Bang Bang Chicken

There are a couple of reasons this recipe ever came to be, so I'll start with the first.

Years ago, I went to Bonefish Grill for the first time. If you're unfamiliar with Bonefish, they're famous for their "bang bang shrimp". People rave about bang bang shrimp, but unfortunately, I don't eat shrimp, or like it at all. It's a texture thing, I've tried it no less than 100 times. It's not for me.

However, since we were there, I figured, why not? I'll try it. As it turns out, bang bang shrimp is the closest I've ever come to liking shrimp. The bang bang sauce is freaking incredible, and the way they flash fry the shrimp makes the texture different than any other shrimp I've ever tried. However, as with anything seafood related I've ever tried, I knew it would be amazing with chicken.

At the time though, I wasn't creating my own recipes, so I never tried!

Insert Taylor and I discovering Just Bare chicken nuggets from Costco last fall. I've talked about these before, they are a holy grail item for us. It's like having chick fila nuggets in your freezer at all times. They are absolutely the best chicken nuggets on the market, and trust me, we've done our research.

When we first started buying them, Taylor had the idea of tossing them in sauce, which is how he came up with his Boneless Wings recipe(s). We eat them all the time now; such a quick, easy, and delicious dinner idea!

So, that being said, we already knew they were amazing when tossed in a sauce of pretty much any kind.

Then, a few months ago you might remember a day when I started trying different chicken salad combinations. We all know that every chicken salad recipe requires (usually) a mayo base. So I basically went through the fridge and was trying to see what flavors I could come up with. I probably tried 10 different things.

On a whim, I decided to mix mayo with Trader Joe's sweet chili sauce .. holy cow. It tasted like crab rangoon, which is my favorite things in the entire world. Which reminds me that I still need to post that recipe.

But, the other day when we got out the ingredients to make boneless wings, I remembered the sweet chili and mayo combo, and thought, this is the bang bang shrimp base. Alas, this recipe, after 3 different scenarios, was born! I tweaked it just a little bit to create the final product, but it really is that simple and easy!

What You'll Need

  • Just Bare chicken nuggets

  • light mayo (use whatever you want, I just like light for macro purposes)

  • Trader Joes sweet chili sauce (there are a million versions of this, any grocery store should have some variation, I just like TJ the best)

  • sriracha (if you don't love spicy, you can omit)

Macros

This is for one serving!

  • 220 calories

  • 16g carbs

  • 9.5g fat

  • 16g protein

How to Serve

  • on their own

  • on a salad

  • in a wrap

Air Fryer

Our air fryer is a couple of years old, but we love it so much. Our model is still available, and it's super affordable so I'm linking it here!

When we first got it, I assumed this would be another item that would fall into the sits-in-the-cabinet-and-collects-dust category of small appliances, but we actually use the air fryer all the time! If you're ever in need of some air fryer inspiration, search "air fryer recipes" on Pinterest, and you'll have enough recipes to last you the next ten years.

Recipe

Bang Bang Chicken Nuggets

If you love bang bang shrimp, you'll die over how similar this tastes! Pick whatever protein you like, toss it in this sauce, and it's homemade Bonefish Grill in just 3 ingredients. This recipe is kid friendly, macro friendly, and ready in less than 15 minutes. The best part? No oven, and minimal clean up required!

  • 1 serving Just Bare Chicken Nuggets ((84g))

  • 1 Tbsp light mayo

  • 1 Tbsp Trader Joes Sweet Chili Sauce

  • 1/2 Tbsp sriracha (use more if you like things spicy, use less or even omit if you prefer!)

  • 1 Tbsp chopped green onion for garnish

  1. Air fry your chicken nuggets at 400 for 10 minutes, or until they're as crispy as you like!

  2. While the air fryer is going, combine your mayo, chili sauce, and sriracha.

  3. After chicken nuggets are done, toss evenly in mayo mixture until evenly coated.

  4. Sprinkle with green onion and it's ready to enjoy!

  5. *Note, just double/triple/quadruple everything depending on how many you're serving!

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