This is one of those recipes that is so good, you’ll be demanding all of your friends and family make it, just so you can talk with them about how good it is! I have officially entered my “I want to make everything in the oven” era, and there is no better recipe for oven-baking than this Bang Bang Chicken. No stove splatter, minimal prep time, minimal washing up and perfectly cooked chicken with a caramelised, crispy glaze. You can serve this meal with just about anything, but we love it with salads and steamed rice to soak up all of the delicious roasting juices.
The chicken is marinated in simple pantry ingredients, before being brushed with a drool-worthy ”bang bang sauce” (a mix of whole-egg mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce) and oven-baked. If you think mayonnaise in a marinade sounds weird, this recipe will change that forever. The flavour is just AMAZING. I’ve made this for dinner several times in the last few weeks because it’s just so quick and easy. Marinate the chicken, pop it in the oven and then dinner is on the table in less than 30 minutes, with minimal effort and minimal time spent in the kitchen. Hooray for simple, delicious dinners!
What else can I serve with Bang Bang Chicken?
I try to prepare a whole heap of vegetables at the beginning of each week that we can use for quick lunches and dinners. Cabbage, kale and most varieties of lettuce are all great choices to prep ahead of time, as they are robust enough to last a couple of days after being cut. Refrigerate your cut vegetables in an airtight container. Ensure they are completely dry and add a piece of paper towel at the bottom and top of the container to help absorb moisture. This will extend the life of your produce by multiple days. We love serving this recipe with rice and mixed salads for everyone to pile up at the dinner table, but I have lots of other serving ideas for you. This Bang Bang Chicken goes with just about anything!
Try steamed broccoli, broccolini (tenderstem broccoli), cauliflower, carrots, snow peas (mangetout), green beans, baby corn or sautéed mushrooms. Other salad combinations like bean sprouts, wombok (napa) cabbage, coriander (cilantro), red onions, capsicum (bell pepper), shredded iceberg lettuce or gem lettuce also work well. Instead of rice, you could try rice noodles or egg noodles. Even a creamy mashed potato or sweet potato mash would be delicious!
Watch how to make Bang Bang Chicken
Can I use chicken breast instead of chicken thigh?
Absolutely. Just make sure you follow step 3 and pound the chicken to an even thickness. You will also have to modify the cooking time to 18–20 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Grill (broil) on high heat for 2–3 minutes if required to caramelise.
Bang Bang Chicken
“We love this recipe! I love how I can have it all ready beforehand, and then just bake the chicken for half an hour and dinner is done, especially when we have guests.” Share PrintIngredients
- 250 g (1 cup) whole-egg mayonnaise
- 60 g (¼ cup) sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha or hot chilli sauce (optional)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 600 g (1¼ lb) boneless chicken thighs, skin on or off
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp tamari or regular soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 60 g (¼ cup) bang bang sauce (see above)
- 1 spring onion (scallion), sliced
- Steamed rice
- 75 g (1 cup) shredded red cabbage
- 2 carrots, grated or julienned
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 spring onion (scallion), finely sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Line a baking tray with baking (parchment) paper.
- Make the bang bang sauce – Combine the bang bang sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Reserve one-quarter of the sauce in a separate bowl to brush over the raw chicken prior to baking.
- Prep the chicken – Place the chicken on a chopping board with a sheet of baking paper over the top. Use a mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken to an even thickness. Cut each piece in half vertically.
- Marinate the chicken – Place the chicken in a large shallow bowl and add the sweet paprika, onion powder, black pepper, tamari, brown sugar and olive oil. Using tongs, toss the chicken to coat it evenly in the marinade.
- Cook the chicken – Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking tray, so that it is not overlapping. This is important. If the chicken is overcrowded in the baking tray, it will “steam” and it will be much more difficult to achieve a caramelised crust.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the reserved one-quarter of the bang bang sauce all over the tops of the chicken pieces.
- Bake the chicken for 25–30 minutes or until golden and cooked through (see note 1 for troubleshooting).
- Serve – Serve with steamed rice, red cabbage, carrot and cucumber. Drizzle with the remaining bang bang sauce and sprinkle with spring onions.
Nutrition information
Disclaimer re gluten-free and dairy-free recipes
Sally says:
Yiur Bang Bang Chicken was delicious!! Is there no option of saving the recipe to Pinterest?
Ilse says:
We loved it! Great flavours and super easy to make! Thanks for your inspirational recipes!
Kindest regards from Belgium!
Marion says:
I made it last night and it was amazing. My boyfriend loved it as well, he didn’t even mind the salad with that delicious bang bang sauce. I decided to leave the skin on my chicken and it came out all crispy and caramelised. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Ilse says:
We loved it! Great flavours and super easy to make!
Thank you for your inspiring website, next on my list is your Pad Thai recipe 🙂
Kindest regards from Belgium!
Kelly says:
So yummy!! 🤤 I marinated the day before and it was so quick and easy to make, kids loved it too. Will be a regular in our house.
Ali says:
This recipe is SO good. Saw it on the gram and the picture had me drooling. The recipe seemed so easy so I was sceptical of how good it could possibly taste…. I was wrong. Everybody in the family had seconds and begged me to make it again the next day. This will definitely be added to the regular rotation!