Authentic Chinese Bang Bang Chicken
Submitted by niels
Authentic Sichuan bang bang chicken with poached chicken breast shredded over julienned cucumber, carrot, and scallion under a creamy peanut-sesame-chili sauce. A cold appetizer or main.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
40 minBang bang chicken (棒棒鸡, bàngbàngjī) is a classic Sichuan cold dish that earned its name from the wooden mallets vendors used to tenderize the chicken before shredding. The chicken is poached gently in broth (not boiled, which would dry it out), cooled, and then hand-shredded over a bed of julienned raw vegetables. The whole thing gets blanketed in a creamy peanut-butter-and-chili sauce that’s the dish’s signature.
The sauce is the whole game. Smooth peanut butter softened over hot water becomes pourable when whisked with chili sauce, sugar, and toasted sesame oil. Add the oils gradually until you hit the right consistency for ribboning over the chicken. The hot sauce-cold chicken contrast is part of the appeal and the visual presentation.
Chef Tips
- Poach the chicken just until cooked through, no more. Internal temp 165°F (75°C). Overpoached chicken is tough no matter how good the sauce is.
- Use natural peanut butter if you can. Sweet, hydrogenated brands throw off the sauce balance.
- Tear or shred the chicken with your hands instead of slicing. The rough edges grab onto more sauce.
- Toast the sesame seeds yourself in a dry skillet for 2 to 3 minutes. Pre-toasted seeds taste flat.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
To make the sauce:
Put the peanut butter into a bowl and place over boiling water for 10 minutes to soften. Remove from the heat and whisk in the chilli sauce and sugar.
Gradually, add both the oils until the sauce is the right consistency for pouring - depending on the peanut butter, you may not need all the oil.
To prepare the chicken and vegetables:
Poach the chicken breasts for about 10 minutes (until cooked through) in the stock, then drain and cool. Then cut into 1-inch shreds and put to one side.
Peel the carrot and cut into shreds, also about 1-inch long, then cut the spring onions to the same size, using the green and the white.
Cut the cucumber into 1-inch lengths, leaving the skin on. Thinly slice lengthways and cut into matchstick shapes, discarding the seeds.
Arrange the vegetables on a serving dish and pile the chicken on top. Then pour the sauce generously over the chicken and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
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