Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Winger's Sticky Fingers
A sticky sweet hot sauce coats these crisp chicken strips, working its way into the rough panko edges. The heat has plenty of brown sugar richness behind it, making each bite saucy and bold with a crunchy center.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 9 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Spray the coating well
The panko needs a good coat of cooking spray before baking so it can brown in the oven. Don’t be too light with it, since there’s no frying step here.
2. Start the sauce while the chicken bakes
The sauce comes together on the stovetop while the strips are in the oven. Keep stirring as the brown sugar and hot sauce melt, then take it off the heat before adding the garlic powder and water.
3. Toss right at the end
Wait until the chicken is browned and cooked through, then coat it in the sauce. Tossing after baking keeps the panko from getting soggy too early.
Get to know the ingredients
Chicken breasts
Pound the chicken to ½ inch thickness before slicing it into strips. That helps the pieces cook evenly in the oven after they’re coated.
Panko bread crumbs
Use panko here, not a fine crumb. It gives the strips their rough, crisp coating and holds up better once the warm sauce goes on.
Frank’s hot sauce
Original or buffalo flavor both work for the sauce. It gets stirred with brown sugar and butter, so it turns glossy and sweet-spicy rather than staying thin.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Winger's Sticky Fingers
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Once the chicken is baked, toss the strips in the sauce and serve them warm. Ranch is optional, but it’s the suggested dip if you want one.
A little more help as you go
Fresh is best
These are best right after the sauce goes on, while the coating still has some crunch. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in the oven.
Flour first, then egg, then panko
The flour helps the egg mixture cling to the chicken, and the panko sticks to that. Keep the order the same so the coating has something to hold onto.
A few questions you might have
Why does the chicken go into a bag with flour first?
It’s the easiest way to coat the strips evenly before dipping them in egg. That light flour layer helps the egg and panko stay on the chicken.
Should I sauce the chicken before baking?
No. Bake the coated strips first, then toss them in the sauce when they’re done. The recipe keeps the glaze for the end so the chicken can brown in the oven.
When is the sauce ready?
It’s ready once the butter, brown sugar, and hot sauce have melted together and the mixture comes to a boil. After that, remove it from the heat and stir in the garlic powder and water until smooth.
Can I use either Frank’s original or buffalo flavor?
Yes. Use either original or buffalo-flavor Frank's hot sauce.
Do I need to serve ranch with it?
Only if you want to. The chicken is served warm after tossing in sauce, with ranch dressing listed as optional.
Any more cooking tips?
These taste best served fresh but can be refrigerated and reheated in the oven!
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: lecremedelacrumb.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
