Basically, my Sticky Chicken Tenders recipe is similar to teriyaki-style chicken. It’s tangy and sweet with a slight hint of heat. It’s easily made in the oven or slow cooker with ketchup, honey, and brown sugar. The heat is added with red pepper flakes.

You can serve this chicken dish with rice or noodles and a broccoli slaw side salad would be a great accompaniment.
Sticky Chicken Tenders Recipe
Sticky Chicken can be made with tenders, thighs, breasts, or drummies. Personally, I make them with tenders or breasts because I don’t think dark meat chicken was ever meant to be eaten. Just my little rule. You can easily adapt to the slow cooker, especially if you opt to use larger pieces of chicken like the breasts.
Here’s what you’ll need for Sticky Chicken
- Chicken
- Ketchup
- Honey
- Brown Sugar
- Black pepper
- Soy
- Garlic
- Red pepper flakes

So here’s the thing about cooking. Use the recipe, especially the seasonings, as a guideline. I like to make a recipe pretty close to exactly how it’s written the first time. Even then for example, if I know I don’t like lemon pepper I’ll omit lemon pepper and just use regular black pepper. (Just an example, there is no lemon pepper in this recipe.) Everybody has different tastes therefore, adjust the seasonings to your liking. If you’re baking, it’s a bit more complex and you really need to know what you’re doing to make substitutions then. But, if you’re not dealing with baking cakes, pies, muffins or bread feel free to make substitutions and adjustments to any recipe.
Here are a few more recipes that I think you’ll enjoy
- Copycat Larabars
- Strawberry Cream Muffins
- Sweet Heat Chicken Kabobs
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Chicken Enchiladas in White Sauce

Sticky Chicken Tenders Recipe
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Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- 12 to 14 medium chicken tenders or about 2 pounds
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup honey
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray 9×13-inch casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- In a saucepan combine ketchup, honey, brown sugar, soy, garlic, and red pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly 3 to 4 minutes.
- Place chicken in a pan and sprinkle with black pepper.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of sauce then pour the remaining sauce over the chicken, covering all parts.
- Bake the chicken uncovered 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the chicken halfway through the cook time. (see notes for bone-in chicken.)
- Serve over rice with reserved sauce.
Notes
Nutrition

Pam says
What do you do with the 1/4 cup of sauce you reserve?
Paula says
#7 – serve it when eating
Destiny M. says
Made this for the fam tonight, and it was a total hit! Thanks!! 🙂
Amy@Little Dairy on the Prairie says
The sauce on these chicken tenders looks like something I would eat with a spoon! I also love the quote about quitting at the bottom of your post! I needed that today!
Kelly says
Love these chicken tenders – they look so tasty! Sweet and tangy with some heat sounds perfect to me – pinning 🙂
Paula says
Thanks for pinning. I really enjoyed this tenders and very easy to make.
Deb@CookingOnTheFrontBurner says
I love how these look Paula! Would make a great weekend night meal for us…
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
“Tangy and sweet with a hint of heat” sounds wonderful to me . Pinned.
Joan - My Cookie Clinic says
Paula, These look fun and finger lickin’ and they would be great for an early spring cookout. I agree with you about dark meat. Pinning this to my chicken board. Have a great weekend!
Paula says
Thanks, Joan!