Bang Bang Chicken Noodle Salad
Bang Bang Chicken Noodle Salad is full of bold spicy, nutty, salty, sweet and savoury flavour. Based on a Chinese classic, my version takes tender shredded chicken, a knock-out 5-minute sauce, and combines them with noodles and lots of fresh vegetables to create an easy, flavour-packed main meal salad. Also great for parties and gatherings, the salad can be made in advance and enjoyed hours later.
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Apparently, the classic Sichuan Chinese dish on which this recipe is based should really be translated as ‘bung bung chicken’. That’s because ‘bung’ is said to approximate to the word for the stick or baton that was used to hit, break up, and tenderise the cooked chicken.
It appears that the traditional dish consists of poached chicken, shredded as above, combined with cucumber and a rich sauce which incorporates some of the poaching liquor. However, search online for ‘bang bang chicken’ and you’ll also find loads of recipes for a breaded or battered version which has little to do with the original.
But I make no claims for authenticity for my Bang Bang Chicken Noodle Salad either.
Inspired by the flavours and tender chicken of the classic version, the recipe I want to share with you is very much my own take.
THE CHICKEN
For my Bang Bang Chicken Noodle Salad, which feeds four people, you’ll need two decent-sized boneless chicken breasts. If you prefer thighs, then you may want to use three.
The detailed recipe card at the end lists cooked chicken, so I’ve left it up to you how you do that. You could poach, steam, bake or fry. Here, I browned chicken breasts in a pan, seasoning with a little salt and Chinese five-spice powder, then finished them in the oven.
However you cook your chicken, don’t overdo it. Because no amount of ‘bang banging’ will transform overdone into moist and tender.
If you poach or steam the chicken, reserve a little of the cooking liquid. You can use this later to give more flavour to the dressing instead of plain water. For even more flavour, add a few slices of ginger and some onion to the water when poaching or steaming.
When it comes to beating the cooked chicken, don’t go mad and smash it to smithereens.
I use a rolling pin to firmly yet strategically bash the chicken so that it flattens and starts coming apart. Then I use my fingers to pull it apart into chunky shreds.
As well as being more tender, I find that shredded meat rather than chunks means that more of the dressing can cling to all those rough nooks and crannies. Yum!
The prepared chicken can then be set aside while you make the dressing. If you’re doing it much in advance, then pop the chicken in the fridge while you proceed.
THE DRESSING
Getting a punchy dressing is the key to banging bang bang chicken. Thankfully, this is dead easy with largely store cupboard ingredients. For convenience, I whizz everything with my stick blender. But you can use a food processor or just whisk everything together in a bowl if you prefer.
In the original, Chinese sesame paste, made from whole toasted seeds, would be used. Western versions of the dish often substitute peanut butter and/or tahini sesame paste. Tahini is usually unroasted and is made from hulled seeds, so be aware it’s not quite the same.
Nevertheless, I like using two parts peanut butter to one part tahini. Play around with these proportions by all means. Also feel free to use Chinese sesame paste if you can get it, diluting with water as necessary.
The other ingredients you’ll need for the dressing are:
- fresh garlic and ginger
- light and dark soy sauce (at a pinch, omit the dark soy if you don’t have it)
- rice vinegar, preferably black
- sesame oil
- chilli oil or chilli sauce such as sriracha
- sweetener e.g. honey, brown sugar
- dried chilli flakes
What you’re aiming for is a dressing that’s boldly flavoured but with a harmonious balance between the salty, hot, tangy and sweet elements.
THE NOODLES
For this dish, my preference is for rice vermicelli noodles. You could also use mung bean noodles, sometimes called cellophane, bean thread or glass noodles.
For the salad, cook the noodles according to the instructions on the pack. Next, drain in a sieve or colander before cooling and rinsing under a running tap until completely cold. Once drained, the noodles can be set aside until needed and in the fridge if necessary.
If not overcooked, and cooled properly, I find that rice noodles don’t stick together. If they do, just toss with a little sesame oil.
THE VEGETABLES
To turn bang bang chicken into a main meal salad, I add not just noodles and the traditional cucumber, but lots more fresh veggies too. Any good and crunchy raw vegetables you like will work.
For the Bang Bang Chicken Noodle Salad pictured in this post, I included carrot, red pepper, radishes and spring onion along with cucumber. Not pictured above, but tossed in later, were thinly sliced red chilli and a few handfuls of coriander leaf.
To match the fine noodles and shredded chicken, I like to cut the veg into long thin pieces where possible too. I use my julienne peeler which is a great, space-saving little tool for the carrots and cucumber.
I think it’s best to prepare the vegetables last of all, so they don’t lose any of their fresh crunch.
BANG BANG CHICKEN NOODLE SALAD
So, you’ve bashed and shredded your chicken, made the dressing, cooked and cooled the noodles, and prepped your vegetables. All that’s left to do now is toss and mix everything together.
To make this easier, I recommend doing it in stages. First, mix the noodles in with the vegetables until thoroughly combined. Then add the dressing and give it all a good toss.
Finally, gently fold in the chicken, trying not to break it up further.
Once you’ve divided the salad between bowls, you can add the final garnishes of toasted sesame seeds and more coriander. I like more thinly sliced chilli and spring onion too.
Chilli oil is an important ingredient in traditional bang bang chicken, and my favourite is Laoganma Crispy Chilli in Oil.
This brand isn’t especially hot, but I love its crunchy texture. However, personal tastes vary, so I have it on the table so everyone can add as much or as little as they like to their own bowl.
I love this salad eaten straight away while the vegetables are still super-crunchy. On the other hand, there’s also a lot to be said for making it in advance and allowing the chicken and noodles to imbibe that knockout dressing. I’ve eaten leftovers the next day and they were wonderful! So it’s really up to you.
Whether you eat Bang Bang Chicken Noodle Salad as a fantastic main meal salad, have the leftovers for lunch, or make a big batch to share with guests, I think you’ll love it if you’re a fan of bold flavours.
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Bang Bang Chicken Noodle Salad
Full of bold spicy, nutty, salty, sweet and savoury flavour, this main meal salad is inspired by a Chinese classic and features a knockout sauce made in just 5 minutes.
Ingredients
- 200 g thin dried noodles e.g. rice vermicelli or mung bean
- 2 large skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cooked see Recipe Notes
For the dressing
- 2 rounded tbsp peanut butter
- 1 rounded tbsp tahini sesame paste
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
- 2 cm ginger root finely chopped or grated
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp black rice vinegar if unavailable, use white rice vinegar with a dash of Balsamic plus ½ tsp Chinese 5 spice
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 level tbsp hot chilli oil or sauce e.g. sriracha
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 level tbsp sweetener e.g. honey, sugar
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
Salad vegetables
- 1 medium red pepper
- 3 medium carrots topped, tailed and peeled
- ½ large cucumber
- 3 large spring onions
- 1 bunch radishes topped and tailed
- 1 red chilli thinly sliced
- 2 handfuls coriander leaf large stems removed
To serve
- toasted sesame seeds
- coriander leaf
- chilli oil e.g. Chinese crispy chilli in oil optional
Instructions
-
Cook the noodles
Cook according to the packet instructions then drain in a sieve and cool under a running tap.
Set aside when completely cold.
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Shred the chicken
Put the cooked chicken on a board and hit firmly several times with a rolling pin or similar until it starts to break up.
Using your fingers, pull the chicken into chunky shreds then set aside.
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Make the dressing
Put all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth OR whisk in a large bowl until combined. Set aside.
-
Prepare the vegetables (add them to a large bowl as you go, reserving some of the chilli and spring onion for a garnish if liked)
Cut the pepper into thin matchsticks and finely chop the spring onions.
Cut the carrot and cucumber into thin matchsticks or, preferably, use a julienne peeler. Discard the cucumber seeds.
Slice the radishes and chilli thinly.
Add the coriander leaf to the bowl too.
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Make the salad
Add the prepared noodles to the bowl and toss with the vegetables.
Pour in the dressing and toss again.
Add in the chicken and gently toss so that it is distributed evenly through the vegetable and noodles: try not to break it up any further.
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Divide the noodle salad between bowls, sprinkling each one with the toasted sesame seeds, coriander, plus any reserved chilli and spring onion.
Put the optional chilli oil on the table for diners to help themselves.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and eaten the next day.
Recipe Notes
You can poach, steam, fry, or bake the chicken. Boneless, skinless thighs can be used instead of breasts if preferred. If you poach or steam the chicken, you can use some of the cooking water in place of that listed in the dressing ingredients. A few slices of ginger and some onion in the poaching/steaming water will add more flavour.
Enjoyed this recipe? You may like Smacked Cucumber with Chilli Oil
