Crispy baked chicken bites coated in a crunchy panko crust and tossed in a creamy, slightly spicy bang bang sauce. Perfect as a lunch, snack or appetizer. Below I explain how to bake the chicken for a lighter version and include notes for frying if you prefer.
“Turned out great. Paired with green beans and sweet potato fries. Only change I will make next time is to leave chicken pieces a bit larger. Took a while to roll in cornflour, dip in the buttermilk mixture, and cover in panko.”
– Wayne
Nicky’s Notes
I’m currently obsessed with bang bang sauce — first it was on shrimp, now it’s on chicken, and I’m testing a cauliflower version too. These crispy chicken bites are lovely piled on a simple green salad, in a bun, or served as a sharing plate with extra sauce for dipping.
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Notes
- 🔪 How to make Baked Bang Bang Chicken
- 👩🍳Pro Tip
- 🍽️ What to serve it with
- Bang Bang Chicken Recipe
- More chicken appetizers
🔪 How to make Baked Bang Bang Chicken
Full recipe with detailed steps is in the recipe card below.
Begin by coating the chicken in three stages: dredge in cornflour, dip in a seasoned buttermilk and egg mixture, then press into a seasoned panko mixture. Baking yields a crisp texture with less oil — to ensure the crumbs brown nicely, mix a couple of tablespoons of oil into the panko so you don’t need to brush or spray the pieces before baking.
When the chicken is cooked, finish by drizzling it with bang bang sauce made from mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce, sriracha and a touch of honey. Scatter sliced spring onions and chillies on top for freshness and heat.
👩🍳Pro Tip
If you prefer frying, omit the olive oil from the panko mix. Coat the chicken the same way, then shallow fry in about 1cm of hot oil in a large frying pan until golden and cooked through (about 5–7 minutes, depending on piece size). Work in batches so the oil temperature stays steady.
🍽️ What to serve it with
- A simple green salad for a lighter meal
- Homemade crispy chips for a more indulgent plate
- Soft brioche buns with crisp lettuce for a sandwich-style meal
- Wrapped in flatbreads or tortillas to make tacos or wraps
Which do you prefer — baked or fried?
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Bang Bang Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Crispy Chicken
- 3 chicken breasts (approx. 525g/1.1lbs), chopped into bite-size chunks
- 3 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in the USA)
- 120 ml (½ cup) buttermilk
- 1 egg
- ¾ tsp garlic salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 150 g (3 cups) panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp celery salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Bang Bang Sauce
- 120 ml (½ cup) mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha chilli sauce
- 1 tsp honey
To Serve
- 4 spring onions (scallions), sliced
- 1 red chilli, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan).
- Make the bang bang sauce by stirring together mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce, sriracha and honey. Set aside.
- Put the cornflour in one bowl.
- In a second bowl whisk together the buttermilk, egg, garlic salt, white pepper and 1 tsp salt.
- In a third bowl combine the panko, paprika, ½ tsp salt, black pepper, celery salt, white pepper and olive oil, mixing so the oil evenly coats the crumbs.
- Dredge the chicken pieces in cornflour, dip into the buttermilk mixture, then press into the panko to coat thoroughly.
- Arrange the coated chicken on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the coating is golden.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a serving bowl, drizzle over half the sauce, and sprinkle with spring onions and sliced chilli. Serve the remaining bang bang sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
The bang bang sauce can be made ahead, covered and refrigerated for up to a week. The chicken is best eaten fresh for maximum crunch, but you can cook it ahead and reheat.
To reheat, place the cooked chicken on a baking tray and warm in a 200C/400F oven for 10–12 minutes until piping hot.
Frying instead of baking
If frying, leave the olive oil out of the panko mix. Shallow fry the coated pieces in about 1cm of oil over medium-high heat in batches, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through (about 5–7 minutes).
Quick shortcut
Use ready-breaded chicken pieces (nuggets, tenders or strips). Cook according to the packet instructions and toss with bang bang sauce, topping with spring onions and sliced chillies.
Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (serves 4) and includes all the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation only.
This bang bang chicken recipe was first posted in July 2021 and has been updated with recipe improvements.
More chicken appetizers
Street Food
Chicken Pakora Recipe
Appetizers
Sticky AND Crispy Asian Chicken Wings
Air Fryer
Sticky Tamarind Wings
Appetizers
Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
Chicken
Crispy Chicken Tenders with Garlic Chilli Dip
Asian
Korean Fried Chicken
Some links in this post may be affiliate links which help support the site at no extra cost to you. Nutritional information is approximate and can vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.