These Bang Bang Chicken Bowls are the perfect way to freshen up your dinner flavors! This flavor packed dinner comes together in 30 minutes or less and will leave the whole family asking for seconds.
Get a flavorful dinner on the table in no time with this simple, meal prep-able recipe. And why stop at dinner? Use leftovers for quick lunches! Grab some pre-cooked rice to make this dinner extra speedy and make the marinade and sauce in advance to get dinner on the table in no time.
Looking For Another Delicious Dinner?
Then you’ve got to try our bang bang salmon rice bowl or our Chicken Chow Mein! Both are full of fresh flavors that you know and love.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- chicken – we used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you could always use chicken thighs if that’s what you prefer.
- soy sauce – the base of the quick marinade. Use Tamari for gluten-free.
- extra virgin olive oil – Just a bit for the marinade. Avocado oil works too.
- lemon juice – A little acid to balance all of the other flavors.
- Mayonnaise – The base of our yummy bang bang sauce.
- Thai sweet chili sauce and chili garlic sauce – Adds some sweet and savory flavors plus just the right amount of heat.
What Is Bang Bang Chicken
Bang Bang chicken is the American spin on a popular Chinese dish. In many recipes, the chicken often has a bread coating and then is deep fried, but we’ve lightened our version up a bit by pan frying the chicken.
How To Make Bang Bang Chicken Bowls
Make your marinade and place your chicken chunks in a bowl or shallow plate and pour the marinade mixture over the top. Let the chicken marinate for approx. 30 minutes.
While your chicken marinates, mix together the mayonnaise, Thai sweet chilli sauce, and chili garlic sauce in a small mixing bowl to make your delicious bang bang sauce.
Meal Prep Tip
Make the marinade and sauce in advance to make dinner time a breeze.
Next get out your favorite large skillet and bring it to medium-high heat. Then remove the chunks of chicken from the marinade and place it all in the hot pan to sear. Feel free to pour in a little of the marinade to cook the chicken in. Then move the chicken around the pan to fully cook all the little pieces to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, which takes about 6-7 minutes.
Best Ways To Serve With Bang Bang Chicken
We love this easy recipe over a bed of rice and accompanied by some avocado chunks and sliced green onion, all drizzled with our delicious sauce. When you’re short on time, grab a pre-cooked bag of rice from your local grocery store. Feel free to replace the avocado with a veggie of your choosing! Easy Grilled Broccoli would be a great addition or if you’re in need of some more color, pop in our delicious massaged kale salad.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Is Bang Bang Chicken Spicy? Every bang bang chicken recipe has varying spice levels, but ours is on the mild side. Feel free to experiment with the amount of chili sauces to find the perfect amount of heat for you.
- How many calories are in bang bang chicken? Scroll down to our recipe card to find the complete nutritional information. Note that these numbers only account for the bang bang chicken, marinade, and sauce.
- How long does chicken bang bang last in the fridge? Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Leftovers will last longer if you store the sauce separately from the chicken.
- How did bang bang chicken get its name? In the traditional Chinese cooking method, the cooked chicken with literally “banged” with a wooden club to tenderize it in order to allow even more flavor to seep into the meat. While we don’t include this step in our method, we do use the amazing bang bang sauce.
Made this busy weekday dinner and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Bang Bang Chicken Bowls
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
This flavor-packed Bang Bang Chicken recipe is super easy to make and perfect for a weeknight dinner over a bed of rice!
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Chicken Marinade:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (sub tamari or coconut aminos)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (sub avocado oil)
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Bang Bang Sauce:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (sub sriracha)
Bowl Ingredients:
- cooked rice of choice
- avocado, diced
- green onions, chopped
Instructions
- Prep Chicken: Use a large cutting board and kitchen knife to cut the chicken breasts into 1inch x 1 inch chunks.
- Marinate: Put all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl, shallow baking dish, or storage bag. Whisk to combine and add the chicken pieces to marinate for about 30 minutes.
- Make Sauce: While the chicken marinates, put all of the bang bang sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix to fully combine. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Cook Chicken: Bring a large skillet to a medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in the hot pan to sear (feel free to pour in a little of the marinade to cook the chicken in). Move around the pan to fully cook the chicken pieces to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer); about 6-7 minutes.
- Serve: Serve chicken over rice with some avocado and green onions and lots of bang bang sauce!
Notes
- Gluten Free: simply swap out the soy sauce for coconut aminos in the marinade.
- Storage: leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Store separately from the bang bang sauce to make reheating easier.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz
- Calories: 589
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 913.8 mg
- Fat: 51.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.8 g
- Protein: 27.4 g
- Cholesterol: 105.8 mg
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