Bang Bang Chicken (Sichuan Cold Chicken, 42g Protein)
Bang bang chicken is the Sichuan cold dish I reach for when it is too hot to stand over a wok, and it still lands about 42 grams of protein per serving. The base is nothing more than gently poached chicken breast, so almost all of that protein comes clean, with the fat living in the sauce where you can control it.
The name comes from the wooden club cooks once used to pound the chicken tender before shredding. We skip the theatrics and get the same soft, sauce-grabbing texture by poaching low and slow, then tearing the meat by hand. What you end up with is a bright, nutty, slightly numbing plate that eats like a salad but hits like a full meal.
It is also close to the perfect prep dish. Poach the chicken and mix the sauce ahead, keep them apart, and lunch comes together in the time it takes to slice a cucumber.
Why this works
Chicken breast goes dry the second it overcooks, so the whole game here is gentle heat. Bringing the pot to a bare simmer and then letting the chicken finish in the residual heat off the burner cooks it through without ever boiling it hard. Boiling is what squeezes the water out and leaves you with chalky meat. A thermometer takes the guessing out of it, and the 10 minute rest in the hot water is doing quiet work the whole time.
The sauce needs one bit of technique too. Sesame paste is stiff and oily straight from the jar, and if you just dump soy sauce in it will split and clump. Adding warm liquid a spoon at a time, whisking as you go, brings it together into a smooth emulsion that actually coats the chicken instead of sliding off. Warm poaching liquid works better than water because it carries a little chicken flavor back into the sauce.
Ingredient notes
Sesame paste: Chinese sesame paste is toastier and more savory than tahini, but tahini or a natural peanut butter both work if that is what you have. If you use peanut butter, cut the sugar since it is already a little sweet.
Chili oil: use a chili crisp or chili oil you actually like eating, because it sets the whole tone of the dish. Two tablespoons gives a medium heat. Start lower and add more at the end if you are unsure.
Sichuan peppercorn: this is the source of the gentle tingle that makes the dish taste like the real thing rather than a generic sesame chicken. Toast the whole peppercorns in a dry pan for a minute and grind them, or buy it pre-ground. It is optional, but it is the difference maker. If you like that mala profile, it is the same backbone as our high-protein mapo tofu.
Chicken: breast is the leanest choice and keeps the protein high, but poached boneless thigh is more forgiving if you tend to overcook. For a warm, stir-fried take on lean chicken instead, the ginger scallion chicken uses the same clean poaching idea before a quick sear, and the kung pao shrimp hits a similar sweet, sour and numbing balance if you want something off the heat.
Bang Bang Chicken (Sichuan Cold Chicken)
Ingredients
Method
- Put the chicken breasts in a pot just big enough to hold them, add the ginger, scallions and salt, and cover with cold water by an inch. Bring it up to a bare simmer, then immediately drop the heat so the surface barely trembles. Poach gently for 10 to 12 minutes, until the thickest part reads 74C (165F).
- Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the hot water for another 10 minutes. This is the step that keeps breast meat juicy, so do not skip it. Lift the chicken out and let it cool. Reserve a few tablespoons of the poaching liquid for the sauce.
- Whisk the sesame paste with the soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar and grated garlic. It will seize up at first. Loosen it with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the warm poaching liquid, one spoon at a time, until it pours like thin cream. Stir in the chili oil, sesame oil and ground Sichuan peppercorn.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull it apart along the grain into thick, rough shreds. Tearing by hand instead of slicing gives the sauce more surface to cling to.
- Spread the julienned cucumber on a platter. Pile the shredded chicken on top and spoon the sauce over everything. Scatter with crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, extra scallions and cilantro. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Tips and storage
Store the parts separately and this holds beautifully for meal prep. Poached chicken keeps 4 days in the fridge, either whole or shredded, and the sauce lasts a week in a sealed jar. It will thicken cold, so loosen it with a splash of warm water before serving. Hold off on saucing the cucumber until you eat, since salt draws water out and turns it soggy overnight.
To pack lunches, portion the shredded chicken and cucumber into containers and carry the sauce, peanuts and herbs on the side. If you want to push the protein even higher, add a jammy soft boiled egg on top or lean on more chicken and less sauce. To take the fat down for a cutting day, halve the sesame paste and chili oil and stretch the sauce with an extra spoon of poaching liquid, which drops it closer to 400 calories while keeping the protein where it is.
