Bang Bang Chicken
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This bang bang chicken is a family-favorite dinner! Made with super crispy chicken bites and the dreamiest sweet and spicy bang bang sauce!
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Why you’ll love bang bang chicken
- 30 minute recipe. This recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less, making this an ideal candidate for quick, weeknight dinners for the whole family.
- The bang bang sauce is everything. The sauce is a simple mix of four ingredients – mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey, and hot sauce, yielding a creamy, sweet and spicy sauce to coat the perfectly crispy, golden brown chicken. The sauce is so good, you’ll want to eat it with a spoon!
- Can be served in so many ways. This is one of those great dishes that can serve so many purposes. For example, it can be served over steamed white rice, as a crowd-favorite appetizer, or even as tacos.
What is bang bang chicken?
This is a popular dish made with ultra-crispy bite-sized chicken tossed in a signature bang bang sauce.
The bang bang sauce consists of:
- Mayonnaise
- Sweet chili sauce
- Hot sauce (Frank’s RedHot or Sriracha)
- Honey or lime juice
How to make bang bang chicken
- Make the bang bang sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey, and hot sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- Prep the coating. Combine the buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Coat the chicken. Dip each chicken piece into the buttermilk mixture before dredging in Panko, pressing to coat and shaking off any excess.
- Cook the chicken. Cook the Panko-coated chicken in a Dutch oven until golden brown, working in batches to avoid an overcrowded pan. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil.
- Toss or drizzle. Toss (or drizzle) the cooked chicken with the bang bang sauce, adding as little or as much sauce as desired.
- Serve. Lastly, garnish with parsley, serving over a bed of steamed white rice or arrange on a platter with toothpicks.
Deep-frying tips to cook the chicken
Deep-frying chicken may seem a bit daunting, but with some attention to detail and these easy-to-follow tips, you’ll be making restaurant-quality (if not better!) bang bang chicken in no time.
- Use the right oil. Use vegetable or peanut oil, a neutral oil with a high smoke point.
- Maintain a consistent oil temperature. Use a clip-on deep-fry thermometer to monitor the oil closely, maintaining a steady temperature between 325 and 375°F.
- Work in small batches. Cook the chicken in small batches, about 5-6 pieces at a time.
- Let it rest on a wire rack. Let the chicken rest 5-10 minutes on a wire rack for even air circulation, achieving that perfect, shatteringly crispy coating.
How to serve bang bang chicken
Appetizer
Arrange the crispy chicken on a platter with toothpicks, serving the sauce on the side for dipping, if desired.
Bowls
Serve over white rice or jasmine rice with steamed broccoli.
Tacos or wraps
Spoon the chicken into warmed tortillas or bib (or butter) lettuce for lettuce wraps.
More bang bang recipes
Tools For This Recipe
Bang Bang Chicken: Frequently Asked Questions
Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store. While both panko and breadcrumbs can be used as a coating for fried foods, panko is much flakier and yields a crunchier, crispier texture.
Yes, there is a mild to medium kick of heat from the hot sauce. For milder flavors, reduce the amount of hot sauce, to taste.
Absolutely! The recipe works well with both chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Breasts are leaner whereas thighs will be juicier.
Store the chicken and the sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating the chicken in the oven or air fryer at 350°F until warmed through.
Bang Bang Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup Panko
- 3 cups vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
For the bang bang sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons Frank’s Hot Sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, hot sauce, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Working one at a time, dip chicken into the buttermilk mixture, then dredge in Panko, pressing to coat.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven to 350°F. Working in batches, add chicken to the Dutch oven and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; discard excess oil.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with bang bang sauce, garnished with parsley, if desired.
For the bang bang sauce
- Whisk together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey and Frank’s Hot Sauce in a small bowl.
Equipment
Notes
- Cut the chicken into similar-sized pieces. Whether you’re using chicken breasts or thighs, dice the chicken into similar bite-sized pieces (about 1-inch chunks) for even, consistent cooking throughout.
- Panko yields a flakier crust. Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb made from crustless white bread with much larger flakes than traditional breadcrumbs, yielding a crunchier, crispier texture.
- Check the temperature. Use a clip-on deep-fry thermometer to maintain a consistent oil temperature (about 325-375°F). If the oil goes past 375°F, the exterior will burn before the inside of the chicken is cooked, and if the oil is too cool, the chicken will absorb most of the oil, resulting in soggy, greasy chicken.
- Cook in batches. Cook the chicken in multiple batches as needed to avoid an overcrowded pan. An overcrowded pan will result in a drop in temperature, yielding soggy chicken instead.
- Sauce just before serving. This is crucial to avoiding soggy bang bang chicken. Toss or drizzle the cooked chicken with the bang bang sauce just before serving for maximum crispness.
- Prepare for leftovers. Store the chicken and bang bang sauce separately if preparing for leftovers to preserve the crisp texture of the chicken bites.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made this tonight for dinner; it was great and reminded me of finger food chicken katsu with a tasty dipping sauce, thanks for sharing and look forward to trying more of your recipes.
I made this tonight. My 16 year old daughter came down for dinner telling me she wasn’t to hungry and give her just a little. She took a bite, said “oh this is good”… And “wow the sauce is really good! ” Then she went back for seconds. Lol. My husband is s fisherman and requested I do this with the next batch of fish he catches.
I made this for dinner tonight, it was fantastic! Definitely double the sauce as you need more and I used hot cirracha sauce. YUM! Thanks.
Where can I find Frank’s Hot Sauce or what can I substitute for it?
Thanks!
Frank’s Hot Sauce can be found at all major grocery stores. You can also purchase them from Amazon.com. I do not recommend using a substitute as I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish.
Any thoughts or advice for making both the Chicken and shrimp? Would it be possible to interchange the chicken and shrimp?
Yes, you can definitely substitute shrimp for chicken – although you may have to adjust cooking time as needed.
Can we actually prepare this one with chicken schnitzel instead of using chicken breasts as I found them much easy to use.
You can certainly substitute chicken schnitzel but I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Any chance this will be good if it was baked? Looks delicious.
This is really best when fried. You just can’t get that amazing crispness when baked!
I baked them and they were still tasty, but I probably just don’t know what I’m missing. 🙂 I followed the baking instructions on the garlic honey chicken recipe from this same blog (a family fave).
Hi! This was a big hit with my whole family, we’ll definitely keep it in the repertoire. Any thoughts on a variation of your sauces, minus the heat? I’ve made several of your dishes that have such wonderful sauces that include sriracha, franks, Tabasco, etc., but my 6 year old can’t handle any heat. I first tried this sauce minus franks, but he didn’t go for it. I feel like some of your sauces could be used interchangeably among recipes, unfortunately, they are all a spicy variety. Ketchup or honey mustard from a jar would ruin this dish! Thanks 🙂
I will try my best to brainstorm variations on heat-less spices. But it becomes a little difficult with Asian cuisine as Sriracha is a staple in these recipes!
This is honestly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! We’ll be making it again for sure! We had it on top of a garden salad and made a sweet chili thai dressing for the salad, and it was amazing.
I tried this recipe the other night, and it was pretty good. The sauce was the tops!
A couple of things tho:
I had a LOT of left over batter for a Lb of chicken. I’m planning another meal with the left overs.
I’m thinking of deep frying next time, 1/2 cup of oil in a large pan doesn’t come close to the 1/2 way mark on the chicken pieces, and it was pretty hard to get a consistent color with med-high heat.
Thanks
Bob, it is best to use a medium-sized skillet for 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Adjustments should be made for using a larger skillet.
just following the instructions
“Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.”
Medium skillet sounds much better thanks!
So excited to try this recipe! Do you serve the chicken by itself or do you make it part of a full meal? If so what type of pairing do you suggest?!
That’s completely up to you, Amy. You can serve them as is as an appetizer or with a side of rice and/or veggies.
This is sinfully good! A keeper.
This was so delicious! I keep going back to snack on a piece here and there!
Hi.. Thank you for what looks like a delicious recipe! I hope to make it soon. Just a note here: Recently we discovered, at our grocery store, that Frank’s now has a Buffalo Chicken Hot Sauce. My husband and like to chef-it-up as a team in the kitchen. We just loved this new sauce. Truly, it has the perfect flavor for chicken when the hot factor is needed. My husband likes more sauce. Me – I’m good with a modest portion!
Once again, I can already tell this is a winner recipe! Just look at the comments already posted! Janice from Royal Oak, MI
One question, how high should I have the heat on the stove? Medium?
Yes, as indicated in the recipe, you should heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat.
Once again one of your posted recipes has” HIT THE MARK”. This was fantastic . The sauce is just amazing and my wife flatly said “damn that is good”. We also used it with tempura deep fried green beans and it is better sauce than PF Chang’s has with their deep fried beans. Keep those recipes coming and we will keep fixing them.
Amazing!!! Made this tonight for dinner and my boyfriend and I LOVED it!! One of my favorite meals, and will be going in my cookbook to use for future dinners! Thank you for sharing this easy and delicious meal! 🙂
Genius! I’ve made Bang Bang Shrimp and we love it, so I’ll definitely try this one! Pinned!
OMG this is sooo good! My kids loved it, as did I. You weren’t kidding about the sauce being addicting. I got that sweet chili sauce on accident one day and I’m so happy that I can really use it for something. I can’t say enough how amazing this recipe is. Thanks!!
My boyfriend thinks I’m a goddess, this recipe is perfect in every way. I didn’t have sweet chili so I substituted with ketchup and an extra squirt of shiracha, amazing. Thank you so much!