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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I made this recipe last night and it was delicious. I put the chicken on top of a big asian salad.. soo good! I did end up doubling the amount of hot sauce in the sauce. It barely had any spice to it with just two teaspoons.
I thought it was weird to see franks red hot sauce in the sauce ingredients instead of sriracha. I ended up making the sauce several different ways (since I had all the ingredients anyways). I was surprised that franks hot sauce actually worked best! I think it might be because of the vinegar. Also I was out of honey so I left that out.
Is this something you can make ahead and freeze?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I just had to try these and see if they were similar to “Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp”? They are very similar but too sweet and not enough kick/heat, but still very good and even crispier then their shrimp. I would definitely make these again, maybe even make a combo of shrimp and chicken, but leave out the honey and maybe up the hot sauce a bit so it is more like Bonefish’s. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Made for Best of 2014 Tag Game on http://4foodfriendsandfun.yuku.com/.
I was so excited to try this recipe and wow, was it good. We really enjoyed this flavorful chicken; it was bang on, crispy, crunchy, tender and delicious. Perfectly cooked, not greasy with a sauce to die for, just the perfect amount of heat and sweetness. The sauce was an amazing pairing with the chicken. So good. Made for Best of 2014 Tag Game
This was a huge hit…we really enjoyed the flavors…I cooked mine in an electric skillet set at 350 degrees…they came out nice and crispy with the chicken cooked through…loved the sauce…this is a keeper…made for Best of 2014 tag game…
Wow. this was amazing. No one else was home so I had to eat it all myself. Had to. Crunchy chicken, delicious sauce. Yum! Love your recipes!
It calls for mayonnaise. Is this real mayo. or would miracle whip work?
Miracle Whip should work just fine.
THANKS AGAIN FOR THE GREAT AND SIMPLE RECIPE!
This looks amazing! I am excited to try out this recipe tonight for dinner. I am just wondering what this dish would be served with? Over rice? Or any other side?
Rice and/or veggies would be a great accompaniment!
I made this tonight. Pretty tasty. I had to tweak the sauce a little since I didn’t have sweet chili sauce. I used shirracha (?) and chili pepper flakes and extra honey. I also added shoyu (soy sauce) and a garlic seasoning. Came out yummy! Thanks for the bangin’ recipe!
Eating this right now. New to frying/cooking with oil, I made too much chicken and so will have to save some to make later. The sauce is what makes it! The chicken itself is yummy, love the breading. BUT THE SAUCE!!!!!!! Going to have to use it on more foods! Thank you for the recipe!
You inspire me! I love your recipes! So glad I found this on Pinterest. Please keep up the great cooking. I’ve always been intimidated by Asian cooking, but after trying a few of your dishes, I’ve really expanded my culinary boundaries.
I baked these and they still came out crispy. I’m sure a different crunch than if I had fried them, but the batter and breadcrumbs stuck to them and it was yummy! I don’t think frying is necessary. I also added some cayenne and red pepper flakes to the panko to add a bit of heat. I used siracha sauce instead of franks and it was great!! Thanks for the recipe!
Can you let me know what temp you used to bake? 400? Or, maybe higher. I would prefer to bake them too.
What sides would you recommend making with this? Looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it. Thank you 🙂
Rice, lo mein or even your favorite kind of veggies would go great with this!
Thanks!
This looks great! We are having a party this weekend and I would love to make these, but would they be ok on ‘warm’ in the oven for an hour or so before serving? I’m worried they would get a bit soggy. I just don’t want to have to be frying up chicken while people are arriving. Thanks!!
Jenn, these are really best when served immediately as the crispness does lose out over time.
This recipe looks amazing and we would love to try it but I have a question about the egg. Is there a way to replace it or would it be okay to omit it altogether? I have eggless mayo that I can use for the mayo portion but not sure about the coating.
The egg acts as a binder for the coating so I do not recommend omitting altogether or else the coating will not stick.
This was a big hit with us. The sauce is amazing. This is a keeper. Thanks for sharing
Making this for the second time tonight! We especially love the sauce. Any tips for cooking the chicken through without burning the crust. We were thinking lower heat or smaller chicken pieces?? Love your blog!
Best wishes and Happy New Year! Hannah and Jon.
Yes, that’s exactly right! Either your heat source is set too high and/or your chicken pieces are too large.
hi! i absolutely loved this recipe and i made it today!! I’m just having doubts about the mayo because I’m not very fond of it. other than that, the chicken came out crispy and juicy and is super delicious on its own! thank you and please make more chicken appetizer recipes! thanks!
The only thing I would leave out is the honey in the sauce. I prefer less sweet dishes though. Other than that this will be a regular dish in my house.