10 Spicy Chicken Recipes

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

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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)

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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

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10 Spicy Chicken Recipes

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