Honey Buffalo Chicken Fingers with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

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Honey Buffalo Chicken Fingers with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce – sweet and spicy, these chicken tenders will be devoured in no time! Baked in the oven, they have a perfectly crisp outside and tender, juice inside all while being a bit healthier for you. An easy homemade blue cheese dipping sauce served on the side pairs perfectly with these.

Ahh, buffalo chicken – one of my favourite flavours for a long time now. It’s funny to think back that when I was a kid I hated spicy food. I’d always ask my parents “is this chicken spicy?” when served it for dinner. And then as I entered my teenage years and started liking spicy food, buffalo chicken was at the top of that list.

I still love spicy nowadays too, and I started experimenting with sweet plus heat pairings. There is just something I love about honey paired with something spicy. Adding the sweet nectar to something spicy doesn’t cool down the heat exactly, but it brings a new element of flavour to the dish. It tantalizes your tastebuds, and they will scream for more.

Gone are the days of chicken fingers being just for kids! These “grown up” honey buffalo chicken fingers are more sophisticated than your regular old chicken fingers, yet still a casual dish to enjoy any time. I have a feeling this will make perfect tailgaiting game day snack for while watching the upcoming Superbowl!

The best part is you will feel no guilt with them, as they are baked not fried. That’s right, you can still have a nice crispy coating and juicy, tender interior when baking them in the oven! You’ll dredge these in a nice panko coating, which crisps up wonderfully as it bakes.

Of course, you need something to dip these honey buffalo chicken fingers in, and what pairs better with buffalo sauce than blue cheese? Don’t go buying any bottled sauces because this blue cheese dipping sauce is oh so easy, and way more delicious than anything from a bottle. The creamy funkiness of it cools down the heat of the buffalo sauce nicely.

Now, what to serve these honey buffalo chicken fingers with? Well, you have a few options. I chose to have fries with mine, as we ate this as more of a meal than an appetizer. The blue cheese dip was also really good with those fries! But if you want to keep things on the healthier side, celery and carrots would be the way to go – which also happen to be really good with the blue cheese dip. Either way, you’re going to enjoy this meal!

If you make these honey buffalo chicken fingers please let me know! You can leave a comment below, rate it, post on the Zest & Simmer Facebook page or share photos on Instagram using the hashtag #zestandsimmer. I’d love to see it and I am always thrilled to hear from you!

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5 from 2 votes

Honey Buffalo Chicken Fingers with Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

Sweet and spicy, these chicken tenders will be devoured in no time! Baked in the oven, they have a perfectly crisp outside and tender, juice inside all while being a bit healthier for you. An easy homemade blue cheese dipping sauce served on the side pairs perfectly with these.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time22 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken fingers, honey buffalo

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Vanessa

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into strips
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large egg , beaten
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp butter , melted
• 3/4 cup Franks red hot sauce
• 1/3 cup liquid honey

For the Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp sour cream
• 3 tbsp blue cheese crumbles
• 1 tbsp parsley , roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil, place wire rack (like one you would use to cool cookies) over top and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a shallow bowl stir together the flour, salt, paprika and garlic powder. In another shallow bowl beat together the egg and water. Put the panko breadcrumbs in a third shallow bowl.
• Dredge chicken strips first in the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then roll in the panko breadcrumbs until thoroughly coated. Place on wire rack of prepared baking sheet. 
• Spray coated chicken strips with cooking spray, place in oven and bake for 11 minutes. Flip the chicken fingers, then spray again with cooking spray and bake for another 11 minutes. Coating should be a nice golden brown in colour. If not, turn on broil and broil for 1-2 minutes per side until coating is crispy and golden brown - watch carefully so they do not burn!
• While chicken fingers are cooking prepare the honey buffalo sauce by mixing together the melted butter, Franks red hot sauce and honey. In a large bowl, toss cooked chicken fingers with sauce until coated. Serve hot with blue cheese dipping sauce.

For the Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce

• In a small bowl mix together all the dipping sauce ingredients. Cover and store in fridge until ready to use.