The Hungry Swimmer: Hot Honey Chicken

Looking to spice up your life? This Hot Chicken recipe will add major flavor and heat to your normal meal plan without adding too much hunk! Besides how delicious it is, this chicken is so easy to whip up at night or add into your weekly meal prep day. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you, but the first time I tested this recipe, I added cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, and boy was it SPICY. I like heat but it was a little too much for me. I think it’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy without the cayenne pepper, but if heat is for you then by all means don’t let me hold you back.

What you’ll need to make Hot Chicken:

• 1 pound boneless chicken tenders
• ⅓ cup honey
• ¼ cup sriracha
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

This sauce is already pretty spicy but If you can handle extra heat, take it up a notch by adding:

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper

How to make:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a skillet, cook the chicken in 1 tablespoon of oil (preferably olive or avocado oil) on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side on each side.
3. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl to build the hot sauce.
4. Once the chicken is done cooking on the stovetop, transfer the chicken into an oven-safe glass dish and pour the hot sauce over the chicken to coat evenly. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

To make it a meal:

I knew it was going to be spicy so the meal needed to be balanced with some fresh, cool, and comforting flavors to balance the heat. So I was inspired to pair it with green beans and mashed potatoes.

I filled a pan with water and brought it to a boil, once it was boiling I dropped in the fresh greens beans and boiled them for 5-7 minutes until it turned a brighter green. Then I drained and rinsed the green beans and it back to the pan with a drizzle of olive oil, some minced garlic, and lemon juice and cooked for an additional 3 minutes. To be quite honest with you, I don’t know how to make mashed potatoes unless it’s Thanksgiving so I went with instant mashed potatoes. While this option typically has more salt than homemade recipes, the extra salt is still great for replenishing electrolytes after working out. Plus, it is a convenient way to get energy-providing carbohydrates.

Other ways to make it a meal:

• Spicy Southwest Chicken bowls: add the chicken to bowls with rice, beans, corn, bell pepper to make a filling meal.
• Spicy Chicken Sandwich: pair with pickles, hamburger buns, lettuce, or a cooling coleslaw and a side of sweet potato fries!