Bang Bang Chicken

Golden crispy bang bang chicken smothered in a creamy sweet-spicy sauce. It’s ridiculously easy, outrageously good, and perfect for a quick dinner.

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: - 4

Author: Chris Collins

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
2 Large Bowls & Tongs (one for coating raw chicken, one for coating cooked chicken)
Large Shallow Dish or Curved Tray (for coating chicken)
Air Fryer or Large Pan (for cooking chicken)

Ingredients

Crispy Chicken

1.4lbs / 640g boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, diced into large bite-sized pieces (see notes)
2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper
1 Egg, beaten
5oz / 150g Cornstarch/Cornflour, or as needed (this is just to coat the chicken, so it is easily adjustable)
Oil Spray, if air frying
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil, if pan frying (or as needed)

Bang Bang Sauce

1/2 cup / 120g full-fat Mayonnaise
1/4 cup / 60g Sweet Chilli Sauce
2 tbsp Sriracha
1 tbsp Milk (see notes)
1 tsp Soy Sauce

To serve

Cooked Rice
very thinly sliced Spring Onion

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, coat the chicken in the seasoning, then mix in the beaten egg until fully coated.
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.
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
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.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the bang bang sauce ingredients. Add the crispy chicken and toss until fully coated.
Serve with rice and thinly sliced spring onion, then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Chicken - thigh is better than breast, because it's fattier and more difficult to dry out. This is important so you can get a nice crispy, coating with the chicken staying tender.

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.

Nutrition