This dish is perfect for those who enjoy a bit of heat and crave complex flavors. Whether you’re a fan of Chinese cuisine or looking to try something new, Bang Bang Chicken is a must-try dish that will tantalize your taste buds.
Crunchy Bang Bang Chicken
Bang Bang Chicken is a delicious, crunchy, fried dish with a sweet hot sauce. The secret to its crunchy exterior is rolling it in cornstarch instead of flour. The chicken is soaked in buttermilk for a few minutes before rolling it in the cornstarch to help tenderize it, which also contributes to the deliciousness of this dish. Bang bang chicken is best eaten right away so the sauce doesn’t soften its crunchy outer coating.
Ingredients for Bang Bang Chicken
This recipe uses a handful of ingredients.
- Chicken breast–Cut into bite-size pieces.
- Buttermilk–Tenderizes the chicken.
- Cornstarch–Gives the chicken a crunchy taste.
- Cayenne pepper–Adds heat to the chicken.
- Salt and pepper–Seasons the chicken.
- Scallion–Adds extra flavor and crunch to the chicken.
- Mayonnaise– The main ingredient in the sauce.
- Sweet chili sauce–Adds a sweetness to the sauce.
- Sriracha hot chili sauce–Adds a hot spiciness to the sauce.
Add Scallion to Bang Bang Chicken
Chopped scallion also gives this dish a tasty crunch. Although the scallion is considered a garnish, it adds a fresh taste to the crunchy chicken and spicy sauce.
Spicy Sauce
The sauce for this bang bang recipe is mayonnaise-based. It has a balance of sweet chili sauce and sriracha hot sauce. Toss the crispy fried chicken in it and eat right away for the best taste.
Use Cornstarch for Bang Bang Chicken
This recipe uses only cornstarch to “bread” the chicken. The main advantage of cornstarch is that it makes the chicken extra crunchy, which helps prevent it from becoming soggy too quickly after it is tossed with the chili sauce. Another benefit of cornstarch instead of flour is that it adds no wheat to this dish, making it naturally gluten-free.
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Bang Bang Chicken
Ingredients
Ingredients for Soaking Chicken
- 1 cup buttermilk (enough to cover cut-up chicken)
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast, skin off, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Ingredients for Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce (Maggi brand used in this recipe)
- 2 teaspoons sriracha hot chili sauce (Huy Fong Foods used in this recipe)
Ingredients for Cooking Chicken
- 1 cup cornstarch (add more cornstarch if necessary to thoroughly coat chicken)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- cooking oil with high smoke point (such as canola, vegetable, or peanut oil)
- 1 scallion, sliced (green onion)
Instructions
Directions for Soaking Chicken
- Soak chicken in buttermilk for 20 minutes.
Directions for Sauce
- Mix the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha hot chili sauce until well mixed. Set aside.
Directions for Cooking Chicken
- Add cornstarch, red pepper, salt, and pepper to a wide, shallow bowl. Stir to mix.
- Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and dredge it in the cornstarch mix. Shake off the excess mix.
- Pour 1 to 2 inches of cooking oil in a pan. Heat to 350 degrees F. Drop in chicken and fry until golden brown, about a minute or 2 on each side or until chicken is 165 degrees inside.
- When all of the chicken is cooked, drizzle the sauce over it. and toss to coat the chicken. Sprinkle with sliced scallions. Serve immediately.