Sriracha is a funny, inexplicable obsession. It burns as you eat it, but you keep adding more, hoping for a taste of the slight hint of sweetness. As you add more to your food, your eyes well up, your nose starts twitching, and sometimes, you just cry. But it’s a joyful cry, I promise you that.

Amanda and I took adding Sriracha on our food to a whole new level last week when we made an entire meal centered around it. It burned so good. I found all three of these recipes on pinterest, but, as always, altered them to our personal nutritional standards and likings.

Sriracha Panko Encrusted Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. chicken tenderloins
• 1/3 cup Sriracha
• 1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
• 1 inch peeled and grated ginger
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 large egg whites
• 1.5 cups panko crumbs

Preparation:

1. In a large ziploc bag,  combine the Sriracha, rice vinegar, minced garlic and grated ginger. Place chicken tenderloins in bag and shake to saturate. Let marinade in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 425*. Set up a dredging station with bowls. Fill the first with egg whites and the second with panko crumbs. Taking one chicken strip from the marinade at a time, dip in egg white, then roll into panko crumbs until coated.Place the breaded strip on a clean plate and continue with the rest of the chicken.
3. Once all of the strips are breaded, place them on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. After 15 minutes, turn the oven on to broil and broil for about 5 minutes until golden brown.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Sriracha Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into strips
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 (5.3 oz.) container plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tsp. Sriracha
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Combine cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss spice mixture on potatoes. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn potatoes with a spatula and bake an additional 10 minutes.
2. While potatoes are cooking, make dipping sauce. Whisk together Greek yogurt, garlic, lime juice, and Sriracha in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Remove potatoes from oven and serve with Sriracha dipping sauce.
   

Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha, Honey, and Lime

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Brussels sprouts
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha
• 3 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• salt & pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Cut each Brussels sprout in half. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pan fry until golden brown.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together Sriracha, honey, and lime juice. Remove Brussels sprouts and add to a bowl. Toss with Sriracha mixture.

This dinner was awesome. Despite having Sriracha in all of it, it wasn’t as spicy as we expected. Our favorite part was definitely the dipping sauce – we put it on everything. I’ll definitely make it again to use on other vegetables or fish.

I’m proud to say that after having my first bottle of Sriracha for only a week, it’s half gone. Crazy, right?

What is your favorite condiment? What’s your favorite way to incorporate it into a meal? What’s the strangest way you use it?

Related posts:

1. Spicy White Bean and Chicken Chili with Sriracha
2. Spicy Tofu & Vegetable Stir Fry (#Sriracha)
3. Greek Chicken & Potatoes
4. Black Bean Burgers with Spicy Corn Salsa & Avocado Crema