This bang bang chicken recipe is the perfect appetizer with chunks of juicy fried chicken tossed in a creamy, sweet and spicy sauce. So easy to make!
Bang Bang Chicken Recipe
We're cooking up some fun appetizers in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends. Chicken is the star and I think you're going to love this one. It's really a riff off of the very popular homemade bang bang shrimp from Bonefish Grill, only we're using bite-sized pieces of chicken to make it.
We're talking Bang Bang Chicken, and it's crazy delicious!
Real, authentic bang bang chicken is actually a Chinese dish of chicken tossed in a spicy sauce. This is different, an Americanized version popularly served in American restaurants.
It's pretty easy to make, with the chunks of chicken coated in a corn starch mixture, then lightly fried. Toss them in a homemade bang bang sauce you can whip together in seconds and boom! Or should I say BANG!
Easy appetizers are good to go. They're great for game day, any party or gathering, or for enjoying all by yourself.
Let's talk about how to make bang bang chicken, shall we?
Homemade Bang Bang Chicken Ingredients
- FOR THE BANG BANG SAUCE
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup chili-garlic sauce
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon cayenne (or use smoked paprika for a milder version)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- FOR THE CHICKEN
- Chicken. Use 1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces - you can also use boneless chicken thighs. You can also easily scale up this recipe.
- Buttermilk. Use 1/2 cup buttermilk (or use milk).
- Corn Starch. Use 3/4 cup corn starch.
- Seasonings. Use 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (use smoked paprika for a milder version, or use both!) and salt and pepper to taste.
- Frying Oil. Enough vegetable oil for frying. Peanut oil is good here, too.
- FOR GARNISH: Fresh chopped parsley, spicy chili flakes
How to Make Bang Bang Chicken - the Recipe Method
Make the Bang Bang Sauce. First, add all of the bang bang sauce ingredients to a small bowl - mayo, chili-garlic sauce, sriracha, honey, lemon juice, cayenne and some salt and pepper.
Whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust for salt.
Set aside until ready to use. It is best to keep it in the refrigerator, covered.
Make the Bang Bang Chicken. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a pot to 375 degrees F over medium-high heat. Do not bring it to a boil. If you do not have a thermometer, test the oil with a tiny drop of corn starch. It will immediately sizzle up when you're ready to start frying.
Soak the Chicken. Add the chicken and buttermilk to a large bowl. Toss to coat the chicken. Soak for a few minutes while the oil is heating.
Dry Ingredients. Whisk together the cornstarch, cayenne (or paprika) and a bit of salt and pepper into a separate medium bowl.
Coat the Chicken. Remove the chicken and shake off any excess buttermilk. Coat the chicken in the seasoned cornstarch mixture.
Fry the Chicken Until Crispy. Fry the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes per side, or until they are cooked through and start to lightly brown for wonderfully crispy chicken. Remove and drain the chicken on paper towels.
Get Saucy. Toss the chicken with the bang bang sauce then garnish with fresh parsley and spicy chili flakes. Serve it up with extra bang bang sauce.
Boom! That's it, my friends! Or should I say "Bang". Easy enough, isn't it? I love this stuff. Super tasty.
About the Bang Bang Sauce
Bang Bang Sauce is a mixture of mayonnaise and chili sauce with other flavorful ingredients, and you can easily vary it up with different flavors to suit your own personal tastes. It is very similar to a creamy remoulade or popular sriracha mayo.
Popular additions include soy sauce, sriracha, chili-garlic sauce, honey, citrus or vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and/or spicy seasonings, such as cayenne or Cajun seasonings. I like to make an extra spicy version, of course.
See my Bang Bang Sauce Recipe here with more discussion on how you can customize it to make it your own.
Bang Bang Chicken Serving Suggestions
- Other Seasonings. You can easily add other seasonings to your chicken before frying. I often use garlic powder for an extra garlicky punch, which I just love. Use your own favorite seasoning blends.
- Appetizers. Serve bang bang chicken over spinach or other leafy greens as a simple appetizer or as the starter for your main course.
- Over Rice. Make it a meal by serving the chicken over steamed rice or cauliflower rice.
- Bang Bang Chicken Pasta. Toss the chicken with your favorite boiled noodles for a quick and easy pasta dinner.
- Bang Bang Chicken Tacos. Serve your homemade bang bang chicken over warmed tortillas with a few of your favorite toppings, like sliced avocado or chopped tomato.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The Heat Factor. Skip the sriracha and cayenne powder to tone down the heat of the bang bang sauce. Use a sweet chili sauce instead of the chili-garlic sauce. If you'd like to up the heat factor, add some of your favorite hot sauce to the sauce, and/or spicy chili flakes or powder.
- Air Fryer Bang Bang Chicken. Deep frying gives a wonderful crispiness to the chicken, but you can also make bang bang chicken in an air fryer without using all of that oil. Just heat your air fryer to 400 degrees F, then air fry the chicken pieces for 15 minutes or until they are cooked through, flipping them part way through the air fry.
- Grilled Chicken. Skip the frying and grill the chicken instead. Heat your grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Season the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper (or use your favorite seasoning blend), then grill the chicken a few minutes per side, until cooked through. Then, chop and toss the pieces with the bang bang sauce.
- Sautéed Chicken. Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pan. Season the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper (or use your favorite seasoning blend), then sauté the chicken a few minutes per side, until cooked through. Then, chop and toss them with the bang bang sauce.
- Baked Chicken. If you'd prefer to bake the chicken, set the coated chicken pieces on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake them for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until they are cooked through.
I hope you enjoy it! Time to get cooking! How are you going to serve yours? I'd love to hear it! I made tacos with mine! They're just great chicken bites!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Bang Bang Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE BANG BANG SAUCE
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup chili-garlic sauce
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon cayenne or use smoked paprika for a milder version
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 1 pound chicken breast chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or use milk
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper use smoked paprika for a milder version or use both!
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
- FOR GARNISH: Fresh chopped parsley spicy chili flakes
Instructions
FOR THE BANG BANG SAUCE
- Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, or serve right away.
FOR THE BANG BANG CHICKEN
- Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a wide pot to 375 degrees F. Do not let the oil boil. If you do not have a thermometer, test the oil with a tiny drop of flour. It will immediately sizzle up.
- Next, add the chicken and buttermilk to a large bowl. Toss to coat the chicken. Soak for a few minutes while the oil is heating.
- Whisk together then cornstarch, cayenne (or paprika) and a bit of salt and pepper into a separate large bowl.
- Drain the chicken and shake off any excess buttermilk. Coat the chicken in the seasoned cornstarch mixture, then fry them for 2-3 minutes per side, or until they are cooked through and start to lightly brown.
- Remove and drain the chicken on paper towels.
- Toss the chicken with the bang bang sauce then garnish with fresh parsley and spicy chili flakes.
Nutrition Information
Trisha Hamm says
We love this recipe!
Wondering if it would be possible to use in an air fryer?
Mike Hultquist says
You can, Trisha, yes. I would lightly freeze the battered chicken first so the batter doesn't run. Cook at 400 degrees F 15 minutes, or until cooked through and crispy, flipping part way through.
Lillian Dobre says
For pancakes I didn’t have buttermilk so it suggested 1 1/2 cups whole milk and 1/4 vinegar , I’ll try this
Elizabeth says
Is there a typo with the ingredients. Buttermilk or USE MILK? Is it whole milk?
Mike Hultquist says
Use buttermilk. If you don't have or don't want to use buttermilk, you can use milk = whole milk, 2% milk, or skim milk. Either will work. =) Enjoy, Elizabeth!
Amy Curtis says
This was incredible! We love everything extra spicy, so I added more cayenne. I also used our air fryer instead of frying the chicken in oil. It was so crispy and the bang bang sauce was awesome! I will definitely make this again! I would like to try this with shrimp. YUM!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Amy!
Judy P says
I am so glad I found this. Haven't made it yet, but I had bought some "Bang Band sauce from a local Walmart and was very disappointed it. Didn't taste anything like I thought it would. This sounds great!!
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Judy. The homemade bang bang sauce is SO MUCH BETTER than anything from the story. We love it here. I hope you do, too.
Monika says
It's delicious! Mmmm
Mike Hultquist says
Agreed! Thanks, Monika!
Moira Long says
Do you think Greek yogurt could be used instead of mayonnaise?
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely, though it will result in a thinner sauce, not quite the same flavor, but still good, and lighter.
Theresa says
where can I get srircha sauce?
I've been to Walmart and Publix
Mike Hultquist says
Theresa, you should be able to find Sriracha as y our local grocery store. It's very common. If you can't find it, ask someone at the front desk area.
Mary Daldo says
what is bang bang chicken or anything also I see crack chicken what is that
Mike H. says
"Bang Bang ..." has been made famous by Bonefish Grill. Have you ever been there? Other names like "Firecracker ..." or "Boom Boom ..." are just different names of the same thing.
Jacob Blanchard says
My sauce came out kind of reddish and yours is more golden?
Mike Hultquist says
Jacob, could be the amount of sriracha, etc, or honestly could just be the monitor, which can show slightly different colors.
Alainna says
Does anyone have instructions for air frying the chicken?
Roxann says
It is in the instructions above! 400* for 15 minutes, flipping atone half time.
Kristen says
Delicious and easy! I also appreciate the nutritional facts! Can you tell me the serving size? 🙂
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Kristin. Serving size is 1/4 the total dish, so under 1/4 pound or 3-4 ounces + associated sauce. =)
Cristina says
Delicious recipe and really easy to make!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Cristina! Glad you enjoyed it!
Karen says
Your bang bang chicken sounds delicious. What would you suggest it be served with to make it a meal?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Karen. I have some of my favorite ways listed on the page under Serving Suggestions. Let me know what you wind up doing.
Over Rice. Make it a meal by serving the chicken over steamed rice or cauliflower rice.
Bang Bang Chicken Pasta. Toss the chicken with your favorite boiled noodles for a quick and easy pasta dinner.
Bang Bang Chicken Tacos. Serve your homemade bang bang chicken over warmed tortillas with a few of your favorite toppings, like sliced avocado or chopped tomato.