January and February are when the cold sets in, and we start craving cozy comfort foods with a punch of heat to chase away the winter. A good spicy dish will make your lips tingle and might just clear your sinuses, but it should still be balanced beyond pure heat. Here are two spicy dishes, guaranteed to shake off the chill, from Salt Lake magazine’s food writer Lydia Martinez (a dedicated cold-weather wimp).
Pretty Bird’s Hot Chicken Sando
Chef Viet Pham introduced Salt Lake City to the Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich. As the local original, it is still the best in town. Order a “hot behind” sandwich if you are serious about heat. The breaded chicken is a boneless chicken thigh rather than a breast, so it is extra moist and flavorful. Topped with a red cabbage slaw, pickles and a special sauce, it is spicy enough to make lips tingle. I always order it with the crisp crinkle-cut fries and a bonus side of house-made pickles to cut the heat with starch and vinegar. I take a bite of a sandwich, then eat a pickle or two to counterbalance. If you don’t want an (ahem) hot behind, you can always order a spice level based on your comfort level.
Pretty Bird’s Hot Chicken Sandwich is topped with red cabbage slaw, pickles and special sauce. Photo by Adam Finkle
When you go: See multiple locations at prettybirdchicken.com
Yakuza Ramen’s Curry Ramen
Nothing warms in the winter like slurping up piping hot ramen. Yakuza Ramen (found inside Woodbine Food Hall) serves up a spicy Japanese-curry ramen that takes traditional silky Tonkotsu broth and mixes it with a curry roux that thickens the broth into tongue-coating warmth. The entire dish is topped with a piping hot and crispy breaded katsu pork cutlet, with bok choy and a half soft-boiled egg. The Japanese curry warms from within, and the heat is subtle. It won’t punch you in the face but light a little toasty fire in your belly. I get it with an additional egg and mix the yolk into the broth for extra creaminess. “Yakuza” are members of the organized crime syndicates in Japan, and it is criminal not to polish off a bowl of this ramen on the regular.
Yakuza Ramen’s Japanese Curry, topped with katsu pork, bok choy and a soft-boiled egg. Photo by Adam Finkle.
Look for Yakuza Ramen’s colorful stall inside Woodbine Food Hall. Photo by Adam Finkle.
When you go:
545 W. 700 South
instagram @yakuza.ramen
Find even more winter comfort food here!
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