Honey Bunches of Oats Chicken Strips are deliciously sweet and crispy! They can be baked in the oven or fried on the stove for an easy dinner recipe.

Honey bunches of oats fried chicken strips on plate with a ramekin of honey mustard dressing on yellow and white striped towel

Table of contents

For this recipe, I took my Dad’s Famous Captain Crunch Fried Chicken and gave it a twist by using Honey Bunches of Oats cereal instead of Captain Crunch cereal and baking the chicken instead of frying it.

Well, I actually baked half and fried half, because I like options!

Our house was divided on their favorites between the fried and the baked. My Mom liked the fried better, my husband Kurt liked the baked better and I just couldn’t chose, they’re both so good!

Baking the chicken brings out more of the Honey Bunches of Oats flavor, while frying it gives it that super crunchy outside and juicy inside that we all know and love! Either way, you can’t go wrong. You can even try baking half and frying half, like I did, and do the taste test yourself!

Baked honey bunches of oats chicken strips piled on plate with honey drizzle over the chicken and bowl of honey bunches of oats cereal in background

How to make the chicken strips

  1. Place Honey Bunches of Oats cereal in a blender or food processor and pulse until it turns into a fine crumb mixture, then pile it up on a piece of parchment paper, or in a shallow bowl.
  2. Pile up a combination of flour, salt and pepper on a separate piece of parchment paper, or in a shallow bowl.
  3. Combine milk, salt and pepper in a large shallow bowl. Add slices of chicken breasts and let them soak in the milk for 15 minutes.
  4. Remove the chicken strips from the milk, one or two strips at a time, and roll in the flour until well coated.
  5. Place the floured chicken in a bowl of whisked eggs with salt and pepper.
  6. After the chicken is coated in the egg wash, roll the chicken strips in the cereal crumbs.
  7. Gently place the coated chicken strips in a large skillet, or electric skillet, filled with 1 inch hot vegetable oil. To test the oil to make sure it’s ready, drop a tiny bit of flour into the oil, if it begins to bubble and fry immediately, the oil is ready.
  8. Use a fork to gently lift up one corner of the chicken. Once the chicken is lightly browned, use two forks to flip the chicken. Each side should cook for approximately 4-5 minutes.
  9. Once the chicken is golden brown, use two forks to remove the chicken from the oil. Place the cooked chicken on a paper towel lined plate to soak up some of the oil.
  10. Continue on until all of the chicken is cooked.
Chicken strip batter station with bowl of eggs, bowl of milk, plate of flour, plate of crushed cereal and raw chicken on cutting board

How to bake the chicken

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. Bread the chicken just as you would if you were frying it. Soak in the milk, roll in the flour, dip in the egg, then roll in the cereal.
  3. Once all of the chicken is breaded, place the chicken strips on an oiled wire rack on top of a baking sheet.
  4. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Honey Bunches of Oats chicken strips on plate drizzled with honey with bowl of cereal in the background

Recipe tips

  • When breading the chicken, use one hand for wet ingredients and one hand for dry ingredients. Keeping one hand only for wet ingredients (the milk and eggs) and another hand for dry ingredients (the flour and cereal crumbs) will prevent the ingredients from combining and getting clumpy!
  • If you don’t have a food processor to grind up the cereal, use a ziplock bag and rolling pin. Add the cereal to the ziplock bag and close tightly. Use a rolling pin the smash the cereal in the bag, until the texture is a fine crumb mixture.
  • Be sure to not cook the chicken at too high of heat or it will burn, because of the sugar in the cereal. Always keep the heat at medium and never leave the chicken while it’s cooking. You want to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not burn.
  • Only flip the chicken once in the skillet or it will get too greasy if it is flipped back and forth. Use a fork to lift up one corner and see how it looks before flipping it or removing it from the oil.
  • The amount of oil may vary depending on the size of your skillet. The goal is to have approximately one inch of oil in the skillet. The oil should be about half way up on the chicken when it is in the skillet.
  • When frying the chicken in batches, you can keep the cooked chicken strips warm in a 250°F oven on a wire rack. Reheat leftovers in the oven or an air fryer for the best results.

What to serve with them

Side dishes like tater tots, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, fries, and baked beans are all perfect for serving with chicken strips! Here are a few of my favorite recipes.

As for dipping sauces, I’m so obsessed with the chicken that I eat it without a sauce! If you’d like to add a sauce on the sauce, I recommend honey mustard or bbq sauce. Something sweet to compliment the Honey Bunches of Oats cereal!

Fried chicken strips on plate with baked chicken strips on plate behind it with bowl of cereal

More chicken recipes

Winner winner chicken dinner! Add all of these easy chicken recipes to your menu for dinners this week.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Chicken Quesadilla

Alice Springs Chicken

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Honey Mustard Chicken
Fried chicken piled on plate with white bowl of honey dijon dressing on yellow on white napkin
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Honey Bunches of Oats Chicken Strips

Honey Bunches of Oats Chicken Strips are deliciously sweet & crispy! They can be baked in the oven or fried on the stove for an easy dinner recipe!
Servings: 12 chicken strips
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Author: Whitney Bond
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Instructions

To bread the chicken:

  • Place the Honey Bunches of Oats cereal in a food processor and blend to a fine crumb consistency. Transfer the cereal crumbs to a large rimmed plate or shallow bowl.
  • Pour the milk, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper into a large bowl. Add the chicken strips to soak in the milk.
  • Whisk the eggs in another shallow bowl.
  • Combine the flour with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper in another shallow bowl or on a rimmed plate.
  • Begin breading the chicken by removing it from the milk, letting any excess milk drip off, then rolling it in the flour.
  • Remove from the flour and coat the chicken in the eggs, then roll in the Honey Bunches of Oats crumbs.

To bake the chicken:

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Once all of the chicken is breaded, place on an oiled wire rack on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

To fry the chicken:

  • Add 1 inch of vegetable oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium high heat. To test the oil to make sure it’s hot and ready, drop a tiny bit of flour into the oil, if it begins to bubble and fry immediately, the oil is ready.
  • Once the oil is hot, turn the heat down to medium and add the chicken.
  • Use a fork to gently lift up one corner of the chicken. Once the chicken is lightly browned, use two forks to flip the chicken. Each side should cook for approximately 4-5 minutes.
  • Once the chicken is golden brown, use two forks to remove the chicken from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up some of the oil. Continue on until all of the chicken is cooked.

Notes

  • The nutritional information provided is for the baked version of this recipe.
  • If you don’t have a food processor to grind up the cereal, use a ziplock bag and rolling pin. Add the cereal to the ziplock bag and close tightly, use a rolling pin the smash the cereal in the bag, until the texture is a fine crumb mixture.
  • When breading the chicken, use one hand for wet ingredients and one hand for dry ingredients. Keeping one hand only for wet ingredients (the milk and eggs) and another hand for dry ingredients (the flour and cereal crumbs) will prevent the ingredients from combining and getting clumpy!
  • Be sure to not cook the chicken at too high of heat or it will burn, because of the sugar in the cereal. Always keep the heat at medium and never leave the chicken while it’s cooking. You want to keep an eye on it to make sure it does not burn.
  • Only flip the chicken once in the skillet or it will get too greasy if it is flipped back and forth. Use a fork to lift up one corner and see how it looks before flipping it or removing it from the oil.
  • The amount of oil may vary depending on the size of your skillet. The goal is to have approximately one inch of oil in the skillet. The oil should be about half way up on the chicken when it is in the skillet.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 288kcal (14%)Carbohydrates 35g (12%)Protein 23g (46%)Fat 6g (9%)Saturated Fat 2g (10%)Monounsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 107mg (36%)Sodium 313mg (13%)Potassium 376mg (11%)Fiber 2g (8%)Sugar 6g (7%)Vitamin A 168mg (3%)Vitamin C 1mg (1%)Calcium 61mg (6%)Iron 2mg (11%)
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