This bang bang chicken pasta just might be the best Slimming World Recipe of 2018.
But what is bang bang chicken or bang-bang anything for that matter? Traditionally it is a Chinese street food of the schzehuan region of China. The bang bang term comes from the tenderizing of meat with a heavy wooden stick. Bang bang Chicken is also recognized by it’s spicy sauce.
You will find a huge variety of different recipe for this dish from how the protein part of the dish is made to how the sauce is made, some using shrimp or fish or even vegetarian options, others served with rice, salad or pasta and if you have ever frequented a Cheesecake Factory it is one of their most popular dishes on the menu.
When ever I think of bang bang, it’s always the spicy kick that first enters my mind. I don’t do any pounding of meat with a big wooden stick in this recipe. I do slice the chicken quite finely though so it is almost shredded. I find this the perfect method for using Chicken breast, as it means each piece of chicken takes on as much flavour as the sauce as possible.
For me it just has to be pasta for my version of Bang Bang Chicken, mainly because for some strange reason I hadn’t eaten pasta for a while and was done on the whole rice and noodles thing.
Now onto the sauce. Let me just say this sauce uses such simple ingredients, but oh my when you combine it with everything else, it’s an explosion of flavour. I can honestly say it’s one of my most favourite recipes right now, which is why I am confident in saying, it may just be the best Slimming World recipe of 2018.
Of course, there is bound to be the one (or two that dislike it), it’s impossible to please everyone, but for the most part, I know most will love it. If you don’t, you can always bring your plate of food to me and I’ll demolish it for you.
Actually typing this up right now is making me crave this bang bang chicken pasta all over again. You can guess what I am adding to my meal plan this week, right?
So what are the ingredients in this bang bang chicken pasta?
The main ingredients obviously being chicken and pasta. I use chicken breast in this, slicing into really thin strips, so it gets covered in that lovely flavour.
For some speed foods, I add some finely diced zucchini (courgette) and red pepper, as well as the onion and garlic.
The sauce is added right at the very end - lovely and creamy, that makes a meal the kind of dish you don't want to ever finish. I use some low-fat cream cheese (I know I could use quark which is free, but it just isn't as creamy), sweet chilli sauce, sriracha (for the extra spicy kick) - this is called bang bang chicken, after all, it has to have that kick in my opinion.
Sriracha you will find at most grocery stores. It's a chilli sauce, popular in Asian style cooking.
You can use any shape pasta of choice. I go for spaghetti, as it likes noodles, so just is perfect for this dish. Plus the kids love good ole spaghetti.
Don't fancy chicken? Feel free to replace with shrimp or another protein of choice. Hey! you don't even have to serve with this pasta. It would be great over some rice or just with some additional stir fried veg.
HOW CAN I ADD A ⅓ SPEED FOODS TO THIS RECIPE?
Some of the veg added to this dish will count towards your ⅓ speed foods. But to up your speed foods you could either serve with a salad or stir fry some vegetables to even out your plate. I love buying little bags of kale slaw, they are perfect for dumping in a pan with a little spray oil and seasoning for quick speed foods.
Love dishes like this? Why not check out some of these other amazing recipes:
- Thai Chicken Noodles
- Low Syn Sweet Chilli Prawns and Noodles
- Asian Chicken with Noodles
- Garlic Sesame Carrot and Noodles
- Hoisin Pork and Noodles
- Chicken Singapore Noodles
- Chilli Beef Noodles
- Low Syn Ginger Chicken with Mushrooms and Noodles
- Low Syn Yakitori Chicken and Noodles
- Quick Hoisin Beef Noodle Stir Fry
- Quick Sriracha Chicken
and if that’s not enough to choose from, don’t forget my FULL RECIPE INDEX with over 500+ delicious Slimming World Recipes.
WHAT KITCHEN ITEMS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS BANG BANG CHICKEN PASTA?
- Kitchen Scales
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Jug
- Chopping Board
- Santoku Knife (perfect knife for chopping veg)
- Wooden Spoon
- Deep Frying Pan
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How to Make Bang Bang Chicken Pasta:
Bang Bang Chicken Pasta | Slimming World
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 servings
This recipe is Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly
- Extra Easy - 2.5 syns per serving
- WW Smart Points - 11
*suitable for freezing (but best eaten on the day of cooking)
Ingredients
- 500g (17.50z) of chicken breast (raw), sliced thinly
- 1 tsp of paprika
- ½ tsp of garlic powder
- ½ tsp of onion powder
- salt and black pepper
- spray oil
- 1 small onion, halved and sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 small zucchini (courgette), diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 cup (240ml) of low sodium chicken stock
- 2 tsp of sriracha sauce (0.5 syns)
- ¼ cup (4 tbs) of Sweet Chilli Sauce (5.5 syns)
- ¼ cup (4 tbs) of low-fat cream cheese (4 syns)
- 300g (10.5oz) of uncooked spaghetti
- fresh chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Spray a deep frying pan over a medium-high heat with spray oil.
- Add the chicken, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper
- Fry until lightly browned, remove and set aside.
- Spray the frying pan with some more spray oil
- Add the onion and a little bit of the stock to deglaze the pan.
- Fry the onion until translucent and softened.
- Add the garlic and continue to fry for a further 1 min.
- Add the zucchini and red pepper. Stir to combine
- Add back in the chicken and stock and simmer to reduce down a little.
- In the meantime cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente and drain.
- Add the sriracha sauce to the chicken and vegetables, stir to combine.
- Add the pasta, cream cheese and sweet chilli sauce.
- Toss till combined and the sauce is lovely and creamy and velvety (couple of minutes).
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste if needed, stir through some chopped parsley or cilantro (optional).
- Serve and enjoy!!
Notes
Syns in sweet chilli sauce and low fat cream cheese can vary, so be sure to double check the syn values for the one you use.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only.
Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. Also, double-check syn values of synned ingredients as different brands can vary.
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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 473 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 2.9 g | 4% | |
Saturated Fat 0.6 g | 3% | |
Cholesterol 76 mg | 25% | |
Sodium 628 mg | 26% | |
Total Carbohydrates 72 g | 24% | |
Dietary Fiber 3.3 g | 13% | |
Sugars 12.7 g | ||
Protein 38.2 g | 76% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I made this tonight for our evening meal and it was just delicious! Easy to make and just the perfect chilli kick to it. It was lovely and creamy and definietely felt as though it had more than a couple of syns. This is a new favourite in my house!
This dish was so yummy it had a bite without the heat that chilli gives! Definitely gonna be a regular in our house . Love your recipes Siobhan
This is such a delicious dish. It’s currently one of my favourite. Does not taste like a ‘diet dish’
thanks Amanda, so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Absolutely delicious recipe, and really easy to prepare, loved it.
So happy I found your Slimming eats, tried the Bang bang chicken and pasta, it was delish , will definitely be trying more of your recipes. The baked oats look very good will have a go at them. Give this recipe 5 stars. Thanks Irene
This is delicious . I'm not a god cook but found this easy to make
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe and for your wonderful site!
thanks for commenting Louise. I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe.
So happy to hear you found it easy to make. I hope you continue to try and enjoy more of my recipes. Thank you so much for commenting.
I am so happy you found my website too Irene. I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes, thank you for taking the time to comment.
Another delicious recipe from Siobhán. Just made this for myself and my husband and we both loved it. I didn’t use sriracha as I was afraid it’d be too spicy for us. Thanks Siobhán
Cooked this tonight. Lovely and big portions. Thank you
My husband loved this so much he just went off to the kitchen to go finish off the rest of it. I had to warn him that if he ate the remaining third now, he wouldn't be able to have it for lunch tomorrow. *GASP* Now he's putting it away to save for lunch. Big thumbs up!
I plan on making this for my post weigh in tea, as I, currently doing extra easy sp 4 days a week. I’m a bit confused on when it says add the stock, Where does the stock come from? Sorry for the stupid question recipes are amazing by the way xxx
Hi Tamara, you can either use ready made fat free stock in a carton, or make it up yourself using cubes, follow directions on packaging to make up the correct mls as stated in recipe 🙂
good tactics, to get him to save some. I wish that would work with my kids sometimes, I think they are planning to eat me out of house and home at the minute. lol
I made this tonight for the first time. It was delicious. I love the way it tasted so creamy, even though I used dairy free cream cheese. I might add a bit more chilli next time but that’s a personal choice thing. It has a kick but it’s not too hot, just mildly spiced.
I also used rice noodles, I’m gluten free s well s dairy free, it was a bit hard mixing it all together but it worked. We both really enjoyed it.
Made this for the first time tonight and it was delicious! Served mine with rigatoni pasta and extra broccoli and baby corn for speed! Will definitely make again!!
One of my favourites! So easy to make & a hit every time I do!
It's definitely popular. Such an easy dish to make too. Thanks for commenting 🙂
Sounds great. Will give this a go next week.
This was delicious. Enjoyed by everyone, even critical teenager! Would highly recommend
Thanks for commenting Clare - it's always great when even the fussy kids surprise you.
How spicy is spicy? I don't like mega hot food! Xx
Hi Emms, it has a slight spicy kick to it, but not overpowering, I suggest not adding the sriracha and then taste testing, as you can always add that at the end.
It looks fantastic! Could we not use philadelphia light as a hexA or 2hexA? Also, what other veg do you think will go nice with those flavors, as i can't stand peppers (and boyfriend hates mushrooms)?
Second time making this tonight. It’s just so easy and tasty, my boys love it. I can’t believe how low cal it is either. Another winner Siobhan x
Hi Andrada, as only a small amount of cream cheese is used, I felt it was better to syn it, as you would not be getting your full healthy extra quota in a serving.
Absolutely delicious hubby loved it, another meal I can cook again
Omg, I've just made this and it's amazing. Will defo be making it again.
Thanks shev
so happy you enjoyed it Steph
Amazing! Thoroughly enjoyed this and will be making it again! I added some king prawns to mine also. Its got a lovely hot kick and is beautifully creamy. Big hit in our house!
Thanks for commenting Jessica, so happy you enjoyed it. King prawns sound a great addition.
My new favourite slimming world meal. Delicious!
OMG tried this tonight, it was amazing, sooooo tasty. Our new favourite dish
I found this recipe on pinterest, made this today, and loved it! Highly recommended if you like the sweet and spicy taste combo : )
Thank you for posting.
Fabulous! My husband and I loved this evening!
I have had Bang Bang Shrimp in Florida, which is good. So I am thinking why. not with chicken. Looks wonderful. As I scrolled looking for the recipe, I had to pass over 9 pictures before I got to the recipe. I wish recipes would come at the beginning of the blog, then you could add as many pictures as you want after that.
Hi Barbara - I do hope you give this a try and enjoy it. I often post tips, or alternative suggestions etc in my write up to my recipes, hence why the recipe box will always be at the bottom. This is the standard format of most food blogs.
Made this tonight and love it. Hot kick without being overpowering. Going to be a new firm favourite for sure
This recipe was extremely tasty, simple and easy to make. After a long day at work I was feeling tired and grumpy. This dish sorted me right out. I even went back for seconds Thank you!
made this for the first tonight, was hesitant as i don't like spicy food so left the siracha out. Honestly the best thing I have ever made
I cooked it last night, and I must say it was amazing. I used Frankie's sauce for wings instead of sriracha, as I didn't have any. Beautiful!!!
Fabulous recipe, the best ever slimming world meal ever. Thankyou so much
What could I use instead of sriracha sauce
Made this tonight...absolutely delicious. Used vegetable pasta. Husband and son fought over the leftovers!! Neither knew it was a healthy dish 🙂
This is a staple in my household now. Thank you so much to whoever came up with his recipe it is amazing!!!!
Is there anything else you cou use as a substitute for the cream cheese my hubby cannot eat cheese. Iwould still like to make this.
Hi Lorraine you could just omit, it won't be creamy, but should still taste great 🙂
Made this for first time tonight but I used Quorn chicken/veggie stick and I didn’t have sweet Chili sauce but I was DELICIOUS. Thank you.
Really nice meal our the family really enjoyed it will use again.
Hi,can you use Quark in this instead of low fat cream cheese please.
Cream cheese is best, as quark is sour so wont be creamy.
Love this! Brilliantly balanced!
Hi there. Would this work with rice? My husband is a ceoliac and he doesn't like gf pasta. Thank you
Hi there Janet, yes I am sure using rice will be fine.
I made this tonight for the first time , it was delicious. Will definitely be having it again
This is wonderful, just the right amount of chili, and it actually looks just like your picture. Sorry we ate the lot so no photo.
Another Delicious Dish by Slimming Eats. I got a "You can make this one again". I added a tad more Sriracha, but I like it spicy. Thanks for the recipes.
First time I've tried this recipe - it's mine and my husband's new favourite! Amazing!
Love this dish does anyone no if it’s suitable to freeze thanks x
pasta is always best eaten when cooked, but everything freezes fine in this recipe.
Fantastic recipe. Really tasty with a good hint of heat
May be a silly question but, can I Freeze the chicken etc without the spaghetti as I would like to cook the spaghetti fresh each time ? .
Just had this!! Amazing - we made it with what we already had at home, so used Chicken Thighs and noodles and it was lovely Thanks for the recipes 🙂
yes that should be fine 😉
Just made this today. It’s really good thanks
Hello!
Absolutely amazing recipe, we use it all the time (with leftover slow cooker roast chicken!!) Just finished another dreamy bowl of this!
Will be trying more and post pictures next!
Thanks [email protected]
Delicious, I added a some extra chilli flakes to give it a more intense “bang”, it will definitely be a regular feature in my house going forward.
Have just tried this dish and it's amazing! My family loved it too. I'm going to share top muy SW page and mention Slimmingeats.
Thank you so much
Annie B
This is one of my favourite recipes! In fact we're having it tonight.......
This went down a storm in my house tonight. I couldn't stop picking at it before serving and my picky teen shot down the stairs for a second helping before he'd fully finished the first, just to make sure he got some before it all went. Definitely making this again!
Great dish, that’s easy to make. We added extra spice (we like it hot) but otherwise followed the recipe exactly, it’s definitely going to be a mid-week regular.
Has anybody made this in the slow cooker before?
Would it be a case of chuck everything in at the start? Or should the cream cheese not go in at the start?
I always cook my pasta separate, I don't add that to the slow cooker.