Bang Bang Chicken

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

This take on bang bang chicken is spicy, sour and quick enough for a weeknight.

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.

Total Time40

Servings: 4

Author: Washington Post

Ingredients

For the Chicken

2 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts (8 to 10 ounces each)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon 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 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons chile crisp or chile oil
1 tablespoon Chinese white sesame paste optional
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and julienned

For Serving

2 Persian cucumbers
½ cup toasted peanuts optional
2 scallions
1 cup cilantro leaves and stems
Steamed rice; cooked Asian wheat noodles soba noodles or bean thread noodles; or shredded lettuce

Instructions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
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 sheet, 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 160 degrees.
While the chicken is roasting, make the sauce and prepare the garnishes. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chile 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 scallions on a bias and coarsely chop the cilantro.
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 cilantro sprinkled on top. Scrape any pan drippings into the sauce. Serve it on the side to drizzle generously over each serving.