These sweet and spicy Bang Bang Chicken Skewers are a delicious appetizer or main course. Brushed with creamy bang bang sauce then grilled to perfection, these kabobs are a quick and easy summer recipe.
Bang bang sauce is an easy way to turn chicken skewers into something super fun and delicious. If you love bang bang sauce, you can also try our Grilled Bang Bang Shrimp Kabobs.
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Bang Bang Chicken Skewers
If you are looking for a super quick and easy crowd pleasing main dish or appetizer, this Bang Bang Chicken recipe hit the spot every single time. Each skewer is made with marinated chicken brushed with a creamy, sweet, and spicy bang bang sauce and grilled to perfection.
Serve with a little extra sauce and sesame seeds for an easy peasy summer favorite. I love serving these chicken skewers with a big salad. The chicken also tastes great inside lettuce wraps or a tortilla, or with Lemon Herb Rice on the side.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts - I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you could also use chicken thighs. They should be cut into approximately 1 ½” pieces so that they will be large enough to stay on the skewers. Once cut, dab with paper towel to remove any excess moisture. You could also substitute jumbo shrimp to make Bang Bang Shrimp!
- Marinade Spices: this marinade recipe calls for a combination of chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Bang Bang Chicken Sauce
- Mayonnaise - if you can find Kewpie mayo, I recommend using that. Otherwise, any type of regular mayo will work great.
- Chili Sauce - sweet chili sauce is sweet, sour, and a little spicy. It’s one of the key ingredients in bang bang sauce.
- Sriracha - Sriracha is what I prefer, but you could substitute Frank’s Red Hot Sauce or your favorite brand.
- Honey - this is another signature ingredient in bang bang sauce that adds a little extra sweetness.
How to Make Bang Bang Chicken Skewers
- Marinate the chicken. Add the diced chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil in a large glass mixing bowl. Mix to combine, then cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
- Soak the wooden skewers. Place the wooden skewers into a shallow baking dish and cover with water. Soak for at least 30 minutes - 1 hour so the sticks don't burn while the chicken cooks.
- Assemble the kabobs. Once the wooden skewers have soaked, remove the chicken from the marinade and thread the pieces onto the kabob sticks. Be sure to evenly space the chicken so it will cook evenly.
- Make the bang bang sauce. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, Sriracha, honey, salt, and pepper to make the Bang Bang sauce.
- Cook. Place the chicken kabobs onto a preheated grill over medium high heat. Cook the kabobs for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown. Turn the chicken over, brush with the Bang Bang sauce, and cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Serve. Once cooked, remove the kabobs from the grill and let them rest on a platter for about 5 minutes. Serve warm, sprinkled with sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations and Tips
- Add pineapple chunks to each skewer for a little extra sweetness.
- After marinating, coat the chicken in panko breadcrumbs and then grill. The panko adds a satisfying crunch to the creamy sauce.
- If you are using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 20 minutes before you use them so that they don't burn on the grill.
Frequently Asked Questions
This version of bang bang sauce is sweet and lightly spicy. You can always make it more or less spicy, so I recommend adding almost all of the Sriracha, then adding more to taste as desired.
While bang bang chicken is actually a super popular Sichuan Chinese dish, this particular version is based on the cream sweet and spicy sauce made popular by restaurants like Bonefish Grill. It usually contains mayo, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha (or another hot sauce), and a little honey.
Sure! If you would rather not fire up the grill, you can also cook these skewers in a baking dish or baking sheet in a 450 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes. Once cooked, put into the broiler for a minute until you get crispy chicken around the edges.
Yup! This would be a great way to replicate deep frying the chicken. Just place skewers that have been brushed with the bang bang sauce in a single layer in the fryer basket and air fry at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes. Flip halfway through cooking.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You may want to remove the chicken from the skewers first.
- To reheat: reheat in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat. If you have any extra bang bang sauce, you can brush it over the chicken before reheating.
Bang Bang Chicken Skewers Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 large Chicken Breasts boneless skinless, cut into 1 ½" pieces
Bang Bang Chicken Marinade
- ½ teaspoon Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Bang Bang Chicken Sauce
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise Kewpie Mayo if you can find it
- ¼ cup Chili Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Sriracha Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Honey
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- In a large glass mixing bowl, add the diced chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil. Mix to combine, then cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
How to Cook the Chicken Kabobs
- Preheat the grill to about 335 degrees.
- Place the wooden skewers into a shallow baking dish and cover with water. Soak for at least 30 minutes - 1 hour so the sticks don't burn while the chicken cooks.
- Once the wooden skewers have soaked, remove the chicken from the marinade and thread the pieces onto the kabob sticks. Be sure to evenly space the chicken so it will cook evenly.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, Sriracha, honey, salt, and pepper to make the Bang Bang sauce.
- Place the chicken kabobs on the preheated grill. Cook the kabobs for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown. Turn the chicken over, brush with the Bang Bang sauce, and cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Once cooked, remove the kabobs from the grill and let them rest on a platter for about 5 minutes.
- Serve warm, sprinkled with sesame seeds if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Easy Kabob Recipes
- Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Kabobs
- Chicken Bacon Pineapple Kabobs
- Bang Bang Shrimp Kabobs
- Vegetable Kabobs
- Southwest Chicken Kabobs
- Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs
- Lemon Rosemary Chicken Kabobs
- Asian Beef Kabobs
- More Summer Recipes
- More Easy Weeknight Meals
These grilled Bang Bang Chicken Skewers are a quick and easy main dish or appetizer. Each piece of juicy chicken is marinated then brushed with sweet and spicy bang bang sauce before grilling.
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