Bang Bang Chicken
by Chungah
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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.
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What green herb is sprinkled on top in your photo? I love adding freshness this way. Is it cilantro?
I used fresh parsley but cilantro would also be really great!
Forget an appetizer, I could eat a whole meal of this! Looks very yummy!
julieblanner.com
I made this last night, doubled the recipe, and my husband ate every bit; no leftovers. Amazing recipe and the sauce is out of this world!
Thanks!
I do not have cornstarch, is there a replacement for that?
You can substitute additional flour for the cornstarch, although I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish.
cornstarch is what gives it that bang bang crunch. It will be just like good fried chicken that is served in the deep South. Can’t make picnic fried chicken without a little cornstarch.
Um ok, so there could be a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story called “Noelle and Bang Bang Chicken Sauce.” I cannot believe how amazing this is and how quick everything is to make!
Thank you for this recipe. Making tomorrow but for Panko do you use the plain or seasoned? Best wishes for your move back to LA. My son lived in Santa Monica. Loved it there.
It is best to use plain Panko.
This is gonna sound stupid but I would rather double check – what’s the difference between the “1 tablespoon – hot sauce” and “2 teaspoons- franks red hot” do you use franks for both or is the first one a different brand?
Not a stupid question at all! The Frank’s Red Hot is for the drizzle sauce. The hot sauce is to simply add a little bit of heat and spiciness to the batter. It’s completely optional and you can use your favorite brand of hot sauce for this.
Great recipe! One question, what is the little green thing in The finished chicken? In what part of the preparation proccess do you put it? Thanks!
Carrol, those are parsley flakes used only as a garnish.
I live in NZ and dont know what Franks Hot Sauce is. Can u advise so I can try to find an alternative
There are many homemade Frank’s Hot Sauce recipes on the web that you can try out.
Franks Hot Sauce is good but just used the brand you like most, except Tabasco. Tabasco in just hot vinegar imho that adds zero flavor.
Did the lady from New Zealand use Worcester Sauce ad hot sauce?
I live near Buffalo, NY, the birthplace of chicken wings at Frank & Teressa’s Anchor Bar. Anchor Bar has a facebook page and you can purchase Frank’s Hot Sauce on the page.
Do you cook the Chicken first?
Gail, there is no need to pre-cook the chicken beforehand.
I just began trying your recipes, and so far they are AMAZING! Yesterday I made the red pepper pasta and it was sooooo good, I wanted to eat mounds of it. Simple ingredients and fantastic flavor. Today I made the bang bang chicken and of course it was delicious. Between bites I couldn’t stop talking about how good it was. FYI, this is a great chicken nugget recipe for anyone out there who doesn’t care for the sauce ingredients. I used Sriracha because I didn’t have sweet chili sauce, but next time I want to try it your way. Thanks for these recipes, I can’t wait to try more.
Every recipe you’ve had on here is amazing, and I can’t wait to try this. So far my boyfriend and I have tried your Firecracker Chicken and Thai Peanut Beef. Both were so good. Keep the recipes coming! Yum!
This looks so good. I love Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish but I feel like it would be so much better on chicken. Bookmarking your blog!
They have bang bang chicken at Bonefish… just had it last night. I like it better than the shrimp. Now I can make it at home! Sweet!
Thank you for your great recipes! They all look delicious! Can you bake these chicken bites or is it better to fry them? I just hate frying things and prefer baking if possible. If you can bake them – what temperature and for how long would you recommend?
Teresa, I highly recommend frying these. You just won’t get that amazing crispness by baking!
I totally agree… Not as good baking…. Awesome recipe and the left overs warm up great and my husband doesn’t do left overs…. Big hit in my house..thanks for sharing!!!
Baking these would be a big disappointment for you!
Tried this recipe. It was a big hit with the family. Probably will double sauce next time. It’s a little more time consuming than I like for a nightly meal than I’m used to, but frying stuff usually is. I used shrimp as well. I also did a little research and realized I needed Thai chilli sauce, not the Heinz stuff. Almost made a big mistake!
I have Chili Garlic Sauce, will this work for sweet chili sauce??
Amanda, it is best to use sweet chili sauce. I recommend using the Mae Ploy brand.
Ok thank you, was going to try & make this tonight but I’m pretty sure our little grocery store won’t have that
Any suggestions on what to serve this with, other than just white rice?
You can also serve this with roasted vegetables.
Maybe on a salad? I think that’s where I’m leaning if doing for a meal…..
Was checking for something different in chicken. Definetly will try out. Sounds & look delicious. Will keep u posted on results. Thank you
Just wondering, could I possibly use greek yogurt instead of mayo? And for the sweet chili sauce, what would be your recommendation for substituting that with Srihacha and honey? Thanks so much, your recipes are fantastic!!
You can certainly use those substitutes but I cannot speak for how much this will change the taste/texture of the overall dish. I highly recommend using the ingredients listed out in this recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Ok, thank you so much!