Bang Bang Chicken is panko-crusted chicken tenderloins deep-fried to a crispy golden brown, drizzled with homemade bang bang sauce. Crispy tangy chicken delight! Of course, I also have Bang Bang Shrimp that you will love!
Bang Bang Chicken
Yes, we all know about Bang Bang Shrimp, but with the sauce being a sweet and spicy delight, it’s a shame not to use it on other foods! So, I now have this chicken smothered in the sauce, as well as bang bang chicken skewers and bang bang salmon that you have to try. And, if you want to make this bang bang chicken a meal, I also have quite a few side dishes that will be perfect.
Crispy chicken tenders before coating. Can be served this way instead of coated!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Chicken: Look for boneless skinless chicken tenderloins (tenders). Or, you could cut chicken breasts into strips, although that would not actually be chicken tenderloins, which are smaller pieces of meat located on the underside of the chicken breast. Either way, this recipe will be your new favorite way to serve chicken!
Bang Bang Sauce: The simple sauce is both sweet and spicy. And I have both homemade mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce you can use in the sauce. Depending on how hot you want the sauce, you can always add more Sriracha. You can make the sauce ahead of time; it will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Buttermilk: Look for full-fat buttermilk to use to coat the chicken pieces. I have a homemade buttermilk recipe you could use if you don’t have any on hand. To make the breading a little spicier, add more cayenne pepper and Sriracha sauce to the buttermilk mixture.
Panko: Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb that is lighter and will stay crispier longer. Look for plain panko in the Asian food aisle of the grocery store. You could get away with using regular breadcrumbs or cornflakes, but the texture and crunch will be different.
Oil: After frying the chicken in canola or vegetable oil, don’t throw out the oil. First, check out how to clarify used cooking oil so it doesn’t go to waste.
How to Make Bang Bang Chicken in the Air Fryer
If you would rather use your air fryer for this recipe, you will still get crispy chicken, but with no mess from oil. Follow the same instructions up to deep-frying. Then, spray each coated chicken tender with cooking spray. Place a few into the basket of your air fryer, making sure not to overcrowd the basket. Air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes, flipping the tenders over halfway through. And then, drizzle with bang bang sauce and enjoy!
Can I Bake the Chicken in the Oven?
Sure! A third option would be to bake the chicken in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the coated chicken tenders onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray and bake for 12-15 minutes, flipping them over halfway through baking. The chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. They will not be as crispy as frying them in oil or cooking in an air fryer, but they are still delicious!
How to Store Fried Chicken
It’s easy to store the cooked chicken (no matter what method you used), both in the refrigerator and the freezer. For both storage options, first, let the chicken cool completely, or for about 30 minutes. Next, wrap the chicken in aluminum foil. Store the chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To freeze, store the chicken in a freezer bag for up to 6 months.
More Chicken Recipes
Bang Bang Chicken
Ingredients
Bang Bang Sauce
- 1 cup (232 g) mayonnaise
- ½ cup (132 g) Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons honey
Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup (245 g) buttermilk
- ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (64 g) cornstarch
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 cups (216 g) panko breadcrumbs, plain
- canola oil, for frying
- parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
Bang Bang Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, and honey. Mix well and set aside.
Chicken
- In a medium mixing bowl add buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, sriracha, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Whisk to combine. Add chicken tenders and toss to coat.
- Add Panko to a shallow plate.
- Working one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the batter, gently shaking off any excess batter. Dredge the chicken in the panko, pressing slightly to adhere. Set on a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Set aside while you heat the oil.
- To a large skillet, add about an inch of oil. Heat oil over medium-high heat until it reaches a temperature of 365°F.
- Working in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, add chicken and cook until browned (about 2-3 minutes on each side), or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Repeat with the remaining chicken tenderloins, making sure the oil is 365°F before adding more chicken.
- Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate to drain slightly before adding it to a serving plate.
- Toss the chicken with the bang bang sauce, top with chopped parsley, and serve warm.
Did you make this recipe?
You can tag me at @iamhomesteader.
Fantastic! And so fun and easy to make!
Made it last night! Chicken came out super crispy and paired very well with a bed of rice. Only made half of the bang bang sauce since I didn’t have enough Mayo left and thankfully it was still plenty for me personally. Would make again!
Would you use chicken breast for the chicken tenders?
What the side dip on the finished dish? Is that also the bang bang sauce or yum yum sauce? Can’t wait to make it tomorrow!
I love Bang Bang shrimp so can’t wait to try the chicken , will let you know
What’s the best way to heat up the leftovers from the fridge?
We like hot & fast. Meaning, I do 400°F in the oven anywhere from 5-15 minutes depending on the size of the chicken.
I can’t wait to try your recipes, you go into great detail explaining everything. Please don’t take things to heart what some people say .Thank you for sharing your recipes
❤️ Thank you.
Made this tonight and it was excellent! My hubby loved it and so did I . My only complaint… I was full and I had to clean up ! Lol 😂 Made a side of Jazmine Rice and boy yummy 🤤.
Lv you’re post and amazing recipes
Wondering if a substitution can be used in place of the mayo? It looks so good, but I do not do mayo because of eggs. Thank you
Can I substitute something for the buttermilk? Can’t wait to try this!
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk or water
Replaces a cup of buttermilk
I m so sorry, I wanted to like this but it was awful! The chicken was fine, but could have made it without the buttermilk mixture and just done regular flour, egg, panko. The sauce was terrible! Just tasted like mayonnaise! What a waste of a 1/4 of a jar of mayo, a half bottle of Thai sweet chili sauce and sriracha ( that I probably won’t use again). It was probably $5 worth of ingredients that I threw out after trying it! I love trying new recipes so this was so disappointing?
I’m just so confused by this comment because this recipe doesn’t present itself as anything other than what it is. Breaded chicken coated in bang bang sauce. If you know you don’t like mayo and sweet chili sauce and sriracha, why would you like the combination of the 3? I think the disappointment should be in trying a recipe that you knew you wouldn’t enjoy. If you know you like breaded chicken strips, just make that.
❤️❤️❤️ well said Amanda!
All of what you just said, you said perfectly.
Barb,
Awful. That’s a pretty harsh descriptive word to use. It appears that you and Norma are the only 2 readers who have issues with this recipe. Think I’ll make it for tomorrow, and I bet it will be awful good!
You’re upset because you spent $5 on ingredients that you already knew you didn’t like? Or you could’ve just added more to the mayo so it didn’t taste that way. Probably tasted horrible because of the attitude served with it 🙂 Can’t wait to try this recipe tonight.
So delicious!!!
This is on tonight’s menu! Can’t wait!
You have some amazing recipes! Thank you!
How beautiful are you and your recepies!
I learn a lot from your shining ideas.
Keep going Chef Amanda 👏
I new to having an air fryer. This recipe looks amazing. How would I make it in an air fryer? Thank gou
The instructions for air frying are above the recipe card.
Can this be cooked in the oven?
Instructions are in the post. 🙂
Looks great and can’t wait to try this in my air fryer. Nutrition info please. Thanks.
Way too many ads.. unable to see the recipes!!
If you would like to see the recipes without ads I am perfectly willing to charge. It’s about $29.99 a month per person to cover the cost of ingredients, resources, and time. Would that work better for you, Norma?
Perfect response
Thanks to you, I’m venturing out a bit–quite a bit! I’ve tried nearly a dozen of your recipes, and every one has been a hit! At 72, I’d been in a rut when it came to mealtime. Now, I’m making dishes I never felt I could do! THANK YOU!!!
Love to hear it, Vickie! Happy cooking!
This sounds like it might be a winner so will be going on next week’s menu. Excited to try it!
Best chicken strips I’ve ever had, thank you! I make bang bang shrimp and love it but this was even better!