Bang Bang Chicken
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Amazingly crisp chicken bites drizzled with sweet chili mayo – so good, you’ll want to double or triple the recipe!
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So our move back to Los Angeles has officially begun. The movers came yesterday and after 8 very long hours, they packed everything into a truck and started making their way down south. We will be meeting them at our new place on Monday but until then, we will be cruising along the California coast with our puppy. We’re both so excited since this is our first family trip with Butters!
But before we leave San Francisco, I just had to share this bang bang chicken recipe because it is really the best chicken recipe ever. No joke.
Now it’s a super simple recipe that comes together in less than 30 min. Easy peasy. All that takes time is coating the chicken in Panko and throwing it in the skillet until it gets that wonderfully golden brown crispness. From there, all you have to do is drizzle on that epic sweet chili mayo and you’re set!
The sauce is so good, you’ll want to eat it with a spoon!
Bang Bang Chicken
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 sweet chili sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons Frank’s Hot Sauce
Instructions
- BUTTERMILK MIXTURE: 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 BUTTERMILK MIXTURE, then dredge in Panko, pressing to coat.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat until it registers 360 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.
- 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.
- Serve immediately, drizzled with sweet chili sauce, garnished with parsley, if desired.
for the sweet chili sauce
- Whisk together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey and Frank’s Hot Sauce in a small bowl.
Video
Notes
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Just came across your recipe for bang bang chicken. Would like to make this for Christmas we have the children coming and we like to make up a bunch of appetizers for the day so all can enjoy everyone. The reason I am texting is will these be okay if they get cold?
We are in Colorado and would love it to snow for the holidays. Lived in San Diego back in the late 60’s. Loved it.
To be honest, this is really best when served warm!
I love this dish! I’ve found that the breading process goes a little faster using a gallon zip bag for tossing the chicken in the panko (and creates less dishes). You can also keep the chicken warm in a 200°F oven on a wire rack if you need to pan fry them in batches. And the spicy sauce is the perfect touch — a lovely weeknight indulgence!
Looks great! I was wondering if anyone has tried an air fryer version of this dish? We just got the Philips version and are looking for dishes to try out.
Look very tasty. Thanks for sharing. Will try to make very soon
Wow, I have never had bang bang chicken before but it look sooo dang tasty (:
This looks so yummy. I need to put it on my short list of things to try out. Hope your move goes great!
Made it last night, thanks for the great recipe!
Made it last night, thanks for the great recipe!
Hi–how can I make this with noodles? like a pasta?
It’s hard to say – there is no real pasta-type sauce in this recipe. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Bang Bang Chicken = Amazing!!!
Great for my daughters lunches, she loves, and they do NOT become soggy in a pre heated thermos, like all others.
Are there any suggestions of dishes/sides to accompany?
My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
Just made this tonight and it was excellent. I am. It a fan of spicy, but I wanted to drink the sauce from the bowl. Next time I have to make more sauce and maybe try baking.
I had a ton of left over batter and wanted to use it tomorrow for my remaining chicken. Would that be ok? Thanks
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Could I use Robert Rothschild Farms Thai Sweet Chili?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
In the week since I found this recipe, I’ve already made it twice. It really is damn delicious. I can’t wait to make it again 🙂
Made this last night and was very good but I struggled a bit. I found that the buttermilk mix was really thick and soaked up the Panko quickly. Had to keep adding more panko to coat all the pieces. The other question is with regards to frying them. I feel like they were burning really fast but I wasn’t getting them cooked inside. I’m not a skilled cook and this is always my problem with any meat cooked in oil. I have tried turning the burner down as well. I have an induction cooktop and maybe it runs hotter than others.
I would like to substitute the chicken using wild pheasant breasts instead. Would you have any hesitation doing this?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Very good information for me.. you know i hungryafter see your blog hehehe.. success for you.
Made this last night and my husband went cuckoo for it. The sauce is so tasty and the chicken does get super crunchy as you said it would. Thank you for another great recipe!
Going to try this recipe tomorrow night. Was thinking on using coconut oil and ghee mixture since vegetable oil gets rancid at high Temps and is bad for you. Do you think this will alter the taste?
Not at all!
Can I prep ahead of time and leave chx in the buttermilk mixture?
Silly q but can I use chicken thighs too?
Yes, absolutely.
I made this tonight and it was delicious. The sauce is amazing. Family members who don’t even like mayonnaise enjoyed the sauce. The chicken cooks really fast, so watch it carefully. So happy to have another recipe to add to the dinner rotation.