Sriracha is one of those running jokes amongst people in the food & beverage industry. You can walk into any kind of restaurant kitchen – Italian, French, Latin American, etc, – and more than likely, a bottle of the green-lidded fiery red sauce will be found somewhere. For some, it’s a substitute for everything from ketchup to mayonnaise, and will be poured on any and everything they eat. I always think of the episode of Top Chef when Casey put it into her Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. I’m not that hardcore, but it is delicious. It’s simply a paste of chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. Spicy, sweet, and commonly seen with Thai or Vietnamese food, it’s well-loved (and rightly so).

So when I saw a recipe for buttermilk sriracha salad dressing a few months ago I kept it in the back of my mind, waiting to use it until the right idea struck. And finally, it did.

I’m a big fan of indulging in spicy chicken wings dipped in ridiculously rich and cooling sauces, so the idea of chicken drumsticks dipped in this srirarcha buttermilk ‘ranch’ seemed perfect. Making a Vietnamese-themed marinade (I know I know srirarcha is Thai but it’s right there on the table at any Vietnamese restaurant, too!) and grilling the chicken makes this a fresh and fun summer dish and great to serve at parties. You can go with wings and legs (or even breasts), just use whatever chicken you like best. It’s all good.

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Vietnamese Chicken Drumsticks

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 chicken drumsticks (about 1½ lbs.)
• 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 jalapeño, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 2 tsp. cane sugar
• 1 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1.) Combine all ingredients in a large plastic bag and shake to combine and coat. Set the bag in a dish and refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours to marinate. Once marinated, discard sauce.

2.) Preheat a grill pan (or charcoal grill) and grill chicken until done, about 12-14 minutes. Serve with Sriracha ‘Ranch’ for dipping.

Sriracha ‘Ranch’ Dressing

Makes about 1 cup dressing.

If you’d like to make this more dip-like than dressing, just reverse the ratio of buttermilk-to-yogurt.

Based on the recipe from Lime Cake.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups buttermilk, shaken
• ¼ cup sriracha
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• Salt to taste

Directions

1.) Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Season to taste. Chill until ready to serve.

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