough into one to make 5 large biscuits (you'll have 1 extra), and arrange them on the baking sheet

Combine the paprika and cayenne and sprinkle them evenly over the unbaked biscuits.

Bake per package directions until golden.

While the biscuits are baking, make the hot honey: Warm the honey, hot sauce, and vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat until combined.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

Immediately brush each biscuit with hot honey.

Transfer the chicken breasts to a plastic bag, and pound them to ½-inch thickness.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl, season it with salt and pepper, and soak it in buttermilk for 30 minutes.

In a shallow dish, combine the flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Dredge the chicken, shaking off the excess flour.

Heat 1-2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy skillet to 350 F.

Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until golden and cooked through.

Drain the chicken on paper towels or a cookie cooling rack.

Set the oven to the broil setting on high.

Split the biscuits, arrange the chicken and cheese slices on top of the bottom biscuit halves, and broil for 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

To assemble the sandwiches, layer pickles and jalapeño slices on top of the cheese, cap with the top half of the biscuit, and drizzle with additional hot honey.

Serve warm.

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After extolling the virtues of spicy food, we do realize these sandwiches may prove to be a bit much even for avowed spice lovers. Here are some simple tricks you can implement to lower the overall heat on these hot chicken biscuit sandwiches.

First off, you can remove the seeds from the fresh jalapeño slices, or skip the fresh jalapeños altogether. Jalapeños are notoriously unpredictable in their spiciness, and you could fall on some really hot slices in your sandwich. To avoid surprises, remove the seeds or substitute these with a cooling slice of tomato.

Next, you can substitute the spicy cheese for regular Monterey Jack, which will melt beautifully and taste just as good. You can even go with mozzarella, which will be a bit milder but still melt well. And finally, you can also avoid the cayenne in the biscuit seasoning, as just paprika will taste just as good without adding too much heat to these sandwiches.

Using store-bought biscuit dough is probably our favorite way to make homemade biscuit sandwiches, but if you're pressed for time, you can use pre-cooked or frozen biscuits from your favorite brand. We also love these sandwiches with frozen Eggo waffles, which keeps up the Southern feel with an homage to chicken and waffles. You can also make the biscuits a day or even a few weeks ahead, freeze them, and then just heat them slightly before drizzling them with hot honey. 

Hot honey can also be made ahead or even purchased at a store in a bottled version. And while nothing will taste quite as good as freshly homemade fried chicken, you can also simply bake some chicken breasts that have been marinated in buttermilk and seasoned with salt and pepper. This will shorten the active cooking time, and the baked chicken will also taste good reheated. In a pinch, even rotisserie chicken that's been slathered with hot honey and piled with cheese and pickles will taste great.

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