Fried Chicken’s Next Move

At Burger & Butcher in Sparta, N.J., hot honey ranch is among five house-crafted dips for its pasture-raised, tallow-fried chicken tenders, underscoring the sauce’s ability to move easily between composed menu item and craveable dip. The Crispy Chicken Sandwich layers tallow-fried chicken breast with melted New School American cheese and the restaurant’s hot honey ranch on a toasted Balthazar brioche bun. Here, the sauce does more than add heat: Sweetness plays against the salty cheese and deeply savory fried chicken, while ranch brings acidity and creaminess to cut through all that richness.

Pizza presents another natural landing spot. At The Pizza Nomad in West Warwick, R.I., the Blackened Delta Pizza starts with a buffalo cream cheese base, then layers mozzarella and cheddar, blackened chicken, scallions and red onions before finishing with a buffalo hot honey ranch drizzle—a convergence of creamy, spicy, sweet and tangy flavor.

Visit honey.com for this and other sweet (and savory) inspiration.