Baked Honey "Fried" Chicken

I hardly know where to start... Perhaps WOW would be a good place. It certainly seems appropriate. I mean, this chicken is to-die-for. Golden brown, crunchy crust, sweet and savory coating, super moist chicken. And ready in less than 30 minutes.

Here's why this dish is so awesome: First, the chicken is coated with a sticky, honey-herb mixture. And I mean sticky; I didn't add the typical ingredients people use to thin the coating (mustard, buttermilk, etc). That makes the tacky honey layer a great magnet for the herby, crunchy crust. A little sprinkling of paprika on top and the dish is ready to meet the heat. And even though the chicken is baked not fried, the bread crumbs crisp up thanks to a simple dotting of diced butter.

Here's what happened when I served this dish last night: 
Me: Here ya go boys - Baked Honey Fried Chicken.
Boys: Oh my God, this is incredible. Then lots of chewing until their plates were clean.

That about sums it up. Tell me how it goes down in your house. 

Baked Honey "Fried" Chicken

Cooking spray or olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup honey of choice
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup Italian style seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray or olive oil. Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
In a shallow dish, whisk together the honey, basil, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Place the breadcrumbs in a second shallow dish. Brush the honey mixture all over both sides of chicken. If necessary, use your hands to coat the chicken with the honey mixture. Get a little messy.
Transfer the chicken to the breadcrumbs and turn to coat, pressing in the breadcrumbs to totally coat the chicken.
Transfer the chicken to the prepared pan and sprinkle the paprika over top. Place the pieces of diced butter all over the chicken.
Bake for 30 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.

Serves 4