The fridge has half a bag of frozen peas, some leftover rice going stiff in a container, and exactly enough chicken breast for one more dinner before you need to shop again. That’s genuinely the best-case scenario for this recipe bang bang chicken fried rice was basically built for exactly this situation.
What makes it worth the effort over just ordering takeout is the crunch. Get the chicken coating right and it stays crispy even after the sauce hits it, which is the part most homemade versions get wrong. Here’s how it comes together.
Why You’ll Love It
- The chicken coating stays crunchy under the sauce, instead of turning soft and soggy the second it’s tossed more on the resting trick that makes this happen below.
- Fried rice comes together in one pan in under 10 minutes once the rice is prepped.
- Bang bang sauce with real heat-to-sweet balance, not just mayo with a splash of hot sauce dumped in.
- Uses day-old rice you’d otherwise toss, which makes this a genuinely good use for fridge leftovers.
- No deep fryer required. A shallow fry in a regular skillet gets you the same crunch with a fraction of the oil and cleanup.
- Feeds four for less than a single takeout order usually costs for two.
Recipe At a Glance
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 35 minutes
- Servings: 4
- Estimated nutrition per serving (chicken, rice, and sauce, no extra toppings): ~560 calories, 29g protein, 52g carbohydrates, 25g fat. Estimates only your oil absorption and sauce quantity will move these numbers.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Neutral oil, for shallow frying (about 1 cup, depending on pan size)
For the bang bang sauce:
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (more or less to taste)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
For the fried rice:
- 3 cups cold, day-old cooked rice, grains broken apart
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
- 3 green onions, sliced (whites and greens separated)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
Ingredient notes: Day-old rice matters more than people expect. Fresh rice is still full of moisture, so it clumps and steams in the pan instead of frying into separate, slightly chewy grains if you don’t have leftover rice, spread fresh-cooked rice on a sheet pan and refrigerate it uncovered for at least an hour to dry it out before using it here.
Equipment Needed
- Large skillet or wok, plus a second skillet for the chicken (or fry the chicken first and wipe the pan out)
- Wire rack, for resting the fried chicken
- Slotted spoon or spider strainer
- Instant-read thermometer, optional but useful for oil temperature
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Make the bang bang sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside it needs no cooking and can be made a day ahead if you want to save a step later.
2. Coat the chicken. Mix the cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip each piece of chicken in the beaten egg, then toss in the cornstarch mixture until fully coated, pressing lightly so the coating sticks.
3. Fry the chicken in batches. Heat about ½ inch of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches roughly 350°F (a cube of bread should sizzle and brown in about 30 seconds). Fry the chicken in batches of 6–8 pieces for 4–5 minutes, turning occasionally, until deeply golden and cooked through. Don’t crowd the pan, or the pieces will steam each other instead of crisping.
4. Rest the chicken before saucing it. Transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack not a paper-towel-lined plate and let it rest, uncovered, for 2 full minutes before tossing it in the sauce. This short rest matters more than it looks like it should: residual heat keeps crisping the coating for another minute or two after it leaves the oil, and a paper towel traps steam underneath the chicken that softens the bottom of the crust right as it’s setting. Skip the rest and the coating starts going soft before the sauce even touches it.
5. Toss the chicken in bang bang sauce. Once rested, toss the chicken with the bang bang sauce until evenly coated. Set aside while you make the rice the crunch holds for a good 10–15 minutes even sauced, thanks to the rest in the last step.
6. Scramble the eggs separately. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble into small curds, about 1 minute, then push to one side of the pan (or remove entirely if your pan is small).
7. Fry the rice. Add the remaining oil to the pan along with the garlic and the white parts of the green onions. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the cold rice, breaking up any clumps with your spatula. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, pressing the rice against the hot pan occasionally, until it’s heated through and the edges of some grains start to look slightly crisp. Pro tip: resist the urge to stir constantly letting the rice sit against the pan for a few seconds at a time is what gives you those slightly crispy edges instead of uniformly soft grains.
8. Finish the rice. Add the peas and carrots, soy sauce, and oyster sauce, then fold in the scrambled egg. Toss everything together for another minute until evenly combined and heated through.
9. Serve. Divide the fried rice into bowls, top with the sauced bang bang chicken, and finish with the sliced green onion tops.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Saucing the chicken straight out of the oil without resting it. This is the exact mistake that leaves you with soggy chicken under the sauce instead of a crunchy bite the 2-minute rest on a rack fixes it.
- Using fresh, warm rice for the fried rice. It clumps and turns gummy instead of frying into separate grains; day-old, dried-out rice is what gives you the right texture.
- Crowding the chicken in the oil. Too many pieces at once drops the oil temperature and leaves you with a pale, greasy coating instead of a crisp one.
- Stirring the rice constantly instead of letting it sit against the pan. Constant motion means you lose out on the light crisping that makes fried rice taste like fried rice instead of just reheated rice.
- Skipping the wire rack in favor of paper towels. Paper towels trap steam against the bottom of the chicken right when the coating needs to stay dry to finish crisping.
How to Store & Reheat
Refrigerator: Store the rice and chicken separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days the sauce softens the chicken’s crunch over time, so keeping them apart preserves texture longer.
Freezer: The fried rice freezes well for up to 2 months. The fried chicken doesn’t hold up as well frozen, since the coating tends to go soft on thawing.
Reheat: Reheat the rice in a hot skillet for 3–4 minutes, or in the microwave with a damp paper towel over the bowl. Reheat the chicken in an air fryer or oven at 375°F for about 5 minutes to bring back some crunch microwaving it will leave the coating soft.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Shrimp version: Swap the chicken for peeled, deveined shrimp; reduce the fry time to about 2 minutes since shrimp cooks much faster.
- Gluten-free: Use tamari instead of soy sauce, and a gluten-free flour blend in the chicken coating.
- Spicier sauce: Add an extra tablespoon of sriracha or a spoonful of chili crisp to the bang bang sauce.
- Baked instead of fried: Toss the coated chicken in a little oil and bake at 425°F for 18–20 minutes, flipping halfway, for a lighter (if less crunchy) version.
- Vegetable-forward: Bulk up the fried rice with shredded cabbage or bean sprouts added in the last minute of cooking.
- Brown rice version: Day-old cooked brown rice works the same way as white rice here just expect a slightly chewier texture.
A Note on Nutrition
This dish gets a solid protein boost from the chicken and eggs, while the frozen peas and carrots add a bit of fiber and color to round out the rice. If you want to lighten it up, baking the chicken instead of frying it cuts down on oil absorption noticeably. As always, these are general observations rather than medical advice a nutritionist or doctor is the right resource for anything specific to your own needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use fresh rice instead of day-old rice?
You can in a pinch, but spread it out on a sheet pan and let it sit uncovered for at least 30–60 minutes first to dry out. Straight-from-the-pot rice is too moist and will clump instead of frying properly.
Do I have to deep fry the chicken?
No a shallow fry in about ½ inch of oil in a regular skillet gets you the same crunchy coating with far less oil and mess than a full deep fry.
Can I make the bang bang sauce ahead of time?
Yes, it keeps well in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container, which makes it easy to prep in advance for a faster dinner later.
Why did my fried chicken turn soggy after saucing it?
It’s almost always because the chicken went straight from the oil into the sauce without resting first. Give it the 2-minute rest on a wire rack described in Step 4 before tossing it.
Can I make this dairy-free?
Yes this recipe is naturally dairy-free as written, aside from checking that your mayonnaise brand doesn’t include any dairy-based additives.
What can I use instead of a wok?
Any large, wide skillet works fine for the fried rice step a wok’s sloped sides just make tossing a little easier, not strictly necessary.
Final Thoughts
That two-minute rest on a wire rack is such a small step that it’s easy to skip, but it’s the difference between chicken that’s still crunchy by the time you’re eating it and chicken that’s gone soft under the sauce before you’ve even sat down. Everything else here comes together fast once the rice is ready to go. If you make this one, I’d genuinely love to hear how it turned out for you drop a rating or a comment below.
For the chicken:
- 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg beaten
- Neutral oil for shallow frying (about 1 cup, depending on pan size)
For the bang bang sauce:
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
For the fried rice:
- 3 cups cold day-old cooked rice, grains broken apart
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots thawed
- 3 green onions sliced (whites and greens separated)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil divided
Large skillet or wok, plus a second skillet for the chicken (or fry the chicken first and wipe the pan out)
Wire rack, for resting the fried chicken
Slotted spoon or spider strainer
Instant-read thermometer, optional but useful for oil temperature
Make the bang bang sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside it needs no cooking and can be made a day ahead if you want to save a step later.
Coat the chicken. Mix the cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip each piece of chicken in the beaten egg, then toss in the cornstarch mixture until fully coated, pressing lightly so the coating sticks.
Fry the chicken in batches. Heat about ½ inch of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches roughly 350°F (a cube of bread should sizzle and brown in about 30 seconds). Fry the chicken in batches of 6–8 pieces for 4–5 minutes, turning occasionally, until deeply golden and cooked through. Don’t crowd the pan, or the pieces will steam each other instead of crisping.
Rest the chicken before saucing it. Transfer the fried chicken to a wire rack not a paper-towel-lined plate and let it rest, uncovered, for 2 full minutes before tossing it in the sauce. This short rest matters more than it looks like it should: residual heat keeps crisping the coating for another minute or two after it leaves the oil, and a paper towel traps steam underneath the chicken that softens the bottom of the crust right as it’s setting. Skip the rest and the coating starts going soft before the sauce even touches it.
Toss the chicken in bang bang sauce. Once rested, toss the chicken with the bang bang sauce until evenly coated. Set aside while you make the rice the crunch holds for a good 10–15 minutes even sauced, thanks to the rest in the last step.
Scramble the eggs separately. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble into small curds, about 1 minute, then push to one side of the pan (or remove entirely if your pan is small).
Fry the rice. Add the remaining oil to the pan along with the garlic and the white parts of the green onions. Cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the cold rice, breaking up any clumps with your spatula. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, pressing the rice against the hot pan occasionally, until it’s heated through and the edges of some grains start to look slightly crisp. Pro tip: resist the urge to stir constantly letting the rice sit against the pan for a few seconds at a time is what gives you those slightly crispy edges instead of uniformly soft grains.
Finish the rice. Add the peas and carrots, soy sauce, and oyster sauce, then fold in the scrambled egg. Toss everything together for another minute until evenly combined and heated through.
Serve. Divide the fried rice into bowls, top with the sauced bang bang chicken, and finish with the sliced green onion tops.
Crispy Bang Bang Chicken Fried Rice
Last modified: September 18, 2026
