KFC & Mike's Hot Honey Review: A Finger Lickin' Good Combination

In 1939, Colonel Harland Sanders finalized his fried chicken recipe, blending a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, eventually leading to worldwide fast food chain KFC. For the longest time, the Colonel's original recipe remained untouched, but when Popeyes Fried Chicken came on the scene in the early 1970s, offering spicy chicken, it pushed Kentucky Fried Chicken to launch the Hot 'n Spicy Chicken 1976. In the ensuing decades, KFC has always looked for new flavors to inject into its fare and that continues today. In 2025, KFC is joining the ranks of many restaurants and products to employ the services of Mike's Hot Honey, in hopes of heating up its chicken, as well as sweetening the deal.

Both partners see this union as a perfect marriage of flavors. Mike Kurtz, the namesake founder of Mike's Hot Honey admitted, "I grew up on their iconic fried chicken buckets and it was one of my very first drizzles when I first created Mike's Hot Honey." He added, "The sweet heat pairs perfectly with their Original Recipe chicken." Catherine Tan-Gillespie, Chief Marketing Officer and Development Officer, KFC U.S. said, "Crispy, juicy, salty, spicy, sweet – it's food alchemy that's meant to be!"

So is KFC x Mike's Hot Honey the most X-cellent of all the Mike's collaborations, or is it more of an unwelcome aberration? Provided with a sample, The Takeout took a crunch to find out where the truth lies.

The KFC x Mike's Hot Honey Chicken collaboration is a limited time only offering, available at participating nationwide locations of KFC. The pairing will be available to order as Original Recipe Tenders or Fried Chicken, on either Original Recipe or Extra Crispy styles.

Customers can get a first crack at ordering KFC x Mike's Hot Honey Chicken starting on Super Bowl Sunday, February 9, when ordering it through DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub. Starting February 10, the chicken collaboration will be available to order at physical KFC locations, at the counter, or by kiosk, or drive-thru where available. Advanced ordering for pick-up or delivery will be available through KFC's app and website. It will remain in stores, while supplies last, at least through the first week of March.

KFC is running several promotional deals in the United States for KFC x Mike's Hot Honey Chicken. For $7, one can choose from a box meal containing either three pieces of Original Recipe Tender or two pieces of Fried Chicken. Both come with an individual side, like KFC's delicious cole slaw, and a biscuit. It is also introducing a feastly $25 Fan Favorite Box, which includes four pieces of this fried chicken, as well as , a 12-piece set of nuggets, Secret Recipe Fries, and four biscuits.

I started my KFC x Mike's Hot Honey Chicken experience with the Original Recipe Tenders. When the tenders were dropped off, I was offered a second round of fresh drizzles of Mike's Hot Honey, which I happily accepted. Popping off the top of my to go platter of tenders, I noticed the familiar contours of these, with its ever present skin crispness, and generous size, lengthwise. It looks like a piece of fried fish straight from a British chip shop. The hot honey's sheen over the skin beautifully glistened in the light, like a prospector discovering gold for the first time.

While I knew there was plenty of Mike's Hot Honey on these tenders, they weren't all that sticky to pick up by hand. This lightly gooey substance also did little to impact the skin's composition, letting it stay firm, and hold the interior tender chicken in place.

One bite confirmed it was indeed a great coupling between the two companies. Mike's sweet side was more apparent than its hot one, and it worked a restrained magic on top of the tender. After further munches, I actually didn't glean all that much spice at all. Maybe a few hints, but no real fire. Yet in a way, by not overpowering the tender it allowed the Colonel's 11 herbs and spice mix a chance to shine through on its own strengths. The mostly new Original Recipe Tender was already deemed a winner, and this bonus helping of Mike's Hot Honey is just icing on the cake.

Next, I tackled the Fried Chicken version of this union. Like with the tenders, Mike's Hot Honey was drizzled directly over the fried chicken pieces, and I asked for more of it upon arrival, allowing the skin to sparkle before my eyes. Not sure if the initial amount of Hot Honey drizzled on this chicken differed from what my tenders received, but my fried chicken seemed to be swimming in it. Not that I was complaining, although I had to continue to wipe my hands off as I was eating and taking notes.

Here, with the Original Recipe (and not Extra Crispy) fried chicken I was given, the skin was a little thinner, and looser, when compared to the thick one that houses the tenders. I was worried that all the Hot Honey coating the skin wouldn't trickle down to the meat from within. Perhaps fried chicken is a better absorber of sauces, as Mike's Hot Honey's sticky goodness was able to penetrate the top part of the chicken meat below. Again, the flavor leaned more sweet than heat, but still made for a flavorful combo. As I reached pieces of the meat that were untouched by the honey, thankfully there was an excess at the bottom of my tray to dip it into. Actually, when I did that, excusing the chicken skin from the equation, the sweetness of the Hot Honey rang even truer.

Not all Mike's Hot Honey collaborations are created equal. For example, while the sweet and spicy worked quite well when coating Utz Chips, when applied to Dunkin' breakfast items, it didn't exactly bring any heat to the kitchen.

For its pairing with the chicken products of KFC, the question you must ask yourself is simple — "Do I want to try KFC with Mike's Hot Honey drizzled on top?" If the answer is yes, you will be deliciously rewarded. If the answer is no, you will be missing out, and do yourself a flavor favor, and don't miss out. The clock will soon be ticking before KFC and Mike go their separate ways, bringing this literal finger lickin's great pairing to a bitter-sweet end.

I was made aware customers will be able to ask for cups of Mike's Hot Honey on the side for dipping, and I welcome this, and wish I had it on hand as well. Mike's gooey good stuff should be drizzled on everything sold at KFC, from the chicken, to the biscuits, and even sides like mac & cheese and mashed potatoes. Heck, put some in a cup of Mountain Dew, and we saved the company the trouble of coming up with its next exotic flavor!

In advance of this collaborative hitting stores, the fine folks over at KFC sent over samples for taste testing purposes. Included in this meal was Mike's Hot Honey Three-Piece Original Recipe Tenders, Mike's Hot Honey Two-Piece Original Recipe Fried Chicken, with a side of Mac & Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, and two biscuits.

The food was eaten in no particular order, and taste tested with one other person on hand. The criteria for this chew & review included flavor, texture, spiciness, sweetness, uniqueness, livability, how well it honors KFC chicken and Mike's Hot Honey, and the likelihood I'd want to order these again. The quick answer to the latter is — yes, please. Some recommendations were based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.