Description
This Bang Bang Chicken recipe is a delicious Americanized take on a popular Sichuan dish, featuring twice-fried, crispy chicken cubes tossed in a sweet and spicy bang bang sauce made with mayonnaise, honey, sweet chili sauce, and gochujang. It's perfectly crispy and full of flavor, sure to surpass any restaurant version you’ve had!
Ingredients
Chicken and Coating
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¼ cup potato starch
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon shichimi togarashi (Japanese red pepper condiment)
- 2 cups oil for frying, or as needed
Bang Bang Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: Whisk together milk and egg in a large bowl until well combined. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat them evenly, then allow to marinate for 15 minutes. After marinating, drain and discard the egg mixture.
- Prepare Coating: In a medium bowl, combine potato starch, all-purpose flour, salt, black pepper, and shichimi togarashi. Transfer this mixture into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the marinated chicken to the bag, seal it tightly, and shake well to evenly coat each piece of chicken with the dry mixture.
- First Fry: Heat about 2 inches of oil in a deep saucepan to 325°F (165°C). Working in batches of 5 to 8 pieces, fry the coated chicken pieces for about 90 seconds. Remove them carefully from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil, keeping batches separate.
- Second Fry: Increase the oil temperature to 350°F (175°C), ensuring it is boiling continuously. Carefully return the first batch of fried chicken to the oil and fry again for another 90 seconds until extra crispy. Remove to a fresh paper towel-lined plate and repeat this process with the remaining batches.
- Make the Bang Bang Sauce: In a large serving bowl, combine mayonnaise, honey, sweet chili sauce, and gochujang. Mix well until all ingredients are fully incorporated into a smooth sauce.
- Toss and Serve: Add the twice-fried chicken to the bowl with the bang bang sauce and toss thoroughly to coat every piece evenly. Serve immediately while the chicken is crispy and the sauce is fresh.
Notes
- Potato starch can be substituted with cornstarch; potato starch provides a silkier texture and neutral flavor, commonly used in Asian cooking.
- If you don’t have shichimi togarashi, feel free to use any ground red pepper for a similar spicy kick.
- Gochujang can be replaced with any hot sauce according to your desired heat level and availability.
- Using a splatter screen while frying is recommended to reduce mess and improve safety.
- Twice frying is the secret to achieving incredibly crispy fried chicken, as the second fry crisps the chicken further while retaining juiciness.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American, Chinese-inspired
