Sticky Crispy Chicken coated in sweet and salty Chinese BBQ sauce... Fresh and crunchy Asian-style Cabbage Slaw... A light and fluffy steamed bao bun... Have we said enough to make your mouth water? Our absolute favourite appetizer (or even a main meal), these Sticky Crispy Chicken Bao Buns can be made completely from scratch! These are ridiculously delicious, so if you're looking for a bunch of compliments from your family or guests, go on and try these delicious chicken bao!
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Recipe Highlights
EFFORT: High, but rewarding!
TEXTURE: Crispy sticky chicken, fluffy bao
TOP TIP: Serve immediately after assembling
MESS FACTOR: Worth every napkin!
SEB'S RATING: Loses count after the third
Best Steamed Bao Buns
We are advocates of homemade food. I feel that if you have the time to spare, your meal will taste better if made completely from scratch! And of course, it will give you a sense of achievement. And... perhaps most importantly, you can take full credit and bathe in the sea of compliments you receive at your dinner table.
So whilst you can buy bao in most large supermarkets these days, we highly recommend making your own Steamed Bao Buns. Don't worry, you don't need a bamboo steamer for them, as long as you have a metal steamer pan or an electric vegetable steamer.
Sticky Chinese BBQ Chicken Filling
We love making steamed buns, and we try to experiment with different fillings all the time, but so far Sticky Chinese BBQ Chicken Filled Bao are our firm favourite. Sweet, salty, crunchy and sticky - what's not to like? There are two elements to this filling: the sauce and the chicken itself.
Make the Chinese BBQ Sauce (Char Siu)
If you are short on time, you can pick up a jar of Char Siu from the shop, or order it online. But if you have 10 extra minutes, this sticky sweet sauce is a breeze to make. Simply follow our Chinese BBQ Sauce Recipe and use it as a sauce for the chicken.
Cook the Chicken
Cut the chicken breasts into small thin strips. You really need to spend the time here and make them small, as they will need to fit into the bao buns. Furthermore, small pieces mean more surface area for the coating, which translates into an extra crispy chicken filling.
In a large bowl, mix the cornflour and plain (all-purpose) flour. Add the chicken strips, and using your hands, mix the chicken until every single bit is covered in flour.
Heat a generous glug of oil (like vegetable or sunflower oil) in a large non-stick frying pan (you may need to use two pans in order not to overcrowd the pan).
Add the chicken to hot oil and let it sizzle on medium-high for a couple of minutes. Make sure the chicken strips have space, otherwise they will stew and won't crisp up. You can always fry the chicken in batches.
Stir and brown the chicken on all sides. Place the chicken strips on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any extra oil.
Wipe the pan clean and add the Chinese BBQ Sauce. Stir for a minute until it warms up. Then add the crispy chicken into the pan and stir just enough to coat.
And here you have it! Your Sticky Chinese Chicken Filling!
Vegetables for Filling
We absolutely love this filling with our Asian Cabbage Slaw with Sesame Mayo. Not only does it add the extra crunch, but it also gives that extra bit of creamy mayo, making the filling moist and irresistible. And we simply cannot imagine food without any vegetables: so we added 6 different veggies into our tasty slaw that goes so well with this Bao bun chicken filling.
Homemade Red Cabbage Slaw is perfect for bao buns too!
Alternative Bao Bun Fillings
We absolutely love filling these homemade steamed buns with:
- Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
- Sticky Crispy Chinese Pork Belly In A Slow Cooker
- Satay-Style Jackfruit (that we also use in vegan burgers)
- Crispy Honey Chicken
- Crispy Teriyaki Chicken With Rice
- Crispy Chilli Chicken | Chinese Fakeaway
- Crispy Chilli Beef
- Slow Cooker Satay Chicken Curry
For more ideas, visit our collection of bao bun filling ideas!
We are currently in the process of developing a few other delicious bao bun recipes, that will be posted at the beginning of 2025. We have a wonderful Japanese-inspired salmon recipe as well as a mouth-watering plant-based option. Keep an eye out for these recipes early next year!
How To Make Chicken Bao Into a Main Meal?
We make bao buns as a main meal for dinner all the time. They are both a meal and an experience, as we each assemble our own buns at the table. Whilst it is a messy meal to eat, it is certainly a lot of fun! Just keep a handful of napkins close by.
Serve 5-6 crispy chicken bao buns per portion, and if you have a hungry family, simply add edamame beans and garlic-chilli stir-fried broccoli on the side!
Recipe FAQs:
Crispy Chicken Bao are perfect as an appetizer at a party. They can be served as a two-bite canape, or 1-2 buns per portion as a starter at a sit-down meal. If you're looking to serve these as a main meal, I would recommend 5-6 per portion.
Only individual elements can be reheated. You can place the Chinese Bao Buns back into a steamer for 1-2 minutes to reheat. Heat the Chinese BBQ sauce in a pan and then stir the chicken through it for 1-2 minutes to warm up. The chicken will have lost some crispiness, of course, but it will still taste nice.
Other Chinese Recipes To Try
We love to eat at Chinese Restaurants, have Cantonese Take-Aways and cook Oriental meals at home! Here are some of our favourite homemade meals:
- Crispy Chilli Beef | Home-Made Chinese Take-Away Favourite
- Sticky Shiitake Mushrooms (Vegan Shiitake Mushroom Recipe)
- Quick & Easy Honey Chicken
- Crispy Tofu Kung Pao
Sticky Crispy Chicken Bao Buns
Ingredients
- 30 steamed bao buns
- ½ recipe Asian-Style Cabbage Slaw
- 300 ml (1⅓ cups) Chinese BBQ Sauce (Char Siu)
For Sticky Chicken:
- 500 g (1.1 lb) chicken breast
- 4 tbsp cornflour corn starch
- 2 tablespoon plain flour all-purpose flour
- oil for frying
Instructions
- First, prepare the Chinese BBQ Sauce, Asian Cabbage Slaw and Steamed Bao Buns, that will all be used in this recipe.
- Cut the chicken breast into small thin strips.
- Mix cornflour and plain flour in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly ensuring every bit of chicken is coated.
- Heat a generous glug of oil in a large non-stick frying pan and add half of the chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat, then mix and carry on cooking until chicken is browned on all sides and fully cooked through. Spoon the chicken out on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Alternatively, use two pans.
- Once all the chicken is cooked, wipe the frying pan clean. Add the Chinese BBQ sauce and heat on low for a minute to warm through. Add the chicken back to the pan and stir to coat in sauce.
- Stuff steamed bao buns with a small spoonful of Asian Cabbage Slaw, top with crispy chicken and dig in!
Notes
Nutrition
Kim says
These look delicious! I haven't had bao buns in so long. I am excited to try them.
Hayley Dhanecha says
Making bao buns from scratch, so rewarding! Tried with vegetable fillings, they were so good.
Ieva says
Oh, you must share some of your favourite vegetable fillings - I would love to try something new!
Casey says
I really enjoyed the filling in these, and the Chinese BBQ sauce added the perfect flavor.
Kushigalu says
Bao Buns is my all-time favorite. Looks fantastic. Can't wait to try your recipe.
Katherine says
Soft bao buns and sticky crispy chicken - this is incredible!
dina and bruce miller says
Excited to find this recipe on your page! Can not wait to make these!
Dannii says
These were much easier to make than I thought they would be. So much flavour!
Ieva says
So glad you gave them a go! 🙂
Stephanie says
There is an animated Disney short where this Chinese grandmother is making Bao buns. The name of it might even be Bao. Anyway, since I saw that I've always wanted to make them! I'm so excited to have a recipe!
Kate says
Love this bao bun filling! Soooo good.
Ieva says
Thanks, Kate! ❤️
Chenee says
So yummy! I've never tried making my own bao buns before, and it was surprisingly simple!
Helen says
I've never tried making my own bao buns at home but you've made it look very achievable! We'll have to have a go 🙂
Ieva says
I am so glad you feel inspired to amke these gorgeous buns at home!
Ned says
So awesome! I cannot wait to make these this weekend!! Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Aliyah says
Hello when making this recipe I wanted to make sure I do this correctly. Did you use corn starch or corn flour?
Ieva Greber says
In the UK, it is labelled as "cornflour", but I believe it is called cornstarch in the US. It's the fine white powder, typically used as a thickening agent (not the finely ground corn meal). Hope this helps 🙂
imsen says
These buns looks so incredible! The chicken is so crispy and the buns look so soft. Thanks for sharing
Ieva says
You are most welcome! Hope you like them!
Jacqueline says
There's just something so cute about Bao buns. So fun to eat too.
Marie-Pierre Breton says
This recipe is easy to pull off for a first-timer! I've done the bao with solely the sticky chicken, no coleslaw, and it was delicious! Still dreaming of it!
Ieva Greber says
So glad you found the recipe easy to follow! And I get it, I too often just eat the bao buns with sticky chicken or pork 🙂
Liz says
I made these for dinner and the combo of chicken, slaw, and sauce was a winner!!!
vera says
This was one of the best recipes for Bao Buns I have ever tried. Thank you for this!
Ieva Greber says
Thank you so much for such kind feedback! so glad you enjoyed them! 😀
Swathi says
Crispy Chicken bao buns are the perfect meal idea, my family enjoyed it.
Leslie says
I am obsessed with this Chinese bbq sauce in this recipe! It was perfection!!
Ieva Greber says
Thank you, Leslie! It's quite versatile as well, so I hope you will find many ways to use it in other recipes, or simply as a dip! 🙂