Bang Bang Chicken Skewers with Creamy Chili Sauce
The sauce goes on twice — and that’s not a mistake. Most people brush their chicken once before cooking and call it done, but the real depth of bang bang sauce only happens when you hit the cooked chicken with a second coat of cold, fresh sauce right before serving. Skip that second layer and you’re eating half a recipe.
These skewers are on the table in 22 minutes flat, with a two-ingredient shortcut sauce that balances creamy, sweet, and spicy in every bite. The air fryer does the heavy lifting — no grill, no babysitting, no dry chicken. You get juicy cubes with a sticky glaze that actually clings, not slides.
Pro Tip
The most common mistake with chicken skewers is brushing all the sauce on before cooking, then wondering why it tastes flat. Heat kills the brightness of chili sauce and honey — the volatile aromatics that make bang bang sauce pop simply evaporate above 300°F (150°C). The fix: divide your sauce in half before you start. Use one half to coat the raw chicken, cook as normal, then brush the reserved half onto the hot skewers the moment they come out of the air fryer. That second layer stays raw, vivid, and punchy.
Thai sweet chili sauce is in the Asian foods aisle of most large supermarkets — Mae Ploy and Taste of Thai are the two most consistent brands for this recipe. If you can’t find it, whisk 3 tablespoons of apricot jam with 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar and a pinch of chili flakes as a workable stand-in. For the mayo, a full-fat version gives the sauce its signature body; light mayo makes it watery.
Bang Bang Chicken Skewers with Creamy Chili Sauce
4
servings10
minutes12
minutes510
kcal30
minutes52
minutesIngredients
8–10 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
2 lbs (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
1¼ cups (290 g) full-fat mayonnaise
⅔ cup (160 ml) Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tsp sriracha (add more to taste)
2 tbsp honey
Directions
- Soak the skewers. Submerge wooden skewers in cold water for at least 30 minutes before threading — this stops them from scorching at 400°F (200°C) in the air fryer. A tall glass or a baking dish works perfectly; just weight them down with a small plate so they stay fully submerged.
- Season the chicken. Toss the chicken cubes with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until every piece is evenly coated. Cut the cubes as close to 1 inch (2.5 cm) as possible — uneven pieces cook unevenly, and you’ll end up with dry edges before the center reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Make and divide the sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and honey, then pour exactly half into a separate bowl and set it aside. This is the step most people skip — that reserved bowl is your finishing sauce, and it makes all the difference in flavor.
- Thread and brush. Thread 4–5 chicken cubes onto each skewer, then brush generously with the first half of the sauce. The sauce should look glossy and thick on the surface — if it looks thin and translucent, you haven’t used enough.
- Air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 11–12 minutes, flipping halfway through. After flipping, the chicken should smell toasty and sweet — a faint caramelized aroma tells you the sugars in the honey are doing their job. Always verify with a meat thermometer: internal temperature must reach 165°F (74°C).
- Finish with the reserved sauce. The moment the skewers come off the heat, brush them immediately with the cold reserved bang bang sauce. The contrast between hot chicken and cool sauce creates a creamy, clingy glaze — wait more than two minutes and the effect is half as good.
Variations
**Grilled version:** Skip the air fryer and grill over medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes per side — wait until after grilling to apply the finishing sauce, same rule applies. **Lighter swap:** Replace half the mayonnaise with plain Greek yogurt for a tangier, lower-fat sauce that still coats the chicken well; I’ve tested this three times and the texture holds up fine.
Serving Suggestions
Steamed jasmine rice soaks up the extra sauce pooling on the plate — don’t waste a drop. A crisp cucumber and red onion salad with a splash of rice vinegar cuts through the richness cleanly. Warm flatbreads work well for wrapping the chicken straight off the skewer.
FAQ
Can I prep these ahead of time?
Yes — thread the seasoned chicken onto soaked skewers, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 days before cooking. The bang bang sauce keeps in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a week, so you can make a double batch and use it through the week.
My chicken came out dry — what went wrong?
The most likely culprit is uneven cube sizes: smaller pieces overcook before the larger ones are done. In my kitchen, I use a ruler the first time I make a new skewer recipe — 1 inch (2.5 cm) exactly, no guessing. Also check your air fryer runs true to temperature, as some models run 25°F (14°C) hot.
Can I make this with chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Absolutely — thighs stay juicier and forgive a minute of extra cook time without drying out. The fat content is higher, which means the bang bang sauce clings even better to the surface. You might find yourself wondering whether the sauce works just as well on other proteins — shrimp, for instance, cooks in half the time.
