Canada’s own Monda Rosenberg retired as Food Editor of CHATELAINE, Canada’s largest circulation magazine, in 2009. She was responsible for the magazine’s entire award-winning Food section, including writing and recipe development of over 2,000 recipes a year and overseeing food photography. Before joining CHATELAINE, Monda Rosenberg was Food Editor of the Toronto Star for five years.

Monda has received an impressive number of food writing, styling and publishing awards including the Nabisco Food Writer’s Magazine Food Editor of the Year Award, the New York Art Directors Award for Food Styling and the General Foods Nutrition Writing Award. She has been president of the Ontario Home Economics Association and president of the Toronto Home Economics Association for a double term.

A frequent guest on national television and radio shows, Monda is the author of The New Chatelaine Cookbook, two Vitality Cookbooks, the Quickies series of 7 cookbooks and Chatelaine’s Wonder Foods.

I am totally addicted to fiery Thai chicken soup and proud of it. Canadians love heat, especially this time of the year, to help combat our dreary winters and for me there is no more appealing  way to clear the sinuses. A spoonful of cold remedy just doesn't cut it.

"Hot and fiery" resonates for most of us when it comes to satisfying dinner cravings. You don’t  often hear someone say they're craving a "cool" sandwich - but you often hear a cry for Mexican tacos, Sichuan stir-fries, 3-chili Thai noodles or spicy Portuguese chicken?

Having something erupt on your tongue can be as pleasurable as having a dynamite idea burst into your consciousness. The difference, of course, is the first can become addictive and while you can't go out and shop for a fabulous idea, you can go out for Hotter Than Hell wings.

I definitely suffer withdrawal symptoms when kept away too long from my beloved Asian noodle soup or the warm pleasures of a complex curry. But there is much more to a truly satisfying fiery dish than throwing in dried chili flakes or a couple of chopped jalapenos. My favourite Chili-basil noodles are laced with hot garlic chili sauce and fresh hot tiny red peppers plus lots of fresh ginger. An amazing curry I recently had, created by a chef from Goa, included coarsely crushed black peppercorns, minced fresh serrano peppers, fresh ginger and mustard oil.

When you feel the urge for a hot fix, starting with chicken is the perfect palate, since it gets along with almost any ingredient or sauce and it's fast cooking. Chilies, fresh and dried, and hot sauces  first come to mind to give that endorphin rush. All too often we forget about paprika (ground pepper after all), ginger, piri- piri sauce, salsa, horseradish, wasabi, cayenne, chipotles in adobe sauce, cayenne, chili powder, curry powder, ground peppercorns, mustard, chorizo and other hot sausages.

So when in the mood for a fix, whether it's for a few fiery touches or a big hit, check out these express ways to fire up your favourite chicken dinners

BUTTER CHICKEN - Follow your regular recipe but be sure to include grated fresh ginger, chopped fresh hot chilies, turmeric as well as saffron and crushed red or black peppercorns.

DOUBLE UP CURRY - Start with onions sauteed with ginger and garlic, then add a spoonful of both red and yellow curry paste. Saute for 2 minutes before adding the coconut milk. Chicken thighs are my cut of choice for this curry.

FIREHOUSE WINGS - Tumble wings into a plastic bag. Add a bottle of green (jalapeno) Tabasco sauce. Marinate at least a half hour or refrigerate overnight if you can. Bake at 375 F (170 C) until golden, then toss in a bowl with a mix of chili powder, cayenne and ground cumin.

PEPPERY POT PIE - Add ground white pepper, paprika or curry powder to the creamy filling and finely diced jalapenos to the crust.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP WITH KICK - To add the Asian edge, stir in grated ginger, fresh hot chilies and chopped crushed lemongrass.

MODERN CREAMY SOUP - Dab hot sauce (whatever heat level turns you on) and add finely chopped hot peppers to cream of chicken soup.

TANDOORI  CHICKEN SALAD - Swirl a little tandoori paste into the mayo before coating the chopped chicken.  Add celery, green peas, cilantro and a light scattering of finely chopped jalapenos.

SASSY CHICKEN SAUTE - Coat chicken with flour mixed with paprika, a sprinkling of cayenne and ground white pepper. Saute in butter until browned, then remove and replace with julienned red peppers and sliced onions. When slightly softened, return chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer to cook through. Finish with enough sour cream to lightly coat.

BANG UP CHICKEN BURGERS - Add instant fiery flavors with hot pepper sauce or salsa, dried chilies, cayenne, ground white pepper, ground ginger or a mix. Finely chopped jalapenos, white pepper and grated orange peel produces an extremely pleasant burger with kick.

PORTUGUESE CHICKEN - For that tangy spicy taste you get from take-out barbecued chicken, marinate in white wine spiked with lemon juice and lay on the heat with hot-garlic chili sauce, paprika, cayenne or dried chili flakes as well as freshly ground black pepper

REVVED UP SANDWICHES - Elevate by spreading with mayo spiked with wasabi powder or paste (be sure to add thinly sliced cucumbers and green onions to this one) or mash a chipotle pepper in abode sauce and stir into the mayonnaise. Roasted red peppers and cilantro would be good here.

CRUSTED CHICKEN WITH ATTITUDE - Whether using a store bought coating or making your own with bread crumbs, spruce up the crumb mix by blending in a light dusting of chili powder, cayenne, ground cinnamon, ginger and even dry mustard.

HOT STUFF BAKING BASTE - Whether roasting kebobs or large chicken pieces, begin by rubbing the chicken with a little oil and hot sauce. Near the end of baking, spiff up your fav barbecue sauce or plum sauce with more hot sauce, chili powder or Cajun seasonings and baste generously for the last 10 minutes or so.

TERIYAKI STIR-FRY - Before you begin cooking the stir-fry, pour the amount of teriyaki sauce you think you'll need into a small bowl. Fire it up with a squirt of hot-garlic chili sauce, dried hot chili flakes and grated fresh or ground ginger.