BANG BANG BONFIRE CHICKEN BUNS

At Turner & George HQ, we spent the best part of a day brainstorming Bonfire Night recipes before finally settling on Bang Bang Chicken. And before anyone suggests we have a tendency to overthink or complicate things, we'd like to make it perfectly clear that we absolutely do not.

Anyway, several test cooks later, we reckon we've cracked it.

We've tried this with both a whole spatchcocked chicken and bone-in thighs, and one thing is certain. Chicken cooked on the bone is a hell of a lot more succulent. We won't use the M word, obviously.

A whole chicken is great for feeding the family, but thighs give you more meat for your money and are easier to pull apart. The thighs have it, see!

Toss that smoky chicken in a rich, punchy peanut bang bang sauce and pile it into soft, pillowy milk buns that soak up all those glorious juices. Lovely stuff.

Now, you could cook this in the oven, but given the amount of smoke floating around on Guy Fawkes Night, you might as well crack out the BBQ. Oak or cherry wood works a treat.

And if you're cooking after dark, invest in a head torch. Our very own Jakob swears by his after wearing one at recent events. Whether he's cooking meat or preparing to explore a disused mineshaft is anyone's guess.

For health and safety reasons, we should point out that we developed this recipe in broad daylight, with full visibility and absolutely no fireworks being launched from the BBQ.

So grab yourself a chicken (or a pile of thighs) from Turner & George and get firing. This Bonfire Night, let the flavour do the banging.

BANG BANG BONFIRE CHICKEN BUNS

Whole BBQ Chicken | Peanut Bang Bang Sauce | Milk Buns

Serves: 4–6
Prep: 20 minutes, plus marinating
Cook: 60–80 minutes

A whole spatchcocked chicken marinated in soy, ginger, garlic and Chinese five-spice, cooked over smoky coals until beautifully succulent, then pulled into soft, toasted milk buns with a rich peanut butter, sesame and chilli sauce.

Ingredients

For the chicken

1 whole chicken (1.8–2kg), spatchcocked or oyster chicken thighs (2Kg)

3 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp Chinese five-spice

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp neutral oil

For the peanut bang bang sauce

3 tbsp smooth peanut butter (or Chinese sesame paste)

2 tbsp crispy chilli oil (we used Lao Gan Ma)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp sesame oil

1 garlic clove, finely grated

Warm water, to loosen

To serve

4–6 milk buns

Quick-pickled cucumber

Fresh coriander

Extra crispy chilli oil

Method

1. Marinate the chicken

Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Rub thoroughly over the spatchcocked chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

2. Fire up the BBQ

Set up for indirect cooking at 180°C, adding a little oak or cherry wood for smoke. Cook the chicken skin-side up, away from direct heat, with the lid closed for 60–80 minutes, or until the thickest part reaches 75°C. Finish briefly over direct heat to crisp the skin, taking care not to burn the honey.

3. Make the bang bang sauce

Whisk all the sauce ingredients together, adding warm water a tablespoon at a time until smooth and creamy. Adjust the chilli, sweetness and acidity to taste.

4. Pull the chicken

Rest for 15 minutes, then remove the meat from the bones and shred. Chop the crispy skin and toss everything with the resting juices and enough bang bang sauce to coat generously.

5. Build the buns

Lightly toast the milk buns on the BBQ. Load with shredded chicken, pickled cucumber, spring onions and coriander. Finish with sesame seeds, extra sauce and a drizzle of crispy chilli oil.

Turner & George Tip

Cooking chicken on the bone is the secret here. It helps retain those wonderful juices while delivering plenty of flavour from the barbecue. Bone-in thighs work particularly well if you're cooking for a larger crowd, and they're easy to shred once cooked. Allow roughly 1.5-2kg of bone-in thighs to replace the whole chicken, adjusting the quantity to suit your guests.

For an oven alternative, roast the spatchcocked chicken at 200°C (180°C fan) until the thickest part reaches 75°C, then finish under a hot grill for extra colour. Bone-in thighs will generally cook faster, so check their internal temperature rather than following the whole-chicken timing.

And don't be shy with the peanut sauce. There's no such thing as too much bang bang.