Bang Bang Chicken Recipe Two Ways: Fried & Grilled

I recently discovered Bang Bang Chicken. The dish sounded so good, I couldn’t wait to try it myself. I tweaked a few recipes to make this delicious dish and it was a huge hit. Here are my versions of Bang Bang Chicken Recipe Two Ways: Fried & Grilled.

Few dishes capture the fusion of bold flavors and irresistible textures quite like Bang Bang Chicken. I discovered that it is originally a beloved street food from Sichuan, China.

From my days in culinary school and as a cooking instructor for 15 years, I know that recipes evolve, changing as they travel the globe.

Bang Bang Chicken began as pounded, poached chicken tossed in a tingly, spicy-sweet sauce to the crispy, saucy favorite found today on modern menus. 

What makes Bang Bang Chicken so popular is its signature sauce – a creamy blend of mayo, sweet chili, and a touch of heat – that transforms simple fried and grilled chicken into something mouthwatering and utterly addictive. 

Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner or a party-pleasing appetizer, Bang Bang Chicken delivers big flavor in every bite.

As usual, I took a few recipes, tweaked the seasonings to our liking and decided to try it using two cooking methods – frying and grilling.

To say that Sweet Shark and I were pleased with these two delicious versions of Bang Bang Chicken is an understatement: both dishes were tantalizing and so flavorful.

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Ways to Cook Bang Bang Chicken

After I came across Bang Bang Chicken, I began to research the recipe. I read each one before I shared 11 Delicious Bang Bang Chicken Recipes.

I discovered that, although the basic recipes for the sauce are very similar, the methods to cook the chicken varied, making the dish incredibly versatile.

• Frying and grilling are the two most popular ways to prepare Bang Bang Chicken.
• You can also bake it for a lighter, hands-off approach that still yields a caramelized, crispy glaze. 
• Air frying is another popular option, giving you a crunchy exterior with less oil and minimal mess. 
• You can even try poaching or steaming the chicken, then tossing it with the iconic sauce for a lighter, more authentic take. 
  No matter your cooking method, Bang Bang Chicken’s combination of textures and flavors is sure to win over anyone who tries it.

I don’t own an air fryer, so that method was out. I don’t like poached chicken and I knew that wouldn’t yield the crispy texture that I wanted. Baking would be easy, but again, you can’t get the crispiness we so crave.

As a southern girl, I love fried chicken, and I love anything grilled, so I instinctively knew those were the methods I would use.

Bang Bang Sauce

Every recipe emphasized the importance of the iconic Bang Bang Sauce.

The sauce uses ingredients you probably have at home. It can be made ahead and refrigerated for a few days. That’s where I started.

Bang Bang Sauce Ingredients

I used a combination of a few ingredients for my sauce.

• good quality mayonnaise – I used Hellman’s but Dukes would also be great
• honey
• Sriracha
• chili sauce – you can also use Thai Chili Sauce
• fresh lime juice – you will need a citrus juicer

Place everything in a bowl and stir or whisk to combine. Taste the sauce to see if it has enough sweet-spiciness for your liking.

NOTE: Sweet Shark and I tasted the “basic” sauce ingredients. We could taste the sweetness of the honey, but we didn’t think it had enough “heat”. (FYI – I’m not big on heat and spicy, but I wanted more of that flavor profile.) I slowly – 1/4 teaspoon at a time – added more Sriracha and Chili Sauce, which isn’t spicy at all, until we got the spicy-sweetness that the recipe calls for.

When we had the zestiness we wanted, I covered the sauce and set it aside.

TIP: If you are going to serve the Bang Bang Chicken and Sauce within an hour, I wouldn’t place the sauce in the fridge. The flavors need to meld and cold inhibits flavor.

Fried Bang Bang Chicken Ingredients

For my fried Bang Bang Chicken version, I used a simple egg and batter method using cornstarch and panko bread crumbs. Once again, we thought the batter needed a little more spice.

• 2 large eggs
• cornstarch
• panko breadcrumbs
• garlic power
• onion powder
• paprika, smoked or sweet
• chili powder
• kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• oil for frying – I used vegetable, but canola will work too

NOTE: We buy most of our spices in the bulk section of our Central Market.

I found the little glass spice bottles at a flea market. I thought they were so cute that I bought 10 of them.

Preparing the Chicken

If you love chicken nuggets, you’ll love this fried method for preparing Bang Bang Chicken. The difference between regular chicken nuggets and Bang Bang-style is the added spices.

NOTE: You can also use thighs, but my recommendation is to use thighs for the grilled version and breasts for the fried version.

TIP: I always use plastic food gloves when I’m working with chicken. They keep your hands mostly germ-free and clean.

You start with two boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

TIP: When slicing fish or chicken, I use a fish knife. It’s very sharp and goes through meat easily. I use plastic cutting boards for poultry, fish, or meat because you can spray them with a bleach solution and then put them in the dishwasher.

I cut the breasts into large cubes. If there is any extra fat, trim that off.

Place the chicken cubes into a bowl and cover. Place it in the fridge if you are not using it immediately.

NOTE: When I started this recipe, I intended to fry all the chicken cubes (I had 27 cubes). But I knew Sweet Shark and I couldn’t eat that many. That’s when the idea of also trying the grilling method came to me. I used 12 cubes for the frying method and 15 cubes for the grilling method.

Making the Bang Bang Chicken – Fried Method

Step 1 – Choose your tool for frying the chicken. With only 12 chicken cubes to fry, I used my 10-inch Lodge cast iron skillet. This one belonged to my mom, so I’m guessing it is 50 – 60 years old. You can imagine how well seasoned it is.

Step 2 – Fill your skillet with oil. I used 2 cups, but 1 1/2 cups would have been enough. Slowly bring your oil to medium heat.

TIP: This is when I turn on my Vent-a-Hood.

Step 3 – While the oil is heating, in a medium bowl, combine your batter ingredients. I like to use a whisk for this step.

Step 4: Crack the eggs in a medium bowl and use the whisk to beat them slightly. Set up your bowl of eggs, batter, and chicken cubes by your stovetop.

Step 5 – Turn up the heat to medium-high for a few minutes.
TIP: Check that it is hot by flicking some water onto the oil with your hand. It should gently sizzle.

Step 6 – Place the chicken cubes in the bowl of eggs and mix to coat. I still wear a glove for this step.

Step 7 – Place half the chicken cubes in the bowl of batter, shaking off excess eggs. Gently toss the chicken cubes to coat them completely in the batter.

Step 8 – Place the chicken cubes in the hot oil, shaking off any excess batter.

TIP: The key to getting crispy chicken (or other fried foods) is to NOT crowd them in the pan. Leave plenty of space between food and it will come out tender-crisp.

Step 9 – When the tops of the chicken cubes are golden brown, use tongs to turn them over. Continue cooking until all sides are nicely browned.

Step 10 – As the chicken cubes are done cooking, remove them to a couple of layers of paper towels. Add more chicken cubes to the skillet and continue cooking until all are done and have been drained on the paper towels.

The entire cooking process takes less than 10 minutes.

Serving the Bang Bang Chicken with the Bang Bang Sauce

For the fried version of Bang Bang Chicken, I envisioned it as an appetizer for a party served with the sauce on the side and toothpicks for dipping.

I chopped some chives from our garden and sprinkled them in the sauce.

I have to tell you that the chicken was delicious. It was tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The sweet and spicy sauce was the perfect accompaniment. We ate every bite and would have eaten more.

Recommendations:

• I would increase the spices slightly in the batter and the sauce, which is what I did in the recipe below. If you are sensitive to spices, then half the amounts in the recipe on your first try.
• If you are making this version of Bang Bang Chicken for a large crowd, you can decrease the size of your chicken cubes to 1/2 inch. Mine were almost an inch.
• If you are making this version for a large crowd and you have a deep fryer, I would definitely use that.
• Keep the chicken cubes in a warm oven (200˚ – 225˚) if you aren’t quite ready to serve them.

Grilled Bang Bang Chicken on Skewers

As much as we loved the Crispy Fried Bang Bang, I was excited to use the rest of our cubed chicken. We had 15 cubes left.

We would use the Bang Bang Sauce for versions of Bang Bang Chicken.

We used the Crispy Fried Bang Bang Chicken Recipe as an appetizer. The Grilled Bang Bang Chicken Recipe would work quite well as a main course.

Ingredients for Grilled Bang Bang Chicken

• boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• olive oil
• smoked paprika
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Grilling the Bang Bang Chicken Recipe

For grilling the chicken, I used our cast-iron stove-top grill. We have had this tool for over 20 years and use it several times a week. We use it for grilling bread, chicken, meats, and vegetables. The other side is a griddle that I use for pancakes.

I started heating it before I started prepping the grilled chicken. Of course, you can grill the chicken on your outdoor grill.

Step 1 – Cut your chicken into cubes and place in a bowl. (See above.)

Step 2 – Combine the spices and the olive oil in a bowl and add the chicken cubes. Toss to thoroughly coat. If not using immediately, cover and place in the refrigerator.

Step 3 – If using wooden skewers, soak them in a shallow dish of water for about 30 minutes. You can also use metal skewers. We used two metal skewers for the remaining chicken cubes.

Step 4 – Thread 4 – 6 chicken cubes on the skewers. I divided the remaining skewers between the two metal skewers.

NOTE: You can cover the skewers the place the fridge until ready to grill.

Step 5 – I added a little bit more olive oil to the griddle. Lay the skewers on the grill on the diagonal to get those pretty grill marks. Grill until the bottom of the chicken has grill marks and the meat turns from pink to white.

Step 6 – Use tongs to turn over the chicken to cook the second side.

Step 7 – When the chicken is cooked through, remove the skewers from the grill. Remove the chicken from the skewers on the serving plates.

Serving the Grilled Bang Bang Chicken

For the grilled Bang Bang Chicken, I drizzled the Bang Bang Sauce over the chicken. We served the chicken with roasted okra and onions and summer squash.

I garnished the chicken with thinly sliced green onion.

I can tell you that this grilled Bang Bang Chicken Recipe was delicious. It was easy because the vegetables roasted in the oven, so I could concentrate on grilling the chicken skewers.

NOTE: Print both recipes. The Bang Bang Sauce recipe is attached to the Crispy Fried Bang Bang Chicken Recipe.

I hope you will try the two versions of this Bang Bang Chicken Recipe: Fried Crispy & Grilled.

Sweet Shark and I couldn’t decide which version we liked better.

Both were full of that spicy and sweet flavor that Bang Bang Chicken is known for. The sauce had just the right level of sweet and spicy creaminess. The fried version was crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. The grilled version was tender and had the punch of the Bang Bang sauce to go with it.

Try both versions and let me know which you like better.

Pin this post and the two recipes- two for the price of one! Check out these Pinterest Food Boards: Recipes, Summer Recipes, and Party Ideas.