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Hot Honey Chicken Tenders with Creamy Pasta

Hot Honey Chicken Tenders with Creamy Pasta

Crispy, sticky-sweet hot honey chicken tenders served on top of an ultra-creamy, cheesy pasta, this dish is the perfect mix of spicy, sweet, and comforting. The tenders stay super crispy thanks to a double-coating method, while the pasta turns luxuriously smooth with melting Emmentaler and cream. Pure comfort food heaven.

Author: Delicate Kitchen

Meal Type: Peanuts Free

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: EASY

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 3 servings

Calories: 1,011 kcal per serving

Ingredients

  • 150 grams - Emmentaler cheese
  • heavy cream
  • 50 milliliter - reserved pasta water
  • 150 grams - fusilli pasta
  • 15 grams - butter
  • salt
  • 1 teaspoon - pepper
  • garlic powder
  • paprika
  • 3 slice - melting cheese (Schmelzkäse)
  • 310 grams - chicken breast
  • 1 tbsp - flour
  • salt
  • 1 teaspoon - pepper
  • garlic powder
  • paprika
  • ½ teaspoon - MSG
  • 1 cup - flour
  • cornstarch
  • salt
  • 1 teaspoon - pepper
  • garlic powder
  • paprika
  • ½ teaspoon - MSG
  • 2 cups - water
  • 20 grams - butter
  • 30 grams - hot sauce
  • 30 grams - honey
  • garlic powder
  • paprika
  • petainch - salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat butter in a pan, then add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika to bloom the spices. Pour in the heavy cream, stir, then add Emmentaler and the 3 slices of melting cheese. Once melted, add a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce. Fold in the cooked fusilli (should be cooked for about 7 minutes until al dente) coat well until creamy and silky.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together: 1 cup flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, and salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, MSG.
  3. In a second bowl, combine: 1 cup flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, and salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, MSG.
  4. Whisk until smooth. The batter should be thin and flowy, not thick.
  5. Dip the chicken into the dry flour → shake off excess. Dip into the wet batter → let excess drip off. Immediately place into hot oil — do not let the wet batter sit on a plate or it will stick and tear.
  6. Fry on high heat until golden brown and crunchy, moving them around gently in the oil so they don’t stick.
  7. Melt butter in a pan, add hot sauce, honey, and the seasonings. Stir until glossy. Toss the crispy tenders in the glaze immediately.
  8. Serve the creamy cheesy pasta in a bowl and top with the hot honey tenders. Finish with extra cheese or chili flakes if desired.

Nutrition

Energy: 1,011 kcal | Total Fat: 57 g | Saturated: 32 g | Trans: 1 g | Unsaturated: 5 g | Cholesterol: 207 mg | Total Carbs: 73 g | Fiber: 4 g | Sugars: 11 g | Proteins: 51 g | Sodium: 3,598 mg | Polyunsaturated: 5 g | Monounsaturated: 16 g

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