Spicy Hungarian Tilapia Stew
Talk about packing some heat: This stew is fiery-fantastic, and we absolutely love it. You can alter the spiciness by using a milder pepper (such as banana pepper or Anaheim chile) or adjusting the amounts and types of paprika.
Kickin' Orange-Glazed Chicken
Don't be deceived, although citrusy-glazed, this kickin' chicken packs a major punch.
White Bean and Chorizo Soup
Fresh chorizo sausage gives this soup its vibrant red-orange hue and fiery flavor.
Korean Steak Sandwiches
Spicy slaw made with Korean chili paste gives this steak sandwich it's heat.
Roasted Red Pepper Hot Sauce
Roasted 3 pepper sauce adds a delicious warmth to any dish. It's so good, we're considering toting around the entire bottle.
Toasted Chile Salsa
Using toasted chiles is a must. It adds a smoky complexity to this dunkable salsa that fresh chiles can't.
Spicy Chorizo Corn Chowder
Some of corn's best partners--medium-hot chiles, chorizo, and basil--join up in this simple dish. It's substantial enough to call a chowder, but light enough for summer.
Spicy Veggie Hash
Cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper add warmth to this Peruvian-inspired sweet potato hash.
Spicy Sausage and Portobello ‘Pizzas'
Top baked portobello mushrooms with sausage, onions, tomatoes, and mozzarella for a delicious "pizza" appetizer or side dish.
Sweet and Spicy Pepperonata
Use a variety of hot and sweet peppers in red, orange, and yellow for superior flavor and color in this dish. Serve as a side with grilled meat or fish, or as an appetizer spooned over grilled bread.
Kickin' BBQ Chicken Quesadilla
Most people use 6-inch tortillas for tacos, but we apply healthy new math and use them for quesadillas. Upsizing to an 8-inch tortilla nearly doubles the surface area, meaning twice as much cheesy filling. Suddenly, your sensible meal becomes an 800-calorie heavyweight. Start with a 6-incher, and pile on the lean meats, veggies, and cheese. Crisp in a hot skillet with cooking spray instead of butter to save 7g sat fat.
Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers
Serve with hot cooked couscous. Give the couscous nutty flavor by toasting it in a hot pan before you rehydrate it.
Fiery Chicken Thighs with Persian Rice
Although the buttery rice cuts through the heat of the chicken, use less chile paste if you are not a huge fan of spicy foods for a less-fiery experience.
Chunky Hot Sauce
Fermentation is the secret to this robust, piquant sauce. Use your favorite chiles here, or blend fiery ones with sweet ones to customize your own. As for the consistency, we love the sauce in all of its chunky glory, but if you want a smooth, looser take, press it through a wire-mesh strainer.
Spicy Sausage and Chard Pasta
Willy and Sandy Hermann, readers from Orinda, California, shared this easy one-dish meal with us. They like to use hot sausage, but mild is good too. You can use the chard stems for soup if you like.
Fiery Tofu and Coconut Curry Soup
This spicy tofu soup incorporates common Thai cuisine ingredients, such as ginger, soy sauce, red curry paste, coconut milk, and cilantro.
Choi's Napa Cabbage Kimchi
This fiery kimchi closely resembles the award-winning product that Chong Choi and her son Matt Choi sell at the Portland State University Farmer's Market stand and at grocery stores throughout the Pacific Northwest. Although Chong warns that only gochugaru (ground Korean chiles) will produce an authentic flavor, you can make a delicious kimchi with a combination of dried mild New Mexico chiles and hotter Thai or arbol chiles.
Grilled Calamari, Watermelon, and Tomato Salad
Chris Cosentino of Cockscomb restaurant in San Francisco is known for adventurous dishes like this one, a meet-up of mild grilled calamari (squid), fresh produce, and exciting seasonings. He grills the calamari over almond wood plus regular charcoal briquets; for the home cook, he recommends easy-to-find mesquite hardwood charcoal. To make the dish as fiery as Cosentino likes it, use 2 tbsp. black pepper and 2 tsp. Aleppo pepper, and don't seed the serrano chile.
Fiery Hot Green "Sriracha"
Nothing like the real thing, but searingly spicy and tangier.
Caribbean Pork Tacos
The combination of salty char-grilled meat with fiery-sweet salsa makes this a favorite of Test Kitchen Specialist Vanessa McNeil Rocchio's family.
Spicy Chorizo and Lima-Bean Scramble
This Mexican-style skillet dinner makes a good brunch too. If you can find large yellow canned limas--a variety known as butter beans--choose those over the smaller green limas; they have a deeper, richer flavor.
Spicy Grilled Mango with Chiles and Crema
This quick dish is a study in balance: Sweet, spicy, sour, and salty flavors come together harmoniously and for maximum effect. Look for Mexican crema in the supermarket dairy section or in ethnic markets, or substitute crème fraîche. Serve with grilled steak, chicken, or pork chops.
Carne Asada Pizza
Look for queso fresco in Mexican markets or at your local cheesemonger's. This beefy pie delivers all the zingy flavors of a street taco: tangy lime, pungent onion, fragrant cilantro, and smoky, spicy chiles. The three-cheese blend offers extra meltiness.
Spicy Tortilla Soup with Shrimp and Avocado
Chipotle chile and fire-roasted tomatoes lend smokiness to this tortilla soup recipe.
Spicy Southwestern Tabbouleh
This dish is a traditional Middle Eastern tabbouleh that's given a kick with Southwestern spices
Spicy Soba Noodles with Shrimp
Serve these noodle bowls warm, at room temperature, or even chilled. Harissa, a North African spice paste, is available at well-stocked grocery stores, but if you can't find it, use hot sauce.
Spicy Shrimp with Corn and Quesadillas
These shrimp get their kick from generous amounts of cayenne pepper and ancho chili powder.
Sangrita de Toro
A spicy take on a Bloody Mary, with tequila instead of vodka. The chile salt makes enough for about 6 cocktails. The recipe comes from Silvana Salcido Esparza, chef-owner of Barrio Café and Barrio Queen in Tucson.
Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
Chipotles can be a touch spicy, but you can use only half of what's called for to decrease heat and still get great smoky flavor.
New Mexican Red Chile Sauce
New Mexican chile powder gives this sauce an authentic spicy, slightly bitter flavor. You can get a similar flavor by substituting 7 tablespoons top-quality sweet paprika mixed with 1 tablespoon ground red pepper. Don't use commercial chili powder in its place, though. Serve with meat, vegetables, or as enchilada sauce.
Homemade Sriracha
Don't get us wrong—we love the bottled stuff, but making your own sriracha means you can control the heat. Make it as mild or as sweat-inducing as you can handle.
French Fries with Bulgogi and Caramelized Kimchi
Austin is loaded with food trucks, and the Korean-Mexican-Texan mash-up that is Chi'Lantro is one of chef Aarón Sanchez's favorites. For his famous late-night snack, Chi'Lantro chef and owner Jae Kim tops hot french fries with caramelized kimchi, grilled Korean-style beef and a mayonnaise spiked with Sriracha.
Ancho Chicken Tacos
Create authentic Mexican-style tacos by cooking the chicken in a mixture of ancho chili powder and cumin and serving over corn tortillas topped with slaw and avocado cream.
El Sancho Barbecue Sauce
Turn up the Texas on this sweet and spicy barbecue sauce by stirring in 1/4 cup of reserved brisket drippings just before serving.
Grilled Chicken with Spicy Rhubarb-BQ Sauce
Barbecue sauce is hardly an expected place to find rhubarb, and that's part of what we love about this addictive, tangy-sweet sauce tinged with smoky chipotle heat. Extra sauce can be refrigerated for up to one month. Also try it on pork and burgers.
BBQ Pizza with Slaw
The sweet, tangy, spicy barbecue topping comes together in a snap with the help of supermarket rotisserie chicken.
Lexington Style Grilled Chicken
Larry Elder says Lexington, North Carolina, pork barbecue inspired him to create this spicy-hot vinegar marinade for chicken.
Char Siu over Sesame Noodles
Chinese-style barbecue, char siu, is robust with sweet, salty, and spicy flavors working in concert, and the light, fresh noodles provide a smooth counterpoint.
