Bang Bang Chicken is an easy weeknight dinner idea with a tangy, yet sweet sauce! This recipe calls for baking the chicken instead of frying for a lighter meal with easy clean up!
If you’re always on the hunt for easy chicken dinner ideas, try my Instant Pot Chicken Adobo. No Instant Pot? Then you’ll love this Slow Cooker Orange Chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Bang Bang Chicken
One of the appeals of Asian (and Asian-inspired) dishes is that they have contrasting flavors, unlike so many American dinners that are all savory.
Take this Bang Bang Chicken recipe. It’s sweet, savory, and spicy, giving every single bite layers of flavor. Plus, you’ve also got a variety of textures here, with creamy sauce and chicken that’s crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Here’s why it’s going to be a favorite:
- This is a recipe that’s easy enough for a weeknight. A quick dredging is all the work you’ll have to do!
- Baking instead of frying means that this bang bang chicken recipe is healthier and cleanup is minimal. Who wants to deal with a pan full of oil and spatters all over the stovetop?!
- Bang bang chicken is versatile! You can customize the heat level to your liking and you can serve it alongside a simple veggie stir fry, with noodles, or on top of a big bowl of Chicken Fried Rice.
Important Ingredient Notes
- Mayonnaise – This is the base of the sauce. You can lighten things up by using Greek yogurt if you’d like, but note that this will add a note of tanginess to the dish.
- Chili garlic sauce – Feel free to add more or less, depending on your family’s preferences
- Granulated sugar – For a sweetness to balance the other flavors in the sauce.
- Rice vinegar – Also labeled as rice wine vinegar. This adds a sour note to the sauce.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Cut these into cubes. If you’d like, you can use chicken thighs instead.
- Panko breadcrumbs – Panko has much more crunch and texture than regular breadcrumbs.
- Seasonings – Onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper, and dried basil make the bang bang chicken coating flavorful.
How to Make Bang Bang Chicken
Prepare: Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the Sauce: Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon. Cover and set aside.
Mix the Coatings:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.
- In a large ziploc bag, shake the flour, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, and basil to combine.
Coat the Chicken:
- Place the chicken pieces into the ziploc bag and shake a few times.
- Dip the chicken into the egg.
- Return the chicken to the ziploc bag.
Bake and Finish:
- Arrange the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Add half of the sauce to the chicken to coat, while the chicken is still hot. Sprinkle with additional dried basil and serve with sauce on the side.
Tips and Tricks
- If you’d like to fry bang bang chicken, you can. It works with both shallow or deep frying.
- You can get a more golden color and crispy texture by broiling the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side at the end of the cooking time.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, as mayo-based sauces don’t freeze and thaw well.
- It might sound strange, but you can add any leftover breadcrumb coating to the pan with the chicken about halfway through the cooking time. It will bake up extra-crispy and you can sprinkle this over the chicken as a garnish when you serve it.
Recipe FAQs
You can make this baked bang bang chicken into a salad by serving it over a bed of greens, serve it with rice or noodles, or serve it with toothpicks at a party a la Grape Jelly Meatballs.
No, bang bang sauce has a bit of sweetness to it, while yum um sauce is more savory. Both are creamy sauces, though, since they’re made with mayo.
Yes! After coating the chicken, cook it in batches in the air fryer. Toss it in the sauce after all the chicken is done cooking.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
- Chinese Coleslaw
- Massaman Curry
- Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken Curry Recipe
- Instant Pot Beef Broccoli
More Easy Dinner Recipes
See all Main Dish recipes
Bang Bang Chicken
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ Tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
For the egg mixture:
- 1 egg beaten
- ¾ cup milk
For the breading:
- 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 1 ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
- In a small bowl, combine egg and milk and whisk together. Set aside.
- In a large ziploc bag, combine flour, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic, and basil. Zip closed and shake until mixed.
- To begin, bread the chicken by first dropping it into the ziploc bag and shake a few times. Then dip chicken into the egg and put back into the ziploc. Once coated, place each piece of chicken onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- To cook, bake on pan for 25 minutes. Once done, add half of the sauce to the chicken to coat (while the chicken is still hot). Sprinkle with a little extra dried basil and serve with sauce on the side. ENJOY.
- **For a more golden color, at the end of the cooking time, turn on broiler and place pan a few inches away. Broil about 2 minutes on each side. ENJOY.
Notes
- You CAN fry this if you want (deep or shallow) but sometimes it’s just so much easier not to deal with that mess.
