Bang Bang Chicken Tacos

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If you are familiar with bang bang shrimp (think a Bonefish Grill favourite) then these bang bang chicken tacos will be right up your alley! Crispy chicken bites, topped with a sweet and spicy creamy sauce, all wrapped up in soft tortillas. This is what taco dreams are made of, I promise! Try these tacos with a side of spicy Mexican rice, or Mexican street corn totchos, and Taco Tuesdays have a whole new meaning!

Bang bang chicken tacos on a serving platter

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A Note About Air Fryers
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Recipe Overview
Ingredients
Instructions
Tips and Tricks
Recipe FAQ's
Bang Bang Chicken Tacos

A Note About Air Fryers

While air fryers are amazing, their power, sizes and cooking times vary greatly at times. This recipe is based on the air fryer that I use in my kitchen. Please note that cooking times may vary based on the specific brand that you use in your kitchen. For this reason, always keep an eye on your food while cooking. You may need to adjust cooking times up or down based on the brand you are using.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

The sauce is addictive! When I say you can eat this sauce with a spoon, I am not exaggerating. The sauce has the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and who doesn't love a creamy sauce on their tacos!?
The chicken is air fried! Making the chicken in the air fryer saves a ton of messy frying, and also lightens these tacos up.
The chicken cooks quickly! 10 minutes in the air fryer, and the chicken is done. Including preparation, this is a 30 minute meal! If quick cooking chicken tacos are your jam, you'll love these shredded chicken tacos, too!

Recipe Overview

Flavour: The star of this recipe is the bang bang sauce, which is famous for a reason! Spicy mayo is fine, but imagine spicy mayo with the perfect amount of sweet and sourness. The spice is not overpowering!
Ease: Breading the chicken is easy. This recipe skips flouring the chicken bites, and instead we dip them straight into the egg, and then the panko. With good shallow dishes, we can easily dredge the chicken bites quickly!
Time: The chicken takes 10 minutes to air fry. Prep work for the chicken takes about 10-15 minutes. These tacos are ready in under 30 minutes!

Ingredients

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: You want to cut the chicken breasts into bite sized cubes. The key to moist chicken is cutting the chicken into even-sized cubes, so you don't end up with some pieces that cook faster than others.
Panko breadcrumbs: Panko breadcrumbs are Japanese breadcrumbs. The consistency of panko is much coarser than regular breadcrumbs, giving these chicken bites an extra crunch factor. If you don't have any panko on hand, you can substitute regular breadcrumbs.
Eggs: The eggs are our glue, and will bind the panko to the chicken!
Spices and Seasonings: Season the chicken with garlic and onion power, salt and smoked paprika, before dipping into the egg.
Mayonnaise: Because this sauce is entirely mayonnaise-based, make sure you use your favourite variety!
Sriracha hot sauce: Sriracha hot sauce is one of the keys to bang bang sauce. If you have not had it before, it is tangy with a kick of garlic. It is relatively spicy, but the spice is not overpowering in this sauce.
Honey: I recommend using honey over regular sugar in this sauce, because it mixes in well. Sugar can sometimes be granular, which is less than ideal.
Rice wine vinegar: If you do not have rice wine vinegar, you can substitute with regular white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. I would not use a darker vinegar, such as red wine or balsamic.

Instructions

Season the chicken: Season the chicken bites with the garlic and onion powder, salt and smoked paprika. Mix well.
Bread the chicken: Dip the chicken bites in the egg mixture. Let the excess drip off, and coat in the panko. Repeat for all the pieces of chicken, and arrange in your air fryer basket.
Air fry the chicken: Air fry the chicken @ 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Prepare the sauce: While the chicken is cooking, mix all the sauce ingredients together, and refrigerate. You can prepare the sauce in advance. The longer it sits, the better it gets!

Tips and Tricks

Swap for chicken tenders! If you prefer, you can swap the chicken bites for chicken tenders, and use one chicken tender per taco.
Spray the top of your chicken! To get a perfect golden brown colour, spray the chicken bites with olive oil cooking spray before air frying. It will help the panko brown evenly, instead of burning.
For an extra saucy taco, toss the chicken in the bang bang sauce! Instead of drizzling the sauce, you can toss the chicken when its warm in the bang bang sauce for even more flavour! These bang bang chicken tacos are god with a drizzle or if the chicken is tossed!

Recipe FAQ's

Can I make these without an air fryer?

Yes! You can either bake the chicken at 375 in the oven, or you can pan fry/ deep fry the chicken. If you fry the chicken, be sure to drain it on a paper towel to drain the excess oil.

Can I use dark meat instead of chicken breast?

You sure can! Go with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

What can I top these tacos with?

The options are endless. I went with a simple pico de gallo made with chopped tomato, onion, and a squeeze of lime, and shredded lettuce.

Can I make these ahead of time?

Yes! You can make the chicken ahead of time. You can either freeze the chicken, and air fry as you need it, or you can cook the chicken and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Assemble the tacos when you are ready to eat.

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