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Chicken Bao Buns with Cozy Secret Sauce

Recipe by The Cozy Bowl Kitchen

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  • Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield8 bao buns 1x

Pillowy steamed bao buns loaded with crispy fried chicken, a creamy sriracha secret sauce, cucumber, carrot and crispy onions. Our Bao Squad, rebuilt for your kitchen.

Ingredients

Scale

For the bao dough

  • 300g plain flour
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 170ml whole milk, warmed to blood temperature
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil, plus extra for brushing

For the crispy chicken

  • 500g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into strips
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 4 tbsp cornflour
  • Sunflower oil, for frying

For the secret sauce

  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tsp runny honey
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

To load them up

  • 1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
  • 3 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 3 tbsp crispy fried onions
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

  1. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Pour in the warm milk and oil and bring together into a shaggy dough.
  2. Knead on a lightly oiled surface for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and springy. Return to the bowl, cover, and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour, until doubled.
  3. Knock the dough back and divide into 8 pieces. Roll each into an oval about 3mm thick, brush lightly with oil, lay a strip of baking paper across the middle and fold in half. Sit each one on its own square of baking paper.
  4. Cover and prove for a second time for 25 to 30 minutes, until visibly puffy.
  5. Steam the buns in batches in a covered steamer over simmering water for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid, and turn the heat off before you open it so they do not collapse.
  6. While the buns steam, toss the chicken with the soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and garlic powder. Leave for 10 minutes, then coat thoroughly in the cornflour.
  7. Heat 3cm of oil in a deep pan to 180C. Fry the chicken in batches for 5 to 6 minutes, until deep gold and cooked through. Drain on a wire rack.
  8. Whisk all the secret sauce ingredients together until smooth. Loosen with a teaspoon of water if it is too thick to drizzle.
  9. Open each warm bun, spread a little sauce inside, then load with cucumber, carrot and hot crispy chicken.
  10. Drizzle generously with more sauce and finish with spring onions, crispy fried onions and sesame seeds. Serve straight away, with napkins.

Notes

Shortcut. Shop-bought frozen bao buns steam from frozen in 8 to 10 minutes and turn this into a 20-minute recipe. No shame in it.

The mistake to avoid. Lifting the steamer lid too quickly. Turn the heat off, wait a minute, then lift the lid slowly and away from you, or the buns will wrinkle and collapse.

Make ahead and freeze. Steam the buns, cool them completely on a rack, freeze flat and then bag them. Re-steam from frozen for about 5 minutes. They freeze better than almost any other bread.

Timing note. The total time includes roughly 40 minutes of proving, during which you are not doing anything. Active work is about an hour.

Swaps that work. Thin strips of sirloin (fry 2 to 3 minutes) or raw peeled king prawns (fry 2 to 3 minutes) in place of the chicken, matching the beef and king prawn versions on our menu.

Equipment. A bamboo or metal steamer (or a colander set over a lidded pan), greaseproof paper, a rolling pin, a deep heavy pan for frying, a cooking thermometer, a wire rack for draining, and digital scales for dividing the dough evenly.

Allergens. This recipe contains wheat (gluten), milk, egg and soya, and the toppings may contain sesame. Sriracha, mayonnaise and crispy fried onions vary considerably by brand. Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.

This is a home recipe inspired by the Bao Squad at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.

  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Proving: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Starter
  • Method: Steaming
  • Cuisine: Asian

Find it online: https://thecozybowl.co.uk/chicken-bao-buns-recipe/