Golden crispy bang bang chicken smothered in a creamy sweet-spicy sauce. Itâs ridiculously easy, outrageously good, and perfect for a quick dinner.
There is no need for this classic to be complicated or time-consuming. Here I’ll show you how to make crispy chicken and whip up the easiest sauce in the world – all in around 30 minutes. Follow me…
How to prepare Bang Bang Chicken
I like to use chicken thigh because it’s fattier and more flavoursome than breast. Because we want to get a crispy crust on the chicken, thigh is going to be more robust in staying tender.
For the chicken crust, some recipes use breadcrumbs. Because we’re going to be tossing the chicken in the sauce, I find breadcrumbs soften too quickly and begin falling off. Instead, we’re going to be using a flour-based coating (cornflour/cornstarch) to be precise.
Coating the chicken
After seasoning the chicken, I like to coat it in beaten egg before coating in the cornflour. I find that this not only results in a slightly thicker, more sturdy batter, but it also helps the cornflour stick to the chicken more easily.
When coating the chicken, make sure you really work the cornflour into the chicken, then shake off excess to ensure the batter doesn’t end up too dusty.
Process shots: coat diced chicken in seasoning (photo 1), coat in beaten egg (photo 2), coat in cornflour (photos 3&4).
How to cook Bang Bang Chicken
To cook the chicken, you’ve got a few different options. Some recipes opt for deep frying. For me, this is overkill, especially for a quick weeknight dinner, which this is. Other recipes bake the chicken, but I find that it just doesn’t get crispy enough. Instead, here are my two favourite methods:
Option #1 – Pan Fry
This is the speediest option, and the chicken comes out a little crispier and juicier. Only negative is you’ll need to use a good amount of oil, and it might get a little messy.
Option #2 – Air Fry
This uses less oil and is less hands-on, but it takes a little longer, and the chicken doesnât come out quite as crispy.
Bang Bang Chicken Sauce
A classic bang bang sauce is so easy to make, it’s almost unbelievable. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise â The bulk of the sauce. Make sure itâs full-fat for the best flavour.
- Sweet Chilli Sauce â Youâll find this in every supermarket/grocery store. It adds a lovely, glossy sweetness to the sauce.
- Sriracha â This brings the whole thing to life with a kick of spice.
- Soy Sauce â This seasons the sauce whilst adding a little hit of flavour.
- Milk – I don’t usually add this, but the sauce needs to be a little thinner than usual, so it doesn’t end up too thick as it wraps around the chicken.
Instead of drizzling the sauce over the chicken, we’re going to be tossing the chicken in the sauce. The sauce is too good not to wrap around every part of the chicken.
Process shots: add sauce ingredients to bowl (photo 1), mix (photo 2), add chicken (photo 3), toss (photo 4).
How to serve Bang Bang Chicken
I love to serve with rice as it soaks up that gorgeous sauce. Alongside rice, here are some options for garnish.
- Spring Onion – I like to top with very thinly sliced spring onion for a final pop of flavour and colour.
- Chilli Crisp / Chilli Oil – I’ve seen people finish with a drizzle of chilli crisp/oil, which sounds amazing!
- Cucumber Salad – If you want an extra something on the side, I recommend serving with a tangy cucumber salad (the same salad that I serve with my bang bang salmon skewers).
For another delicious bang bang recipe, check out my Bang Bang Shrimp!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this bang bang chicken shall we?!
How to make Bang Bang Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)
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Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
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2 Large Bowls & Tongs (one for coating raw chicken, one for coating cooked chicken)
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Large Shallow Dish or Curved Tray (for coating chicken)
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Air Fryer or Large Pan (for cooking chicken)
Prevent your screen from going dark
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In a large mixing bowl, coat the chicken in the seasoning, then mix in the beaten egg until fully coated.
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Add the cornstarch/cornflour to a large shallow dish. Take a piece of chicken, coat it in the cornflour, give it a shake, then place it to one side and repeat. You could do a few at a time, so long as you make sure they don’t stick and are individually thoroughly coated in the cornflour. If you run out of cornflour, just add more as needed.
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Option 1 (Pan Fry): Place a large pan over medium-high heat and pour in enough oil to comfortably cover the base of the pan. Once hot (it should reach 180C/350F), spread out the chicken and fry each side for 3-4 minutes, or until golden, crisp and piping hot through the centre. You may need to work in batches. I recommend placing the cooked chicken on a wire rack or paper towels to drain off excess oil
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Option 2 (Air Fry): Spread the chicken out and lightly spray it with oil. Cook at 200C/400F for 12 minutes, or until light golden, crisp and piping hot through the centre. You may need to work in batches.
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Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the bang bang sauce ingredients. Add the crispy chicken and toss until fully coated.
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Serve with rice and thinly sliced spring onion, then tuck in and enjoy!
b) Milk – I don’t typically add milk to bang bang sauce, but in this context it most likely will need it. Depending on the brand of sweet chilli sauce and mayo you use, the sauce might up quite thick. When you toss the chicken, it can end up a little stodgy (but still delicious). As such, I like to thin out the sauce with a dash of milk so the sauce stays ‘saucy’ once you’ve tossed in the chicken. If your sauce looks fine without the milk, you can skip it (just use your best judgment).
c) Make ahead – you don’t want to make the chicken ahead of time, but you can definitely make the sauce ahead of time. Just tightly store in the fridge for a few days. Make sure you bring to room temp before you add the chicken!
d) Calories – whole recipe divided by 4 assuming 1/3 of the cornflour attaches and the chicken is air fried.
Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.63g | Protein: 34.46g | Fat: 29.12g | Saturated Fat: 5.449g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14.401g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7.342g | Trans Fat: 0.059g | Cholesterol: 181mg | Sodium: 1192mg | Potassium: 480mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 8.54g | Vitamin A: 851IU | Vitamin C: 5.5mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2.38mg
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