This is one of those recipes that is so good, that 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. Store 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, cauliflower, carrots, snow peas, 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!
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.
PrintBang Bang Chicken
Quick and easy Bang Bang Chicken with a luscious, creamy sauce, the perfect weeknight family dinner! The chicken is oven-baked to perfection and dinner is on the table with minimal fuss in less than 30 minutes!
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
Bang Bang Sauce
- 1 cup whole egg mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha or hot chilli sauce, optional
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Chicken
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets, boneless, skin on or off
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp tamari or regular soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup bang bang sauce
- 1 spring onion/scallion, sliced
To serve
- Steamed rice
- 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 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 paper.
- Combine the bang bang sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Reserve 1/4 of the sauce in a separate bowl to brush over the raw chicken prior to baking.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 1/4 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 with steamed rice, red cabbage, carrot and cucumber. Drizzle with the remaining bang bang sauce and sprinkle with spring onions.
Notes
Note 1 – If your chicken isn’t caramelised, it may be because your oven wasn’t preheated long enough and therefore not hot enough. Grill/broil the chicken in the oven for a few minutes on high heat to caramelise if required. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn!
Make ahead
Chicken – Marinate the chicken for up to 48 hours prior to cooking.
Bang bang sauce – Prepare the sauce and refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to 48 hours prior to cooking.
Leftovers
Refrigerate any leftover chicken for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave. Not suitable to freeze.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: mains, dairy-free, budget-friendly, quick and easy, one pan
- Method: roasting
- Cuisine: Asian
BRIDGET says:
Delicious! My whole family enjoyed this one. Our 4 year old even asked for more chicken which NEVER happens!
Kim says:
WOAH! This was absolutely outstanding, and my family went nuts for it. Both my son and my husband said that if they ordered this at a restaurant, they still would have been blown away by it. What an amazing – and simple – recipe. Thank you so much!
Brie says:
So good and easy! My picky husband loved it.
Tahnee says:
Our whole family loves this, even my child that doesn’t normally like chicken.
Caroline M says:
Delicious and easy! Served with edamame and it was a success 😉
Nicole says:
Oh I love the sound of a side of edamame! YUM! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Caroline, thanks so much for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe. Nic x
Rommi says:
Amazing! So delicious and making for the second time 🥰
Nicole says:
So glad you enjoyed it Rommi! Thank you so much for taking the time to write and comment on the recipe.🥰 Nic x
Theresa Lepeska says:
Wow! So good!
Nicole says:
So glad you enjoyed it Theresa! Nic x
Tracey C says:
Made this recipe a few times for meal prep and so good. Such great flavours. First time commenting on a website so hope this works😊
Nicole says:
Hi Tracey! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment on my recipe – I am so glad you enjoyed this one, we love it too! Nic x
Angry Baker says:
I’ve been making this recipe for my lunch meal prep for about 3 weeks now and I still love it. So easy. So simple. Delicious. I sub the brown sugar for maple syrup or honey and the soy sauce for coco aminos. Im pretty busy so I don’t make anything ahead of time and it still comes out delicious and my husband loves it. Thank you!
Stephanie says:
Deliciously spicy!
Love this recipe…
Jennifer says:
Fantastic flavors! This is another amazing recipe and one I actually crave now. So so so good!
Jennifer says:
Fantastic flavors! This is another amazing recipe and one I actually crave now. So so so good!
Rachel says:
This meal was devine!! Definitely on rotation at our house!!
Daniela says:
This bang bang chicken is spot on, my partner and I loved it and it was so easy and quick to prep and cook…I will be adding it to our rotating menu for sure!
Jess says:
10/10! That chicken is delicious
Mel says:
Yesssssss. Loved this.
Marinade and dressing = perfect combo.
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!