bang bang chicken

Updated 1/6/2012: If you printed the below recipe prior to 1/6/2012, you will need to reprint. There was an ingredient typo that has now been fixed. Thank you & sorry! :)

Bang bang!

This chicken dish lives up to its name. It’s BANGIN’ good. Like, out of this universe amazing. It’s an appetizer that I guarantee you’ll hear cries for more. I hear this is a copycat recipe to Bonefish’s Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer. I’ve never eaten there before so I don’t know how similar this is to the real thing, but who cares? It’s freaking delicious and probably healthier for you too since it’s not deep fried.

Story behind this recipe: I was on Pinterest (who isn’t?) and was surfing the food section and I came across this beautiful picture of shrimp in a bowl. Literally, could’ve eaten those little shrimps (shrimp?) from the screen. Curious, I clicked on it, and it took me to a blog called, Fake Ginger. Little did I know, this blog lead me to Amanda, who is the author of Fake Ginger (Hi Amanda!!). Amanda is a sweet mother to three boys and she has some kick-ass food on her website, one of which being the Bang Bang Shrimp. I commented on her post saying that I’m dying to make this but I’d rather try it with chicken instead, she told me to let her know how it was. This was back in October. I just now got around to making it and I’m totally kicking myself for that because had I stuck to the original plan of making it in October, I probably would’ve made this dish 5 more times already. I’m so glad I stumbled upon Amanda and her creation on Pinterest. We share the same love in the kitchen and as well as watching trashy TV shows on Bravo and having endless Twitter chats about them :)

I love the breading on the chicken and the super spicy sauce that’s coated into every nook and cranny on this chicken. It’s seriously the best appetizer to have for when you have friends over for a football game, or you can be like Jason and I and ate it as a main entree with a side of white rice. This is a little tedious in how you make it, since the breading takes a while, but honestly, you won’t regret it. The second you put a piece of this chicken in your mouth, you’ll instantly thank yourself for sticking through the process :)

*You can do this with shrimp or chicken.

Bang Bang Chicken

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Yield: A few people for appetizers, otherwise 2 as an entree

Ingredients:

5 chicken tenderloins, cubed

For the sauce:

1/2 cup mayo

5 tsp. Sriracha sauce

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. rice vinegar

For the egg mixture:

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup milk

For the breading:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. dried basil

Instructions:

1. Prepare a plate lined with paper towels for the chicken after it’s done cooking in the oil. Set aside.
2. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
3. In a small, shallow dish, combine the egg and milk. Set aside.
4. In another shallow dish, combine the ingredients for the breading. Set aside.
5. Bread the chicken cubes by first coating it in the bread mixture then the egg wash then back in the breading. Put the coated chicken cubes on a plate. Continue until all the chicken have been breaded.
6. Pop the plate of chicken in the fridge for about 20 minutes. It’ll help the breading stick to the chicken.
7. In a large skillet, add a thin layer of vegetable oil and place over medium high heat.
8. Once the oil is glistening, add in the chicken (I did it in 2 batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan) and cook the chicken until it’s cooked through & the breading is nice and crispy brown.
9. Once the first batch is done, put the cooked chicken on the prepared plate with the paper towel. Continue with the second batch and once that’s cooked, add that to the prepared plate.
10. In a large bowl, put in your cooked chicken and pour the sauce all over. Toss well to coat every bite.

Adapted from Fake Ginger