Bang bang chicken: An everyday take on a Sichuan classic
Put away your Instant Pot and Dutch oven, said Cathy Erway in Sheet Pan Chicken: 50 Simple and Satisfying Ways to Cook Dinner (Ten Speed Press). The low-rimmed sheet pan is “the no-nonsense workhorse of the home kitchen.” Roasting dinner on it buys you time on a busy weeknight, and though my Taiwan-raised Chinese mom cooked almost everything on the stovetop, “I’m convinced that roasting chicken is one of the easiest ways to coax out all the flavors and features chicken provides.”
With bang bang chicken, a Sichuan dish, roasting the meat gives you ample time for making its sauce and the rice, noodles, or shredded lettuce you’ll serve it on. The dish is called bang bang because the cook bangs the roasted chicken with a wooden stick to shred the tender meat. You’ll need a crispy chile oil, such as Lao Gan Ma, and an Asian sesame paste. “And sure, you could substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts here, but I’d recommend any bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, so you’ll get crispy skin as well as juicy meat, and drippings to add to your sauce.”
Recipe of the week
Bang bang crispy chicken
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, or any
other bone-in pieces
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
2 tbsp crispy chile oil
1 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (optional) ¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Chinese black vinegar or red wine
vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and
julienned
Steamed rice; cooked Asian wheat noodles, soba noodles, or bean-thread noodles; or shredded lettuce
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and
julienned
2 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped
½ cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
(optional)
Preheat oven to 450. Rub chicken with 1 tbsp sesame oil, salt, and white pepper. Gently slide your finger underneath skin of each breast to loosen it (which will help it crisp in the oven). Place chicken on a sheet pan, skin side up. Roast 30 to 35 minutes, until skin is nicely crisped and a kitchen thermometer inserted into a breast registers 160 degrees.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine chile oil, sesame paste if using, 1 tsp sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and ginger. Set aside.
When chicken is done, remove pan to a flat surface. Slowly press down on each chicken piece with a rolling pin and roll along its length so that meat breaks apart and shreds bit. Tear meat and, if preferred, remove bones. Scrape pan to collect any browned bits and juices, and add them to your sauce.
Place rice, noodles, or lettuce in a large serving dish and set bang bang chicken on top. Scatter with cucumber, then pour sauce all over. Top with scallions, cilantro, and peanuts (if using). Serves 3 to 4.