Three months ago, Lina and I were stuck in a takeout rut. Every Friday night, same thing - he'd beg for "that crispy chicken with the yummy sauce," and I'd give in because I was too tired to cook. Then my sister bet me twenty bucks I couldn't make it better at home. This crispy bang bang chicken proved her wrong, and now we barely order takeout anymore.
First time I made it, Lina grabbed a piece, took a bite, and went "Mom, this beats the restaurant stuff!" That's saying something because this kid usually complains about everything I cook.
Why You'll Love This Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
After making this about thirty times (Lina keeps track), I know exactly why this beats every other chicken recipe we've tried. First, it's way easier than it looks - just dunk chicken in some stuff, fry it up, and toss with sauce. Second, even my neighbor who hates cooking asked me to teach her how to make it. Third, it costs about half what we used to spend on takeout and tastes twice as good.
The best part? You can prep everything ahead of time. I'll coat all the chicken pieces in the morning before work, stick them in the fridge, then just fry them up when I get home. Takes maybe fifteen minutes start to finish, and Lina thinks I'm some kind of cooking wizard.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
- What Goes Into Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
- How To Make Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
- Easy Swaps for Your crispy bang bang chicken
- Equipment For Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
- Crispy Bang Bang Chicken Variations
- How to Keep Your crispy bang bang chicken Good
- The Dish My Best Friend Cooked for Me That Changed My Life
- Top Tip
- Why This Crispy Bang Bang Chicken Works
- FAQ
- Time to Stop Ordering Takeout!
- Related
- Pairing
- Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
What Goes Into Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
The Chicken:
- Chicken thighs or breasts
- Buttermilk
- Hot sauce
- Salt and pepper
The Coating:
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Salt
Bang Bang Sauce:
- Mayonnaise
- Sweet chili sauce
- Sriracha
- Rice vinegar
- Honey
For Frying:
- Vegetable oil
- Candy thermometer
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
Get Ready:
- Cut chicken into chunks
- Soak in buttermilk with hot sauce
- Wait at least 1 hour
- Heat oil to 350°F
Mix the Coating:
- Dump flour and cornstarch together
- Add all the spices
- Stir it around
- Set aside
Fry Time:
- Pull chicken out of buttermilk
- Roll in flour stuff
- Shake off extra
- Drop in hot oil
Cook It:
- Fry 4-5 minutes until brown
- Don't stuff too much in
- Flip once with tongs
- Put on wire rack
Make the Sauce:
- Mix mayo and sweet chili sauce
- Add sriracha (go easy first)
- Squeeze in honey and vinegar
- Taste and fix it
Finish:
- Hide some before Lina eats it all
- Toss hot chicken with sauce
- Eat it right now
Easy Swaps for Your crispy bang bang chicken
Chicken Changes:
- Thighs → Breasts (cook a bit less)
- Chicken → Shrimp (way shorter cooking time)
- Regular → Chicken tenders
- Fresh → Frozen (thaw first)
Coating Switches:
- All-purpose flour → Self-rising flour
- Cornstarch → More flour
- Regular spices → Cajun seasoning
- Homemade → Store-bought coating mix
Sauce Swaps:
- Mayo → Greek yogurt
- Sweet chili → Duck sauce
- Sriracha → Any hot sauce
- Honey → Maple syrup
Cooking Methods:
- Fresh oil → Reused oil (strain it first)
- Deep frying → Air fryer (spray with oil)
- Oil frying → Oven baked (425°F)
- Stovetop → Electric fryer
Equipment For Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
- Big heavy pot (for frying)
- Candy thermometer
- Wire cooling rack
- Tongs
- Mixing bowls
Crispy Bang Bang Chicken Variations
Spicy Versions:
- Nashville hot style
- Buffalo sauce instead
- Extra sriracha
- Cayenne pepper boost
Sweet Twists:
- Honey garlic sauce
- Teriyaki glaze
- Orange chicken style
- Pineapple juice added
Different Coatings:
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Crushed cornflakes
- Potato chip coating
- Seasoned crackers
Flavor Boosters:
- Sesame seeds on top
- Green onions chopped
- Lime juice squeeze
- Pickled jalapeños
Serving Ideas:
- Over fried rice
- In lettuce wraps
- With noodles
- As sliders
How to Keep Your crispy bang bang chicken Good
Fridge (2-3 days):
- Let it cool down first
- Stick in containers with lids
- Keep sauce separate if you can
- Heat up in oven, not microwave
Freezer (1 month):
- Freeze before adding sauce
- Wrap pieces one by one
- Write the date on it
- Thaw overnight in fridge
Heating It Back Up:
- Oven at 375°F for 10 minutes
- Air fryer for 5 minutes
- Toaster oven works too
- Skip the microwave (makes it gross)
Get Ready Ahead:
- Make sauce same day
- Coat chicken night before
- Keep in fridge covered
- Fry fresh when ready
The Dish My Best Friend Cooked for Me That Changed My Life
My best friend made this bang bang chicken for me about six months ago when I was going through a really bad time. I'd just lost my job, money was super tight, and I was basically living on boxed mac and cheese and whatever Lina would eat without whining. She showed up at my door one Friday night with a bag of groceries and said "We're cooking tonight."
I watched her make this recipe from scratch - how she dunked each piece of chicken, how she dropped a bit of batter in the oil to test if it was hot enough, the way she kept tasting that sauce until it was just how she wanted it. When we all sat down to eat with Lina, something just hit me different. This wasn't just food, it was someone caring enough to spend time making something good. The chicken was crunchy, the sauce was spot on, and for the first time in weeks, my kitchen felt normal again.
Top Tip
- Here's what I wish someone had told me before my first disaster: don't dump all the chicken in the oil at once, even if you're in a hurry. I learned this the hard way when I was trying to feed a bunch of Lina's friends and thought I could speed things up. The oil temperature dropped like crazy, and instead of crispy chicken, I got these sad, greasy chunks that nobody wanted to eat.
- Fry in small batches - maybe 4-5 pieces at a time max. Yeah, it takes longer, but each batch stays at the right temperature and comes out golden and crunchy. The kids were way happier waiting an extra 10 minutes for food that actually tasted good. Now I just put on some music and make it part of the fun instead of rushing through it.
Why This Crispy Bang Bang Chicken Works
Most crispy bang bang chicken recipes suck because people mess up the coating or can't figure out oil temperature. This bang bang chicken works because of three things: the buttermilk makes the chicken crazy tender, the cornstarch in the coating makes it super crunchy, and frying at exactly 350°F means it cooks all the way through without burning the outside.
The sauce is what really sets this apart though. Most places just dump sweet chili sauce on chicken and call it bang bang. This version mixes the sweet with mayo, adds heat with sriracha, and that tiny bit of vinegar cuts through all the richness so it doesn't get heavy and gross. When Lina's friends come over, they always ask what makes it taste so different from the restaurant stuff - it's because everything here actually does something instead of just throwing random ingredients together.
FAQ
What is crispy bang bang chicken?
Crispy bang bang chicken is basically bite-sized pieces of chicken that get coated in seasoned flour and cornstarch, then fried until they're golden brown and super crunchy. After frying, you toss all those crispy pieces in this creamy sauce that's sweet and spicy at the same time. The sauce is what makes it "bang bang" - it's got mayo for creaminess, sweet chili sauce for that sticky sweetness, and sriracha for the heat that hits you after the sweet part.
What is the secret to Crispy Bang Bang Chicken?
The real secret to getting chicken this crispy is mixing cornstarch with your regular flour for the coating, and keeping your oil temperature at exactly 350°F the whole time you're frying. The cornstarch is what makes it get that extra crunchy texture that stays crispy even after you add the sauce. If your oil is too hot, the outside burns before the inside cooks.
What is Crispy Bang Bang Chicken sauce made of?
Bang Bang sauce is pretty simple - it's just mayo, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, and a tiny splash of rice vinegar all mixed together until it's smooth and creamy. The mayo makes it rich and creamy, the sweet chili sauce gives you that sticky sweetness, sriracha brings the heat, honey balances everything out so it's not too spicy, and the vinegar cuts through all that richness so it doesn't get too heavy.
What is Crispy Bang Bang Chicken Chinese restaurant?
Most Chinese restaurants make their bang bang chicken way sweeter than this version, and it usually has way less heat to it. The problem with restaurant versions is that the chicken sits under those heat lamps for who knows how long, so by the time it gets to your table, that crispy coating has turned all soggy and chewy. Plus, they make huge batches of the sauce ahead of time, so it never tastes as fresh as when you make it at home.
Time to Stop Ordering Takeout!
Now you know how to make crispy bang bang chicken that's way better than any restaurant version. From soaking the chicken in buttermilk to getting that oil temperature just right to making that sauce that has Lina asking for thirds every time. This recipe saved us a ton of money and gave us something way better than anything we ever got delivered.
Want more dinners that'll make you forget about calling for takeout? Try our Healthy Parmesan Chicken Meatloaf that's lighter than regular meatloaf but still tastes rich and filling. Feeling fancy? Our Easy and Perfect Ahi Tuna Recipe makes you look like some kind of chef with barely any work. Or go all out with our Easy Lobster Tail Recipe that makes any random Tuesday feel like a celebration.
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Pairing
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Crispy Bang Bang Chicken
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cut chicken into chunks and soak in buttermilk with hot sauce for at least 1 hour.
- Combine flour, cornstarch, and spices in a bowl to create the coating mixture.
- Heat vegetable oil in a pot or deep fryer to 350°F using a candy thermometer.
- Dredge chicken pieces in the flour mixture, ensuring they are fully coated.
- Fry chicken pieces in hot oil for 4-5 minutes, flipping once until golden and crispy.
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