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What is Bang Bang Chicken?
Bang Bang Chicken is made of crispy chicken tenderized in buttermilk, coated in cornstarch and tossed in a simple 3-ingredient sauce made of mayo, Thai sweet chili sauce and sriracha sauce.
The best part about this recipe is that the sauce requires no cooking at all! You're simply preparing and frying the chicken.
I love serving this dish with steamed rice with veggies! My version of this chicken dish was inspired by my copycat Bang Bang Shrimp recipe.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients
- Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs: Or substitute with chicken breast but reduce the cooking time by 1-2 minutes.
- Buttermilk: or substitute with 1 cup dairy milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or greek yogurt or sour cream. The buttermilk tenderizes the chicken as it contains lactic acid preventing protein bonding.
- Cornstarch or potato starch: avoid using tapioca or rice flour as these can cause the chicken pieces to stick to one another.
- Neutral 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 Mayo or sub with Normal mayo: both work fine but Japanese mayo is creamier
- Sweet Thai Chili sauce
- Sriracha sauce
Variations
Bang Bang Chicken can be adapted to suit your dietary needs:
- Vegetarian? Substitute the chicken with diced extra-firm tofu.
- Gluten-free? Substitute the sweet chili sauce with a gluten-free version.
- Dairy-free? Substitute the buttermilk with 1 cup soy milk and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and let it sit until it thickens.
- Sensitive to spice? You can easily reduce the amount of sriracha to suit your tastebuds or even omit it altogether.
Expert Tips
- Prepare ingredients ahead of time as the cooking process is fast.
- Do not pat dry the chicken! You need some moisture on the chicken so the starch can adhere 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 as this maintains the oil temperature.
- Make sure oil is hot enough before frying, around 325-350 degrees F. To check if oil is hot, use a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for bubbles. If you see bubbles, the oil is hot.
- Fry in small batches and do not overcrowd the pan because this reduces the oil temperature leading to less crispy chicken or possibly undercooked chicken.
- Drain the fried chicken on a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil which leads to soggy chicken.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make bang bang chicken:
First dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch-wide pieces. Then transfer chicken into a large bowl.
To your large bowl of diced chicken, add buttermilk. Let chicken tenderize in buttermilk for 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, garlic powder and black pepper.
Dredge each piece of chicken into the corn starch mixture until coated. Shake off any excess. Transfer coated chicken to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
In a large pan (about 10-inches wide) on medium heat, add vegetable oil or any neutral cooking oil. Once oil is hot, fry coated chicken in 2-3 batches until golden and crispy on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd or overcook.
Then transfer cooked chicken to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
Transfer chicken to a large bowl. Pour sauce over top. Toss to mix. Finally garnish with green onions. Enjoy while hot and crispy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or air fry at 350 degrees F for 3-5 minutes until hot.
- Freezer friendly? Yes! Layout a Ziplock bag on a baking tray. Place the fried chicken in a single layer so they don't stick to each other and freeze it up to 3-4 weeks. To reheat: re-fry them in oil until hot throughout (1-3 minutes) or air fry at 350 F for 4-5 minutes and toss them into the sauce.
Pairing Suggestions
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower 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.
- protein dishes like Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
- You can also enjoy the chicken with a salad or sandwiched between bread.
FAQ
Bang bang chicken can be prepared in advance. Start by mixing the sauce and store this in an airtight container in the fridge and it can last up to a month. The chicken can be prepared on the day of consumption to retain that crispy coating.
Yes, to air fry the chicken:
Lightly spray the air fryer basket with enough neutral oil.
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.
Spray enough oil over the chicken pieces.
Air fry at 400 F for 11-14 minutes until golden brown. Make sure to check in at every minute as this ranges between air fryer brands. No need to flip halfway.
Feel free to substitute the chicken with shrimp, sturdy white fish, diced pork, or diced extra-firm tofu.
Other recipes you may enjoy
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Bang Bang Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs or skinless boneless chicken breast
- 1 cup buttermilk or substitute with 1 cup dairy milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 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
Creamy Sauce:
- ½ cup Japanese Mayo or sub with normal mayo
- ¼ cup sweet Thai chili sauce
- 2 tablespoon sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch-wide pieces. Then transfer chicken into a large bowl.
- To your large bowl of diced chicken, add buttermilk. Let chicken tenderize in buttermilk for 10-12 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, garlic powder and black pepper.
- Dredge each piece of chicken into the corn starch mixture until coated. Shake off any excess. Transfer coated chicken to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- In a large pan (about 10-inches wide) on medium heat, add vegetable oil or any neutral cooking oil. Once oil is hot, fry coated chicken in 2-3 batches until golden and crispy on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Do not overcrowd or overcook.
- Then transfer cooked chicken to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
- Transfer chicken to a large bowl. Pour sauce over top. Toss to mix. Finally garnish with green onions. Enjoy while hot and crispy!
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!