The Ultimate Bang-Bang Chicken delivers its flavors with a bang (unsurprisingly)! The chicken is crispy, golden, tender, and savory, and better yet, it’s already infused with spice, so it’s got some lovely heat to it from the get-go! Then the creamy, tangy, spicy sauce gets drizzled all over that chicken! Bite into Ultimate Bang-Bang Chicken and hear the crunch announcing an explosion of great flavors!
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
For the batter:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 extra-large egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
For the chicken:
- 1 pound chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- 3 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- chives, optional, to taste, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, the sweet chili sauce, 2 tablespoons of the hot sauce, the honey, and the rice wine vinegar, until completely smooth.
Step 2 –In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, the cornstarch, the onion powder, the salt, the black pepper, and the chili powder and whisk to combine.
Step 3 –Whisk the buttermilk, the beaten egg, and the remaining hot sauce into the flour mixture until smooth.
Step 4 –Submerge the chicken pieces into the batter.
Step 5 –In a 2-3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan or a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat the vegetable oil to about 325 degrees F.
Step 6 –Place the breadcrumbs in a medium-size shallow bowl or shallow plate.
Step 7 –Line a plate or a pan with paper towels.
Step 8 –Dredge the coated chicken in the breadcrumbs until coated.
Step 9 –Add the breaded chicken to the heated oil and cook, while flipping the chicken as needed, until the pieces are deep brown and cooked through, with the meat reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 10 –Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the prepared plate or pan to drain.
Step 11 –Repeat the frying process until all of the chicken is cooked.
Step 12 –Serve the chicken with the sauce and garnish with the chives.
