Crispy coated fried chicken tenders coated in a sweet and spicy honey chipotle sauce. Bar food doesn’t get any better than that. And with this Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers (Chili’s copycat) recipe, you can enjoy your favorite bar food without ever leaving the house.
This is a slight adaptation from Todd Wilbur’s Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3: The Secret Formulas for Duplicating Your Favorite Restaurant Dishes at Home (Top Secret Recipes)
. The recipe is a little involved and the ingredient list could probably be simplified some without sacrificing too much flavor, but I think the end result is well worth the effort involved.
The chicken is first dipped in a batter and then rolled in a seasoned flour mixture for an extra flavorful and crispy coating. The chicken tenders are then tossed (or drizzled if you want to control the amount) in a sweet and a lot spicy Honey Chipotle Sauce.
Honey and Chipotle Combination
I don’t think there’s a more fantastic flavor combination for chicken than honey and chipotle. The sticky sweetness of the honey and smoky spiciness of the chipotle really play well off each other. They make these Chicken Tenders taste so incredibly good!
Recipe Tip
This Honey Chipotle Sauce would also be great drizzled on grilled chicken if you aren’t a fan of fried foods.
More Chicken Tenders Recipes
- Chicken Crispers
- Ranch Chicken Fingers
- Coconut Chicken Fingers
- Peanut Crusted Chicken Fingers
- Pickle-Brined Chicken Tenders
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Watch the short video below to see how to make this recipe.
Chipotle Honey Chicken Crispers
Ingredients
- 12 chicken tenderloins
- 6-8 cups Canola oil or shortening
Batter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 cup flour
Breading
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Honey Chipotle Sauce
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- In a small saucepan combine honey, water, ketchup, vinegar, chili powder, salt, and hot sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
- To make batter, in a medium bowl whisk together egg, milk, chicken broth,salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk in flour.
- Combine all ingredients for breading in a pie plate and mix well.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven to 350 degrees. Dip chicken in batter and then roll to coat in breading.
- Fry 4 at a time, frying until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes.
- Place cooked chicken tenderloins in a large bowl and toss with honey chipotle sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally posted March 19, 2015.
This is the first time that I could make chicken tender so crispy!!! Thank you!!
For the honey Chipotle chicken tenders, could you do them in the air fryer?
Excellent post
Thanks
Can I cook the chicken my airfryer
These was outstanding!
It was good and tasted like chili’s. However, it was s little sweet and not spicy enough. I added more chili powder and next time I’ll reduce the honey. Overall, I think it’s a winner.
Hi gonna try this to tonight does anyone know if I can use a cast iron skillet? this looks so yummy. Thank you
These were Amazing! Don’t loose the recipe worthy!
Chicken chips with honey and chipotle – very original. Thanks for the recipe.
This recipe is almost spot on. For us it was a little too sweet and not quite spicy enough. Next time I will decrease the honey and add more chipotle, I think then it will taste exactly like Chilis!
How could I make these in the airfryer ?
If possible
This was spot on flavor to savor! My sauce was thick (due to the fact I reduced the water) and i did like the batter and flour mixture. Although I did add some corn startch. My son was pleased as punch. I think we will have this many more days to come. This is a keeper!
The first time I made these, my daughter came home from work just in time for dinner and wanted to know where I got the chicken. When I responded with, “The freezer?” She asked, “You made this? I’ve got to have the recipe!” She and I love Chili’s Chipotle Chicken Crispers, and this recipe is spot on!!!
I love these chicken strips from Chili’s and I’ve wanted to make the copy cat for years. This one hit the nail on the head, it’s phenomenal.
there’s no denying that it tasted so good but i didn’t really feel the crispiness of it, also i’d recommend adding 1 tablespoon of corn starch to about 1/4 cup of water then adding this mix to the sauce to thicken it cause it felt a bit too watery (for me), also i’d recommend adding some more flour to the batter to thicken it a bit to stick to be able to stick to the chicken better.
I just tried this recipe last night and it was awesome. That sauce was just amazing and the chicken came out really tender even without a marinade. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you very much for posting this!
The batter looks thin. When i think of batter i think of thicker batter. Like pancake batter
Can I get them ready in the morning and fry them in the evening?
This is one of my favorites from Chili’s so I was really excited to try these! The rest of my family is’t a big fan of glazed chicken so they ate theirs plain, while I immensely enjoyed mine tossed in the glaze. 🙂 It was SUPER close to the Chili’s glaze, and the breading was the best I’ve ever tried. We al loved it, and will definitely be doing it again. 🙂
So happy you liked it Rachel!
Can anyone tell me what the recipe means by “Chicken broth” being English this would indicate Chicken soup to me thanks a lot. Penny
Here is a link to what I use Penny- https://www.campbells.com/swanson/broth/
Generally speaking there is Stock, Broth, and then Soup. Stock is made from stewing bones for several hours in water. Broth can be made from meat and or bones but is quicker, and milder. Soup refers to the completion of a stock or broth into a dish using herbs, seasonings, spices and other ingredients like vegetables, chunks of meat, cream etc. the packaged stuff is generally going to be broth with seasonings added
Looks good can a pressure cooker Be used?
I don’t ever use a pressure cooker so I really can’t say.
I don’t have a Dutch oven and I hv everything thing prepared I hope that’s not a big deal
Just use what ever you normally fry food in..