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Spice up your evening meals with this mouthwatering Bang Bang Chicken, combining crunchy, juicy chicken with a perfectly mixed sweet-hot sauce. Each mouthful gives you an awesome crunch followed by an explosion of tastes that move between sweet, creamy, and just enough spice to make it interesting.
This dish turned into my household's top pick after trying many times to copy what our nearby eatery makes. The big win happened when I worked out just how much panko versus flour to use for coating and found the right oil heat for that amazing crunch.
Key Ingredients Breakdown
- Buttermilk: Makes chicken soft and adds a bit of tang. Mix milk with lemon juice as a quick substitute.
- Thai Sweet Chili Sauce: Try to grab Mae Ploy for the real deal. It brings that perfect mix of sweetness and kick.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Don't swap these for normal breadcrumbs or you'll miss the crunch. Pick ones without extra spices.
- Sriracha: Gives reliable heat every time. Go easy at first and add more if you want.
- Chicken Tenderloins: They're softer than breast chunks. Go for similar sized pieces so they cook evenly.
Step-by-Step Cooking Guide
- Step 1: Whipping Up Your Sauce
- Stir mayo until it's smooth. Slowly pour in sweet chili sauce while mixing. Add tiny bits of Sriracha and taste as you go. Let it sit while you work on the chicken.
- Step 2: Getting The Coating Right
- Mix wet stuff until it's totally smooth. Dunk each chicken piece and let extra drip off. Push panko on firmly but carefully. Let coated pieces sit for 5 minutes before they hit the oil.
- Step 3: Frying To Crunchy Perfection
- Warm oil gradually to keep temp steady. Drop in a wooden spoon handle to check for bubbles. Put pieces in facing away from your body. Only flip them once while cooking.
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I started making this when lockdown hit and we couldn't eat out anymore. Through lots of tries, I found out that letting your coated chicken sit a bit before frying really helps the coating stick better.
We use this sauce on everything now in my house. It's awesome on salads and even roasted veggies. Watching your heat is super important for best results. I've noticed that keeping the oil at the same temp stops the coating from getting too oily.
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Now that I've got this dish down pat, everyone asks me to make it when they come over. The mix of the crunchy outside, juicy inside, and that can't-stop-eating-it sauce creates something really amazing that gets folks happy around the dinner table.