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Sichuan · Chinese

Bang bang chicken

Non-vegetarian

棒棒鸡 · Bàngbàng jī

Gently poached chicken pulled into shreds over cucumber and drenched in a nutty sesame, chilli-oil, black vinegar and Sichuan pepper sauce — a classic Sichuan cold dish.

Bang bang chicken is a Sichuan salad from China, ready in about 50 minutes and made with chicken breast, chinese sesame paste and chilli oil. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
20 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
224

Ingredients

4 servings

For poaching

For the sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the chicken, ginger and spring onions (opens in a new tab) in a pan with cold water to cover. Bring to a bare simmer, cook 5 minutes, then cover, take off the heat and leave 15–20 minutes until cooked through.

    Food safety: Cook chicken until the thickest part reaches 74 °C and the juices run clear. Keep raw chicken and its board away from the salad ingredients.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Lift out the chicken, cool, then beat lightly with a rolling pin (opens in a new tab) and pull into fine shreds.

    Dough being rolled out with a rolling pin
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Loosen the sesame (opens in a new tab) paste with the soy sauce (opens in a new tab) and water, then stir in the vinegar, chilli oil (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and Sichuan pepper to a pourable sauce.

    • 3 min

  4. Step 4

    Lay the cucumber (opens in a new tab) on a plate, pile the chicken on top, pour over the sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Sichuan (Leshan), China · Commonly attributedNamed after the stick used to beat the chicken to tenderise and shred it.Also popular in United KingdomMore food from China
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Appetizers & starters · Main courses
Cooking method
Poached, Raw
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), nutty, umami, sweet & sour
Diet
Dairy-free · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · DASH-style · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Flexitarian-friendlyWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Chicken breast · Chinese sesame paste · Chilli oil · Fresh ginger · Spring onion · Cucumber
Techniques
Simmering · Poaching

Allergens

  • May contain: Peanutsfrom chilli oil
  • Contains: Wheatfrom soy sauce, chinese black vinegar
  • Contains: Glutenfrom soy sauce, chinese black vinegar
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce, chilli oil
  • Contains: Sesamefrom chinese sesame paste, chilli oil, sesame seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

224 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 204 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 39%
  • Carbohydrate 15%
  • Fat 46%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy224 kcal110 kcal
Protein21.9 g10.7 g
Carbohydrate8.2 g4 g
Net carbohydrate7 g3.4 g
Sugars3.2 g1.5 g
Added sugars1 g0.5 g
Fibre1.2 g0.6 g
Fat11.6 g5.7 g
Saturated fat1.5 g0.7 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol62 mg30 mg
Sodium394 mg193 mg
Salt equivalent1 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
513 mg
Calcium
106 mg
Iron
2.3 mg
Magnesium
72 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
15 µg
Vitamin C
4 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
27 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): sichuan peppercorns.
  • Chinese black vinegar: Balsamic vinegar (FDC 172241) used as a stand-in for Chinkiang/Zhenjiang black rice vinegar; both are dark, aged and slightly sweet.
  • Chilli oil: Neutral vegetable oil (FDC 172336) used as a stand-in; the chilli solids add little energy.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Gentle residual-heat poaching keeps the breast silky rather than stringy.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the chicken hard — it tightens and dries; keep it at a bare simmer.

Serve with

  • As part of a spread of Sichuan cold dishes, or with rice for lunch.

Food safety

  • Cook chicken until the thickest part reaches 74 °C and the juices run clear. Keep raw chicken and its board away from the salad ingredients.
  • Cool the poached chicken quickly and refrigerate within 2 hours.

Storage

  • Chicken and sauce keep 2 days separately in the fridge.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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