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10 Spicy Chicken Recipes

These recipes are for the hotheads out there, whether you want to grill, braise, or eat a sandwich.

By

The Serious Eats Team

Updated September 16, 2024

Overhead view of four Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, two open face, one with pickles on a blue serving platter. — Serious Eats / Victor Protasio

Truth be told, chicken hits with us most days of the week. And while it's all fine and dandy with a milder flavor, sometimes we could use a bit of heat. Thankfully, our archive is full of spicy chicken recipes! From tacos and kebabs to sandwiches and grilled options, there's something everyone will love. Bring on the heat!

Real-Deal Kung Pao Chicken
Serious Eats / Melissa Hom
Homemade Kung Pao chicken is marinated with soy sauce, fresh ginger, and spices before cooking in a smoking hot wok.
Real-Deal Kung Pao Chicken
Smoky and Spicy Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs
Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine
A riff on tandoori-style chicken, these chicken kebabs are marinated with smoked and hot paprika in place of the more traditional Indian spice blend.
Smoky and Spicy Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs
Korean-Style Fire Chicken (Buldak) With Cheese
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Fire chicken is the ultimate game-day snack that will make you forget all about Buffalo wings.
Korean-Style Fire Chicken (Buldak) With Cheese
Kimchi-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik.
Kimchi-buttermilk-brined thighs, fried until super-crisp, stacked on toasted buns or black sesame biscuits. It doesn't get much better than this.
Kimchi-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwich
Continue to 5 of 10 below
Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
Serious Eats / Victor Protasio
This spicy, crispy, juicy fried chicken served on a brioche bun with mayonnaise and pickle chips will make your mouth burn.
Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
Coconut- and Ají Amarillo–Braised Chicken
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Coconut and ají amarillo often find themselves together in ceviche, but in the dead of winter, this combination also makes for a rich and cheerful-looking braise.
Coconut- and Ají Amarillo–Braised Chicken
Spicy Grilled Jerk Chicken
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Scotch bonnet peppers puréed with other fresh aromatics and spices provide the foundation for a powerfully flavored marinade. The marinated chicken is cooked low and slow over smoldering allspice berries and bay leaves, before crisped on high heat for the classic charred finish.
Spicy Grilled Jerk Chicken
Bang Bang Ji Si (Hot and Numbing Sichuan Chicken Salad)
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Sous vide is the modern way to make this Sichuan classic, without the banging.
Bang Bang Ji Si (Hot and Numbing Sichuan Chicken Salad)
Continue to 9 of 10 below
Easy One-Pot Chicken Tinga
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Smoky and spicy, this is the ultimate one-pot taco filling. Using skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts produces plenty of flavor while maintaining a juicy, shreddable texture.
Easy One-Pot Chicken Tinga (Spicy Mexican Shredded Chicken)
Grilled Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings
Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel
These grilled wings are juicy, tender, and imbued with a hint of smoke.
Grilled Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

Chicken

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