The beauty of this dish is in its versatility: veal, or even fried slices of eggplant can be substituted for the chicken, and it can be served by itself, or alongside pasta or focaccia bread. My favorite pairing is spaghettini that’s been tossed with toasted garlic, red pepper flakes, chopped parsley, and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cans (28 ounces each) peeled whole tomatoes, pureed in a food processor
1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil, leaves torn
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
2 cups plain fresh breadcrumbs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 pound chicken cutlets, pounded to an 1/8-inch thickness
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more if needed
1 1/4 cups coarsely grated mozzarella cheese

1. Prepare the marinara sauce: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, red-pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and some pepper. Simmer, covered, until thick, 25 minutes. Add sugar and vinegar, and simmer 2 more minutes. Stir in herbs and remove from heat. Set aside sauce.

2. Bread and fry the chicken: Combine breadcrumbs, half of the Parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and some pepper. Put flour, eggs, and breadcrumb mixture in 3 separate dishes. Dredge chicken cutlets in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Dredge in breadcrumbs to coat.

3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry cutlets until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet.

4. Assemble the dish: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 3/4 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange a single layer of cutlets on top. Top with 1 cup sauce, covering each piece. Sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil. Bake until bubbling, about 10 minutes. Uncover; bake until cheese melts, about 2 minutes more.

I’m guilty of sriracha overuse myself, since it’s so versatile and well, delicious. The last time I used sriracha, it found its way into a marinade in a fried chicken dish adapted from Bon Appetit magazine. The frying part is a bit tricky as the oil splattered the first time I made this, so make sure your chicken is completely coated with potato starch. In this case, I used katakuriko potato starch, which has a similar texture to cornstarch.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons sriracha sauce
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup minced green onions
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 head crisp romaine leaves
8 red radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup potato starch
vegetable oil

1. Mix 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and lime juice in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Whisk remaining sriracha sauce, soy sauce, green onions, sugar, ginger and garlic in a medium bowl. Cover and chill at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

3. Arrange lettuce leaves, radishes, and mint in separate piles on large platter, leaving room for chicken and sauce.

4. Place potato starch in another medium bowl. Working in batches, add chicken pieces to potato starch and toss to coat. Shake off excess potato starch and transfer to baking sheet. Pour enough oil into heavy large deep saucepan to reach depth of 2 inches. Heat oil to 350F degrees. Working in 2 batches, fry chicken until cooked through, stirring often to separate chicken pieces, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to paper towels to drain.

5. Place chicken and sauce on platter with garnishes. Serve, allowing guests to fill lettuce leaves with chicken, radishes, mint, and sauce.

Simple and healthy, this noodle bowl backed full of herbs is ideal for when you find yourself getting sick of soups and stews. Cold weather comfort food has it’s place, but sometimes it’s nice to revisit the sunshine.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
2 teaspoons sugar
4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
1 package thin rice noodles
1 cup shredded carrots
2/3 cups fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup fish sauce
6 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno chili

1. Make the chili-lime sauce: mix 1/2 cup hot water and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Stir in rice vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili. Set aside.

2. Heat a grill to medium (350 to 450 degrees). Meanwhile, mix soy sauce, oil, five-spice powder, and remaining sugar in a shallow dish. Turn chicken in marinade and let stand 20 minutes.

3. Heat a large pot of water to boiling.

4. Drain chicken, discarding marinade. Grill chicken, covered, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.

5. Add noodles to pot of boiling water and turn off heat. Let stand until soft, 5 to 10 minutes; drain.

6. Divide noodles among dinner bowls. Thickly slice chicken, set on noodles, and top with carrots, herbs, and peanuts. Serve with chili-lime sauce.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds chicken wings
3 tablespoons red hot sauce, preferably Frank’s Red Hot
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 500°. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil. In a bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Spread the chicken on the baking sheet in a single layer.

2. Roast the chicken for 45 minutes, turning once at the halfway point, until browned and crispy. In a bowl, whisk the hot sauce with the butter. Add the chicken wings and toss. Serve warm.

This sesame chicken dish, adapted from a Martin Yan recipe, employs karaage-style frying and amazingly, when I reheated leftovers of this dish the next day, the chicken was still crispy. Served atop a bed of steamed spinach and alongside rice, it’s a complete and easy to make meal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup dashi stock
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 bunch spinach, stems removed, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-by-2-inch pieces
cornstarch
vegetable oil
steamed rice

1. Combine soy sauce, sake, dashi, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Keep sauce warm.

2. Cook spinach in boiling water for 1 minute; drain well and set aside.

3. Dredge chicken in cornstarch; shake off excess. Place a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add oil to a depth of 1/4 inch. When oil is hot, add chicken and pan-fry, uncovered, until no longer pink in center, about 4 minutes on each side. Lift out and drain on paper towels.

4. Place rice in 4 individual bowls; top each serving with 1/4 of the spinach. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch-wide strips, dip in sauce, then arrange over spinach. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with rice.