Copy Cat Chili's Honey Chipotle Chicken

When Jeremy and I first started dating I was working at Chili’s part time and since we got a 50% discount we went there to eat quite a bit… like 3 or 4 times a week! It’s a miracle I didn’t gain 50 pounds in the first few months. Every time we went I ALWAYS got the same thing… Honey Chipotle Chicken Crispers. They are the perfect mix of sweet and spicy and so darn delicious! Now that we have 2 boys that don’t like sitting still for very long, going out to eat is not really an option. That’s why when I saw these on my Instagram feed I knew I had to make them! The recipe is from Creme de La Crumb and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to get recipes. These are just as good, if not better than Chili’s and take less than half an hour to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs (I used Italian bread crumbs and they turned out just fine. After looking online at the difference between the two is panko bread crumbs are more for frying food and give the food that crunchy texture. The Italian bread crumbs still give it a breaded taste just not as crunchy. I prefer the less crunchy but if you like the crunch I would use the panko bread crumbs)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 eggs

Sauce:

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons chiptole adobe sauce (it’s the sauce that’s in the canned chipotle peppers. After opening the can I had a hard time getting 2 teaspoons out so I just added 3 peppers to the sauce and removed them before dipping the chicken)

1 tablespoon hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/3 cup cold water mixed with 2 tablespoons corn starch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Use a mallet or rolling pin and beat chicken to 1/2 inch thick.

Cut chicken into strips.

Whisk flour, salt and pepper together in a bowl. In a separate bowl lightly whisk the eggs. In a third bowl pour the breadcrumbs.

Dip chicken into flour mixture. Then eggs. Then into the bread crumbs. Make sure the chicken is completely coated in bread crumbs.

Place chicken on greased baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes. Turn chicken and cook for an additional 8 minutes.

Sauce:

Add all ingredients except water and corn starch into a saucepan an bring to a slow boil. Add water and cornstarch once sauce is boiling. Reduce heat to low.