BANG-BANG CHICKEN

BANG-BANG CHICKEN

This delicious meal is lower in calories as I decided not to bread the chicken pieces. You certainly can, but it is not necessary. Bang bang chicken does not get its name from the slightly spicy sweet and savory sauce, but from the Chinese dish where a wooden stick is used to pound the cooked chicken in order to tenderize it and shred it.

It is not a hot sauce, the bang bang sauce, as I am not in favor of terribly spicy food. I used skinless chicken breasts. You could use chicken thigh if you prefer that. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

If you like you could stir fry a vegetable to add to the chicken such as bell pepper and red onions or even broccoli or carrot slivers.

INGREDIENTS:

4 large chicken breasts, diced

1 tsp salt (5 mL)

¹/₂tsp black pepper (2 mL)

Sweet Chili Sauce:

¹/₃cup water (75 mL)

¹/₃cup apple cider vinegar, OR rice vinegar (75 mL)

Liquid sweetener to equal ¹/₂cup sugar (125 mL)

2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce (10 mL)

1¹/₂tsp minced garlic (7 mL)

1 tsp minced ginger (5 mL)

¹/₂tsp red pepper flakes (2 mL)

1 tsp cornstarch (5 mL)

1 tbsp water (15 mL)

Bang-Bang Sauce:

¹/₂cup mayonnaise (125 mL)

All Sweet Chili Sauce recipe above

2 tbsp lime juice (30 mL)

1 tsp minced garlic (5 mL)

1 tsp onion powder (5 mL)

1 tsp paprika (5 mL)

¹/₂tsp salt or to taste (2 mL)

¹/₂tsp black pepper (2 mL)

Sweetener, to taste

Garnish:

Chopped green onions

INSTRUCTIONS:

In large frying pan in light olive oil, cook chicken pieces which have been seasoned with salt and black pepper. Cook the chicken in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Cook until almost cooked through – i.e. white throughout.

Sweet Chili Sauce: In small saucepan, add water, apple cider vinegar, OR rice vinegar, sweetener, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Bring to boil. In small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir gently into sauce and continue cooking until the sauce is slightly thickened.

Bang-Bang Sauce: In medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, Sweet Chili Sauce, lime juice, minced garlic, onion powder, paprika, salt and black pepper. Taste and add sweetener, if desired.

Combine all semi-cooked chicken in the frying pan. Pour Bang-Bang Sauce over chicken. Heat 2 to 3 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Yield: 4 servings

1 serving

352.9 calories

28.0 g protein

23.7 g fat

0.3 g fiber

5.5 g net carbs