Bang Bang Chicken Kabobs
Bang bang chicken kabobs are a take on the infamous Bonefish grill shrimp appetizer. Instead of seafood, we use freshly grilled chunks of juicy chicken and slather them in the same sweet & spicy Asian cream sauce. It’ll leave you lickin’ fingers, plates, and definitely beggin’ for more!
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Bonefish Grill makes the world’s best crispy fried shrimp, tossed in an iconic creamy sauce that features both heat & sweet.
It’s one of our favorite treats, both to commemorate special occasions and even just when we need some Mommy & Daddy time.
A basket of those bad boys shared over a drink, and we’re recharged and reconnected from date night.
When we can’t get out, no worries– the sauce is easy enough to recreate at home.
And when you make it at home, you can get creative and put it on everything.
Including delicious grilled chicken skewers for the same finger food feel, but in a dish guaranteed to satisfy the non-seafood fans.
What is Bang Bang Sauce?
Bang bang sauce is the sweet, spicy sauce that comes with Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang shrimp.
It’s a mayo and sour cream based concoction dressed up with Thai sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, and honey for a zippy delight.
Ingredients
To make these you’ll need:
- Chicken- boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- Olive oil– To help keep the chicken moist and prevent it from sticking to the grill
For the sauce (the best part!), you’ll need:
- Mayo– Use real mayo not mayonnaise style dressing.
- Sour cream– I recommend using full fat for the best texture and flavor.
- Dijon mustard– For a bit of vinegary bite.
- Thai sweet chili sauce– You can buy this in the Asian foods section of the grocery store near the sriracha.
- Sriracha– You can use more to make it spicier.
- Honey– To give it just a hint of sweet.
How to Make
To make this, start by making the bang bang sauce by whisking all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
Then, put the chopped chicken into a large zip-locking bag or a tupper ware dish with half of the bang bang sauce and seal the bag or dish.
Give everything a good swish to coat the chicken and then refrigerate the chicken for at least 15 minutes.
While the chicken is getting happy, preheat the grill and lightly brush the hot grill with olive oil.
Once the grill is nice and hot, thread the chicken pieces onto your skewers.
Cook the chicken skewers on the hot grill and cook about 4-5 minutes before flipping the skewers and cooking an additional 4-5 minutes.
When the chicken is cooked through and the outside has begun to char, remove it from the grill and transfer it to a serving platter.
Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken skewers and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Grilling Isn’t An Option- Can These Chicken Kabobs Be Baked?
Yes, you can bake these kabobs if it’s colder than a frog’s tail outside or you don’t have a grill.
To make them in the oven, prepare the kabobs as instructed above but transfer them to an oven safe baking dish or a rimmed baking sheet instead of a grill.
Make sure whichever you use, you lightly spray them with non stick cooking spray beforehand.
Bake the skewers at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through but still juicy.
Then, to mimic the chargrilled effect, turn the oven to broil and continue cooking just until the kabobs have a little bit of that crispy charred look around the edges that a grill would give.
This shouldn’t take more than 1 – 2 minutes tops. Make sure you watch them very closely so they don’t burn while broiling.
Spread them with additional bang bang sauce and serve!
Can I Air Fry Bang Bang Chicken Kabobs?
Yes! Prepare these chicken kabobs as instructed, then working in batches so you don’t overcrowd them air fry them at 400 degrees for 12 minutes- flipping half way through.
When done brush them with the remaining sauce, and serve.
If using a basket style air fryer, you may need to use smaller skewers. Do not try to break wooden skewers in half as they will splinter and become unsafe to use.
What kind of skewers should I use?
When making kabobs, make sure you take a minute or two to think about what ingredients you’re working with and what kind of skewer will work best for this recipe.
I like using metal skewers.
There’s no soaking or prep work involved to use them, they’re reusable, and I never have to worry about splintering. I have kids, crazier things have happened here!
Flat metal skewers work better at holding kabobs in place which can be helpful if your recipe requires turning or flipping.
Rope skewers are convenient when trying to make pretty presentations, but will allow food to spin around and can be a hassle to rearrange on the grill once hot from cooking.
Meanwhile, if using wooden skewers you need to plan ahead so that you have time to properly prep and soak them.
Soak your wooden skewers for 15 minutes minimum, and up to 30 minutes before using them in your recipe.
They will dry out during baking/grilling, without getting burnt or catching on fire.
A little prep work, and your skewers will be safe even when the heat is on!
Tips and Tricks
- Adjust the heat level in the sauce by adding more or less sriracha to suit your tastes.
- These skewers pair really well with a fresh garden salad for a light summer dinner.
- Make sure to let the chicken marinade in the sauce before cooking so it tenderize the chicken and infuses it with flavor.
Need Some Other Grilling Inspiration? Check out these other great Kebab ideas
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Bang Bang Chicken Kabobs
Ingredients
For The Chicken
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- olive oil
For The Sauce
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1/2 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the bang bang sauce until evenly incorporated and smooth.
- Put the chopped chick into a large zip-locking bag or a tupperware dish. Add in half of the bang bang sauce, and seal the bag or dish. Give everything a good swish around to coat and then refrigerate the marinaded chicken for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat the grill and lightly brush the hot grill with olive oil. Thread the chicken pieces onto your skewers (if using wooden ones make sure you pre-soaked them to prevent burning).
- Transfer the chicken to the hot grill and cook about 4-5 minutes before flipping the skewers and cooking an additional 4-5 minutes. When the chicken is cooked through and the outside has begun to char, remove it from the grill and transfer it to a serving platter. Pour the remaining sauce over the chicken skewers and serve immediately.
Notes
- Adjust the heat level in the sauce by adding more or less sriracha to suit your tastes.
- These skewers pair really well with a fresh garden salad for a light summer dinner.
- Make sure to let the chicken marinade in the sauce before cooking so it tenderize the chicken and infuses it with flavor.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Creme De La Crumb
recipe originally published July 9, 2016
This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details. As always, all opinions are my own.
This looks yummy and will be tried out this weekend!
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
I have made these several times and I love love love the sauce. The flavor is addicting! have you ever tried cooking this in the crock pot and then serving over rice?
Fantastic kebab, you can actually see how loaded with flavor they are. Thank you so much for bringing this to Fiesta Friday.
Thanks, Suzanne. You always eat with your eyes first, right??
This looks so good! I love anything sriracha on it. 😀
I have made this recipe 3 times now it’s very good but needed salt and garlic you cant marinade for 15 min either or it has no flavor. That being said with the modifications and at least 2 hours marinade time it’s really good.
I’m always looking for something new to do with chicken – I’ll try this over the week-end when we plan to grill.
I’d marinate for at least an hour and add lots more garlic and siracha !
A longer marinade time will really allow the flavors to permeate the meat 🙂 You can never go wrong with more garlic, but with feeding younger kids I do have to watch how spicy I make things, especially when I use sriracha as I can be a bit heavy handed with it.
Great bang bang chicken kabobs. Easy recipe very flavorful. We loved it will make it again and again!
Pretty good!! Would definetly make it again..
Is it possible to bake this in the oven? If so, what temperature and for how long? Grill not allowed at apartment.
These can absolutely be made in the oven, whether bc grilling isn’t an option or if weather doesn’t permit. Marinate and prepare them as instructed, place them in a baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet (sprayed with foil to prevent sticking), and bake them at 450 degrees for roughly 15 minutes. To get the crispy grilled effects, you can then switch the oven to broil. Cook them carefully, watching closely so they don’t burn until they look crisp enough to you. Shouldn’t take more than 1-2 minutes.
Made this a couple weeks ago and my whole family loved it. I did add salt and garlic and just did the chunks on the grill without the skewers. I’m making them again tonight and topping the chicken and sauce on fried rice. Yum!!
Love the idea of skipping the skewers- will definitely give that a try. Thanks for sharing, Michelle!
Delicious! I served them with Jasmine rice and a salad. The mayo and sour cream make the chicken so tender. And the sauce/marinade is the star. I can’t wait to make this again.
Yum!!! Wanting to try this tonight but don’t have skewers. Could this work just using whole chicken breasts instead of making them into skewers?
Yes, absolutely! They will just take a tad bit longer to cook 🙂
This was SO good!
Grilled the chicken and then mixed in with Japanese zucchini and onions. WOW! Better than Japanese Steakhouse meal!
Can I cut out or replace the honey so it’s keto???
You can, it will just be tangier without the extra hint of sweetness.
Is there a replacement for the mayo?
You could use extra sour cream if mayo’s an issue.
I marinated the chicken a few hours then cooked it in a wok with peppers and onions stir fried and had it over a salad….SO GOOD! Even my dad who is super picky really liked it.
Tripled the sauce ingredients. Seems a little on the thick side not liquidy like shown in your first picture.
The liquid-y look is from being re-basted while still hot off the grill after cooking.
I made this sauce just as stated. Put it on cubed pieces of pork. Marinated about 5 hours. Had the hubby throw it on a grill mat on the grill. ABSOLUTELY delicious! Mmm! We didn’t use the other half of the sauce, so we will have to have this again. SO good!
Very tasty, but needed salt!
Delicious! Next time will make extra sauce for dipping!
What is a good side dish to have with this other than salad?
I like pairing it with steamed broccoli. A medley of broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower would also be very good. Since you’re grilling, corn on the cob is also a great seasonal option.
Can you sub plain Greek yogurt for mayo?
You can 🙂
This is a favorite at our house. So good!
going to try all of them.
I made this and it was delicious!!
So happy you enjoyed them!
It was delicious . I did chicken strips, family pack. I also cooked them in my air fryer for 15 minutes flipping halfway through at 380/385..
Can the Bang Bang Chicken Kabobs be cooked in the oven?
Yes! These can absolutely be baked in the oven 🙂
I have made these several times and I love love love the sauce. The flavor is addicting! have you ever tried cooking this in the crock pot and then serving over rice?
No, but that sounds delicious!
Delicious! I served them with Jasmine rice and a salad. The mayo and sour cream make the chicken so tender. And the sauce/marinade is the star. I can’t wait to make this again.