Bang bang chicken: Big, bold and the perfect dish to keep you going until the weekend

This punchy dish will make you want to crank up your oven even in midsummer, says G Daniela Galarza

The name for the dish comes not from the ingredients, but the way the chicken is prepared (Rey Lopez/The Washington Post)

Bang bang chicken is a Sichuan dish that’s full of big flavours: the earthiness of sesame oil, the rich umami of chicken fat, the tingle of chilli oil, the sharp kick of Chinese black vinegar and the cooling heat of ginger.

Sometimes translated as “bon bon chicken” the name comes not from the dish’s ingredients, but from how the chicken is prepared. Cooks generally steam or boil whole or cut-up chickens and then – this is the important part – use sticks to bang on them.

Why all the banging? It efficiently separates the meat from the bones and helps tear the chicken into jagged strips and shreds. Or, as writer and cookbook author Cathy Erway put it in a piece for Taste, the banging “bruises the thigh and breast meat, transforming it from whole chicken part to a soft sponge”. Those tender shards are then ready to absorb the spicy, sweet, sour and salty sauce that goes on top. Cucumbers, spring onions and sprigs of coriander are the finishing touches.

Traditionally served as a cold appetiser or street snack, Erway riffed on the dish for her most recent book of main courses, Sheet Pan Chicken: 50 Simple and Satisfying Ways to Cook Dinner.

“I crave a lot of different textures and contrasts in my food, and it became a challenge, almost a game, to see how many I could fit on one pan,” Erway says. It’s why she decided to include bang bang chicken, albeit a version that’s easily made on a baking tray: rub whole chicken breasts with sesame oil, salt and pepper and then roast them, letting their skin get nice and crisp.

But it’s summer, you cry! My oven and I are on a break!

I hear you. The chicken can be steamed, poached or grilled, too. (When it’s steamed or poached, it reminds Erway of a similar Taiwanese dish her mother used to make.) You could quickly sear a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or even make this with rotisserie chicken. But, Erway suggests, do yourself a favour and save whatever chicken drippings you come across. “I found that if you use the chicken juices from cooking anything, and you add it to your sauce, it gives it a lot of interesting depth,” Erway says. “It’s a scene stealer.”

And, whatever you do, don’t skip the banging. I use a rolling pin, but a strong wooden spoon works, too. The shards will start out big, and then you can tear them into smaller, bite-size pieces as they cool down. Drizzle the pungent guai wei sauce on top while the chicken is just barely warm. Then, pile on thinly sliced or matchstick-cut cucumbers, roasted peanuts, sliced scallions and lots of fresh coriander.

“The thing is,” Erway says with a little laugh, “banging on things is a lot of fun.”

Bang bang chicken

This is a great salad served hot or cold (Rey Lopez/The Washington Post)

Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

This is great as a salad, warm, at room temperature or cold. It can also be served over rice, noodles or shredded lettuce for a more filling meal.

Swaps

Instead of chicken, use firm tofu, seared or grilled pork loin chops or ground meat (or non-meat). Note: if you don’t use chicken, you can also skip the banging. Just make sure the protein is in bite-size pieces.

Instead of sesame oil, use peanut or coconut oil.

No Chinese sesame paste? Use tahini, or skip it.

Instead of soy sauce, use liquid aminos.

In place of Chinese black vinegar, use red wine vinegar.

Where to buy: Find Chinese sesame paste and black vinegar at Asian markets or online.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (225-275g each)

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp finely ground black pepper

For the sauce:

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup Chinkiang vinegar (Chinese black vinegar) or red wine or balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp granulated sugar

2 tbsp chilli crisp or chilli oil

1 tbsp Chinese white sesame paste (optional)

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 (2.5cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned

To serve:

2 Persian cucumbers

½ cup toasted peanuts, optional

2 spring onions

1 cup coriander leaves and stems

Steamed rice; cooked Asian wheat noodles, soba noodles or bean thread noodles; or shredded lettuce

Method

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 230C.

Rub the chicken with the sesame oil, salt and pepper. Gently slide your finger underneath the skin of each breast to loosen it from the meat; this will encourage the skin to crisp as it cooks. Place the chicken on a large, rimmed baking tray, skin side up. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the skin is browned and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a breast reads 70C.

While the chicken is roasting, make the sauce and prepare the garnishes. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chilli crisp or oil, sesame paste, if using, sesame oil and ginger.

To prepare the garnishes, julienne the cucumbers, roughly chop the peanuts, if using, thinly slice the spring onions on a bias and coarsely chop the coriander.

Let the cooked chicken cool for about 10 minutes. Using a rolling pin, gently bang or press down on each chicken piece so the meat breaks and shreds apart a bit. Pull the chicken fully away from the bones, and, if preferred, remove and discard the bones. The chicken should be in chunks and shredded bite-size pieces. Serve the chicken over rice, noodles or shredded lettuce with the cucumbers, peanuts, if using, scallions and coriander sprinkled on top. Scrape any pan drippings into the sauce. Serve it on the side to drizzle generously over each serving.

Nutrition per serving | Calories: 281; total fat: 16g; saturated fat: 3g; sodium: 1003mg; carbohydrates: 10g; dietary fibre: 1g; sugars: 8g; protein: 23g.

© The Washington Post