The Best Dish Liam Payne Cooked Was A Spicy Italian Specialty

Liam Payne, former member of the boy band One Direction, died on October 16. Payne's sudden death was a tragic shock to many worldwide. As the world mourns the loss of singer Liam Payne, keeping bits of his memory alive can help ease the grief.

In a YouTube video with "First We Feast," Payne partook in a spicy wing eating contest while answering questions from the show's host. Before tackling a hot wing, the host asked Payne what his signature dish would have been if he auditioned to appear on "Top Chef" instead of "X Factor." Payne said his best dish was spicy chicken arrabbiata. "I like to make, like, Italian dishes, so I can do, like, spicy chicken arrabbiata," he said.

Spicy chicken arrabbiata is an amended version of the traditional Italian pasta. Pasta all'Arrabbiata is a tomato-based pasta sauce spiced with cayenne and chili pepper, forming a sweet, spicy, and warm sauce. Spicy chicken arrabbiata — Payne's dish — tops seared chicken with the spicy pasta sauce.

To make the late singer's signature dish, gather chicken thighs or breasts, garlic, tomatoes, basil, chili flakes, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Begin by lightly searing both sides of seasoned chicken in a pan and remove. Over high heat, sauté minced garlic in the pan and add chopped tomatoes. Season with basil, chili flakes, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Bring the heat down to medium, and add the chicken. Cover with a lid to let the chicken cook through. Allow the sauce to simmer, and reduce until the viscosity is thick enough to coat the chicken and until the chicken is fully cooked.

If you're serving the chicken with pasta to harken back to the traditional recipe, save some of the starchy pasta water. Adding just a bit to the sauce will emulsify the components, giving the sauce more structure and combining the ingredients into a silky texture. Pouring in extra pasta water will slightly dilute the flavor, lessening the spice for sensitive palettes.