Name: Bang Bang Chicken, the Original Sichuan Version
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 16 min
Ingredients: 1 piece chicken breast (about 8oz/230g (see note 1)); 5 slice ginger; 2 stalk scallions (cut in half then finely chop the green part); 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp black rice vinegar; 2 tbsp Chinese chili oil (or to taste); ½ tsp sesame oil; ¼ tsp ground Sichuan pepper; ¼ tsp sugar; ⅛ tsp salt; Toasted sesame seeds; ½ large cucumber (cut into matchsticks)

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Explore the authentic flavor of Bang Bang chicken, featuring tender poached chicken and a bold, mouth-watering sauce. An easy dish to prepare.

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What is Bang Bang chicken
The original vs adapted
Ingredients
Cooking workflow
Serving ideas
Other Sichuan classics
📋 Recipe

What is Bang Bang chicken

Bang Bang Chicken (Bàng Bàng Jī/棒棒鸡), also known as Bon Bon Chicken, Bam Bam chicken, is a popular cold dish that originated in Sichuan, China. It features shredded chicken, often paired with crunchy vegetables, seasoned with a spicy and mouth-numbing sauce. It shares a similar flavor profile with another iconic Sichuan dish called Kou Shui Ji/口水鸡 (Mouthwatering Chicken).

The character “棒/Bàng” used in the name means “stick” in Chinese. It is believed that the inventor of the dish used a wooden stick to hammer the cooked chicken, resulting in a less dense but more tender texture. Another interpretation suggests that the word “棒/Bàng” reflects the sound made by the pounding action.

The original vs adapted

Bang Bang chicken with sichuan dressing.

The recipe I’m sharing today aims to reflect the original version of Bang Bang chicken with minor twists. It’s noticeably different from the American Chinese version you may have tasted at local Chinese restaurants or takeout. Here are two key differences:

In the original version, the chicken is poached or steamed, then shredded. In contrast, the American Chinese version typically features breaded and deep-fried chicken pieces.
The sauce used in the traditional version has a runny consistency and combines bold flavors such as spiciness, numbing sensation, umami, and nuttiness. Whereas the sauce in the American Chinese version tends to be creamy (often containing mayonnaise), sweet, and mildly hot.

Ingredients

Here are what you need to cook this dish:

chicken breast, cucumber, scallions, and ginger.

Chicken breast. This lean cut of chicken is the easiest to work with. However, you can replace it with boneless chicken thighs (with or without skin) for a more tender texture and flavorful taste. Alternatively, take the traditional approach and use a whole chicken.
Cucumber. It’s to add a refreshing and crunchy element to the dish. Other vegetables can be used as substitutes, such as bean sprouts, celtuce, bamboo shoots, celery, carrots, etc.
Ginger & Scallions. They are for reducing the gamey taste when poaching the chicken.

You’ll need a set of essential Chinese condiments to season the dish:

condiments for the sauce for Bang Bang chicken.

Chili oil, a key condiment for Bang Bang chicken. Try my homemade chili oil (one of the most popular recipes on my blog) if you haven’t yet.
Ground Sichuan pepper. It provides the dish with a distinctively numbing and tingling sensation, which Sichuan food is renowned for. It serves as a secret weapon in flavoring classic dishes like Dan Dan Noodles, Mapo Tofu, and more).
Toasted sesame oil, for extra nuttiness.
Light soy sauce, for an umami savory taste.
Black rice vinegar, for a tangy flavor as well as aroma.
Salt & sugar
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnishing

🛎 Note on Sichuan pepper: You can find Sichuan pepper in Chinese shops and some general Asian stores. They come in both whole and powder forms. Read my Complete Sichuan Pepper Guide to learn this unique spice, and learn how to make ground Sichuan pepper using whole ones.

Cooking workflow

Step 1: Poach the chicken

cooking chicken in water with scallions and ginger.

Put a piece of chicken breast, sliced ginger, and the white part of the scallions (keep the green part for later use) into a saucepan. Pour in cold water that’s enough to cover the meat.

Turn on the heat to high. Bring the water to a boil. Then turn down the heat so it remains a gentle simmer. Cover the saucepan with a lid.

Count 8 minutes from this moment. Then turn off the heat and let the chicken cook further in the hot water for another 3 minutes (Do not remove the lid).

While waiting for the chicken to cook, cut the cucumber into matchsticks (or grate it if find cutting hard).

🛎Notes:

Poaching is the traditional Chinese way to cook chicken for this dish. Alternatively, bake it if you wish.
If you increase the quantity of the chicken, prolong the cooking time accordingly. For example, for 2 pieces of chicken breasts, extend the cooking time to 12 minutes and the resting time to 5 minutes. If unsure, poke a kitchen thermometer into the middle of the thickest part of the chicken, the temperature should be above 165°F/74°C.

Step 2: Shred the chicken

Once the resting is over, transfer the chicken (don’t throw away the cooking liquid yet) to a large bowl filled with cold water, with ice cubes if available. This is to prevent the meat from cooking further and to cool it down quickly. When cool to the touch, take it out and dry its surface with kitchen paper.

To shred the chicken into thin strips, you can simply tear it with your hands, as I do. Or, to echo the myths of the name of this dish, bang it with a rolling pin to loosen the meat then break it into pieces.

Step 3: Season the dish

To combine the sauce, add light soy sauce, black rice vinegar, chili oil, sesame oil, ground Sichuan pepper, salt, and sugar to a bowl. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of the chicken cooking liquid. Mix well.

Putting shredded chicken over julienned cucumber.

On a serving plate, firstly place the cucumber then top with shredded chicken.

pouring sauce over chicken and cucumber.

Pour the sauce mixture all over. To garnish, sprinkle finely chopped scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds.

Serving ideas

Bang Bang chicken is typically served as a cold dish (Liang Cai/凉菜) in traditional multi-dish Chinese meals, alongside other hot savory dishes (Re Cai/热菜) and often plain steamed rice as a staple.

I also enjoy serving it at summer BBQ parties, pairing it with Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork) or Lamb Skewers. It goes well with crowd-pleasing dishes such as Lettuce Wraps, Chow Mein, Chinese Sausage Rice, etc.

When tossed with some cooked and cooled noodles, Bang Bang Chicken makes a quick lunch, just as delicious as Sesame Noodles or Sichuan Cold Noodles.

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