This recipe is based on a Tom Douglas recipe for Hot Pepper Wings with Cilantro Sour Cream. My good friend Jim told me about the recipe, but already having the perfect wings recipe I decided to use the marinade in a different way. (I can’t ever just leave well enough alone.)

So I decided to use bite sized chicken breast pieces, stay faithful to the rest of Tom’s recipe (who really wants to mess too much with one of his recipes anyway) and serve as an appetizer. The chicken was an instant hit. In fact, to this day I think this recipe is on our good friends Nich and Steve’s top 10 favorite foods list.

Now at first glance you might think the chicken would be way too spicy hot. Not the case. Now granted, it does have heat, but it’s really not over the top spicy unless you really don’t like or are supper sensitive to spicy food. In that case, you might not appreciate this recipe. But remember, I don’t like food that is overly spicy either, and I adore this chicken appetizer!

So for those of you who love spicy food with a lot of flavor, this is the recipe for you. It is just wonderfully tasty. And the sauce? All I can say is – it is magic. And if you have never heard of Tom Douglas, chef extraordinaire, look him up on the internet. He is legendary in these here parts.

• 2/3 c. soy sauce
• 1/3 c. Dijon mustard
• 1/3 c. water
• ¼ c. Sriracha (Asian chili sauce – red bottle, green top)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh sage
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 3-3.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces

Whisk the soy sauce, mustard, water, Sriracha, garlic, and fresh herbs together in a large bowl. Add chicken pieces and marinate for several hours or overnight. Remove pieces from marinade and place in a single layer on a large, lightly greased baking pan or pans. (Cookie sheets with short sides work the best.) Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is just done. Do not overbake. Serve with Cilantro Sour Cream Sauce.

Note: This makes a wonderful main dish too. When I serve it as the entrée I cut the pieces a bit larger. (Makes people feel more grown up when they get to cut their own meat.)

Another Note: You can bake the chicken ahead and just re-heat before serving.

Cilantro Sour Cream Sauce:

• 1 c. sour cream
• ¼ c. heavy cream
• 4 tsp. chopped cilantro or more to taste
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to serve.