Chinese American-style bang bang bang chicken
It bears nothing in common with its Chinese ancestor except for the spicy chili-based sauce, but this dish of fried chicken fillets tossed in sweet chili mayo is just as satisfying.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
Chicken
- 500 grams skin-on chicken thigh fillets (1.1 pounds)
- ¼ cup buttermilk (or substitute 2 tablespoons evaporated milk + 2 tablespoons water)
- ½ teaspoon grated garlic
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Bang bang bang chicken sauce
- ⅓ cup Japanese mayo
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon shichimi togarashi (Japanese spice mix)
- 1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 1 dash lemon juice
For frying
- ½ cup potato starch
- cooking oil for deep frying
To garnish
- sliced scallions
Instructions
Season and marinate the chicken
- Pat the chicken fillets with paper towels then cut into one-inch cubes.
- Place the cubed chicken in a bowl. Add the buttermilk, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and sugar. Mix well.
- Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Mix the bang bang bang sauce
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the ingredients for the sauce.
- Taste and add one or more of the ingredients to adjust the balance.
Double fry the chicken
- Start heating enough oil in the wok or frying pan to reach a depth of at least two inches.
- Take the chicken fillets out of fridge, dump in the potato starch and mix to make a thin pasty batter.
- Fry the battered chicken at 325F, in batches if necessary, until very lightly browned, about five minutes.
- Scoop out the chicken, spread on a rack (or a plate lined with paper towels) and leave to rest for about five minutes.
- Reheat the oil in the pan. Use HIGH setting (if using a thermometer, the oil should be around 375F).
- Fry the chicken just until golden brown, about a minute.
Assemble your bang bang bang chicken
- Scoop out the chicken, add to the sauce and toss to coat each piece.
- Transfer to a serving boil and garnish with sliced scallions.
