Kyl Haselbauer has 20 years of experience working in fine-dining and modernist kitchens, including Bar Cotto and Anchovies &amp; Olives in Seattle. He is also the owner of Bright Spot, a café and coffee shop in Seattle.

Kyl Haselbauer

Nashville hot chicken has swept the nation with crispy chicken so spicy you’ll shed a tear (or two). The secret is chile oil that’s drizzled on right as the chicken comes out of the fryer. Up to our ears in fried poultry, we were inspired by both Nashville’s hot take and Chinese chile crisp: a tongue-tingling spicy, crispy, crunchy, chunky condiment that’s stirred into noodles, sprinkled on fried rice, or even drizzled over ice cream. Our vibrant vermillion ChefSteps version is loaded with shallots, garlic, thyme, and butter. Optional peanuts take this crisp to new dimensions of crunch. Use dried pequin or arbol chiles, or dial in your personal heat preference with your own mix of peppers. This is a condiment so hot it can give you instant hiccups, make the top of your head sweat, and pop your ears. But it’s so good, we bet you’ll want to drizzle it on everything.

Triple Chile Crisp