Crispy fried chicken in a sweet chili mayo made with minimal ingredients! This quick and easy bang bang chicken is ready in 30-minutes! Delicious as a main dish with rice, or as an appetizer, snack, or party food.
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What is Bang Bang Chicken?
Bang Bang Chicken is made of crispy fried chicken bites tossed in a simple 3-ingredient sauce made of Kewpie mayo, sweet chili sauce and sriracha sauce. The best part is the sauce requires no heating at all!
The chicken is packed with pops of sweet and spicy flavor like a bang, hence the name. The sauce is so versatile that you can even pour it over fried shrimp, like in my copycat Bang Bang Shrimp recipe inspired by Bonefish Grill’s restaurant.
To be clear, this dish is not the same as the Sichuan Bang Bang Chicken (or bon bon chicken), which features poached chicken hammered into shreds and dressed in a sweet, savory and nutty sauce.
Why you'll love this recipe:
- made in less than 30-minutes with minimal ingredients!
- great for busy weeknights and meal preparation.
- better-than-takeout and so flavorful!
- the sauce requires no cooking at all, just mix and pour over the fried chicken.
- you can also air fry the chicken - see below FAQ for instructions.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs: or substitute with chicken breast, but reduce the cooking time by 1-2 minutes.
- Buttermilk: or substitute with 1 cup or 250 ml dairy milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar. Or substitute with plain yogurt or sour cream.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch. Avoid using tapioca or rice flour as these can cause the chicken pieces to stick to one another.
- Neutral Cooking Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Black Pepper
- Green Onion
Bang Bang Sauce
- Japanese Mayonnaise (aka Kewpie Mayo): or substitute with regular mayonnaise. Both work fine for this recipe, but Japanese mayo is creamier and is available at the Asian market.
- Sweet Chili Sauce (aka Sweet Thai Chili Sauce)
- Sriracha Sauce
Note: Asian ingredients are typically available at most Asian grocery stores or check online, like on Amazon.
Variations
Bang Bang Chicken can be adapted to suit your dietary needs:
- Meatless-version: substitute the chicken with diced extra-firm tofu.
- Gluten-free version: substitute the sweet chili sauce with a gluten-free version.
- Dairy-free version: substitute the buttermilk with 1 cup / 250 ml plain oat milk mixed with 1 tablespoon or 15 ml lemon juice or white vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes until it thickens.
- Want it less spicy? Reduce the amount of sriracha to taste or omit it and add more sweet chili sauce.
Expert Tips
- Do not pat dry the chicken as some moisture is needed, so the cornstarch can stick to it.
- Evenly dice the chicken, so they fry consistently.
- Evenly coat chicken in cornstarch ensuring no bald spots for crispy chicken.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan if possible to maintain a consistent oil temperature.
- Make sure to heat the oil to a temperature of 325-350 degrees F using a digital instant read thermometer. If you don't own one, insert a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for rapid bubbles.
- Fry the chicken in small batches and do not overcrowd the pan or this will lower the oil temperature leading to less crispy chicken.
- Drain the fried chicken on a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil to prevent soggy chicken.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make bang bang chicken:
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch-wide pieces. Then transfer diced chicken into a large mixing bowl.
- Add buttermilk to the bowl of diced chicken and mix. Let the meat tenderize for 10-12 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Dredge each piece of chicken into the cornstarch mixture until evenly coated, shaking off any excess. Transfer coated chicken to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry coated chicken in 2-3 batches until golden and crispy on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Then transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined plate to drain off excess oil.
- Transfer fried chicken to a large bowl and pour the sauce on top. Toss until evenly coated. Garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat on the stovetop until hot throughout.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag after cooling down and frozen up to 3 months. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot throughout.
Pairing Suggestions
Bang bang chicken serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, or hot and sour soup.
- white or brown rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, or plain noodles.
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- other protein dishes like Beef Mushroom Stir Fry, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Egg Foo Young, Shrimp Omelet, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
- salad or sandwiched between bread.
FAQ
Bang bang chicken can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat until hot.
To air fry the chicken:
1. Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil.
2. Place coated chicken in a single layer with enough space around each piece. Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket or you won't have crispy chicken. You may need to air fry in batches.
3. Lightly spray oil over the chicken pieces.
4. Air fry at 400 F for 10-14 minutes until golden brown. No need to flip halfway.
The chicken can be substituted with jumbo shrimp, halibut, cod, or haddock and fry for until cooked, crispy and golden, about 1-3 minutes.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Bang Bang Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast
- 1 cup buttermilk or see below Notes for substitute
- 1 ¼ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- 1 cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 green onion finely chopped for garnish
Bang Bang Sauce
- ½ cup Japanese Mayo or sub with regular mayo
- ¼ cup Sweet Chili Sauce (aka Sweet Thai Chili sauce)
- 2 tablespoon sriracha
Instructions
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch-wide pieces. Then transfer diced chicken into a large mixing bowl.
- Add buttermilk to the bowl of diced chicken and mix. Let the meat tenderize for 10-12 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Dredge each piece of chicken into the cornstarch mixture until evenly coated, shaking off any excess. Transfer coated chicken to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry coated chicken in 2-3 batches until golden and crispy on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Then transfer fried chicken to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined plate to drain off excess oil.
- Transfer fried chicken to a large bowl and pour the sauce on top. Toss until evenly coated. Garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy!
Shirley
I haven't made your recipes yet, but I read the recipes of many and they all look delicious! I will leave a comment when I cook one. Thank you and keep sending them!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for the kind support and the positive review for my overall content! I hope you enjoy my recipes in the future 🙂
JOSE G DUMLAO JR
It looks good,will cook this eve
Mrsbergstedt
Best bang bang chicken recipe I’ve tried! Came out exactly as described. Everyone loved it! Thank you!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad everyone liked it!
Marie
This was so so so good and simple to make. Definitely a keeper!
Sharan
I've tried the bang bang chicken recipe today and it turned out fantastic. Added caneye pepper for the extra spice. Everyone loved it.😋
Christie Lai
I'm so happy to read this, Sharan! Thank you so much for making it!