Sriracha is a spicy condiment that's good on just about anything. It has a slowly building, intense warmth. The heat of red jalapeños is balanced by tangy vinegar, pungent garlic, and sweet sugar. Those who love sriracha claim to be addicted, squirting the sauce on pizza, stirring it into soup, and smothering their scrambled eggs with it. Today I’ve got a recipe for Sriracha Glazed Cornish Game Hens that elevates an everyday sauce to something special.

Be generous and allow each diner their own personal hen served over a bed of fluffy white rice. Sriracha Glazed Cornish Game Hens can be prepared in under an hour. As the hens caramelize in the oven a spicy-sweet aroma fills the house. It’s a messy meal, best eaten with your fingers, tearing each tasty morsel from the bone.

Serves 2

• 2 Cornish Game Hens
• sea salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, plus a little extra to grease the pan
• 1/2 cup sriracha sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rinse the hens and pat them very dry. Tie the legs with kitchen twine. Season the hens with sea salt. Set the hens aside to come to room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. Grease a baking dish with a little butter. Place the hens in the dish, breast side up. Tuck in the wings so they wont burn. Heat the butter in a sauce pot on the stove over low heat until melted. Stir in the sriracha sauce. Brush the buttery sriracha sauce over the hens generously.
3. Roast the hens in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until the meat is cooked through to 165 degrees. Baste the hens with buttery sriracha sauce every 10 minutes, and rotate the pan to ensure even cooking. If the hens begin to turn too brown, cover the pan with foil for the rest of the cooking. Remove the hens from the oven and serve over fluffy white rice. Discard the basting sauce.