Bao Buns with Crispy Fried Chicken
Soft folded steamed bao buns filled with extremely crisp fried chicken, quick-pickled cucumber ribbons, scallions, sesame seeds, and a glossy sriracha mayo, delivering real, clear contrast between pillowy white bun, craggy golden chicken, cold sharp cucumber, and creamy spicy sauce. Rubbing a little of the chicken’s own wet marinade directly into the dry dredge is the technique this whole crust depends on for its characteristic craggy texture — those small, shaggy, hydrated crumbs are exactly what become the rough, craggy fried texture, the same wet-crumbs-in-dry-dredge principle used elsewhere in this collection whenever a fried coating’s own irregular, craggy surface depends on deliberately introducing moisture into an otherwise dry mixture. Double-frying the chicken in two distinct stages, a gentler first fry followed by a hotter, briefer second, is what delivers real, final crunch without drying out the meat. Draining the pickled cucumber thoroughly before it ever goes into the bun is what protects the crisp fried chicken from softening the moment it’s assembled. The payoff is a bao with real, defining contrast — a soft, pillowy steamed bun around extremely crisp, craggy fried chicken, cold pickled cucumber, and a glossy, spicy-creamy sauce.
Prep Time : 1 hr
Cook Time : 35–40 min
Servings : 4
1 hr
35–40 min
4
Ingredients
For the Bao Buns
• 500g all-purpose flour or bao flour — this one on Amazon
• 50g sugar
• 7g instant yeast
• 8g baking powder
• 6g fine salt
• 260ml lukewarm milk or water, 28–32°C
• 30ml neutral oil
• Extra neutral oil, for brushing before folding
For the Chicken
• 700g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 12 pieces, about 50–60g each
• 8g fine salt
• 1 tsp white pepper — this one on Amazon
• 1 tsp garlic powder — this one on Amazon
• 1 tsp onion powder — this one on Amazon
• ½ tsp smoked paprika or Korean chili powder, optional
• 180ml buttermilk — this one on Amazon
• 1 egg
• 15ml soy sauce
• 10g grated ginger
• 8g grated garlic
For the Extra-Crisp Dredge
• 180g all-purpose flour
• 100g potato starch
• 70g cornstarch
• 8g baking powder
• 6g fine salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp paprika or chili powder
For Frying
• Neutral oil, for deep-frying
For the Pickled Cucumber Ribbons
• 2 large cucumbers, shaved into thin ribbons
• 60ml rice vinegar — this one on Amazon
• 20g sugar
• 4g salt
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
For the Sriracha Mayo
• 120g Kewpie mayo or regular mayonnaise — this one on Amazon
• 35g sriracha — this one on Amazon
• 10ml lime juice
• 5ml toasted sesame oil
• 5g honey or sugar
• Pinch of salt
For Finishing
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• Extra lime wedges, optional
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Directions
- Make the Bao Dough
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, instant yeast, baking powder, and salt. Add the lukewarm milk or water and neutral oil. Knead with the dough hook for 8–10 minutes, until smooth, soft, and elastic. The dough should feel supple, not sticky-wet. Cover and proof for 60–75 minutes, until about doubled. Bao dough should be smooth and soft before proofing. If it is rough, knead longer. Rough dough gives wrinkled buns. That thorough kneading, worked until genuinely smooth, is what builds enough gluten structure to prevent the pleated, folded bun from wrinkling once it’s actually steamed. - Marinate the Chicken
Season the chicken pieces with salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and optional paprika or chili powder. In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Add the chicken and coat well. Marinate for 1 hour while the bao dough proofs. Keep the chicken pieces around 50–60g each. Bigger pieces overpower the bun and take too long to fry; smaller pieces dry out. That specific piece size is calibrated precisely to the bao’s own scale — large enough to feel substantial inside the folded bun, small enough to fry through completely within the recipe’s own brief frying windows. - Shape the Bao Buns
Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces, about 70g each. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Rest for 10 minutes, covered. Roll each ball into an oval about 12–13cm long. Brush the surface lightly with neutral oil, then fold in half without sealing. Place each folded bun on a small square of parchment. Cover and proof for 25–35 minutes, until slightly puffed and airy. Do not overproof. The buns should look puffy but still hold their shape. Overproofed bao collapse and wrinkle after steaming. Brushing the oiled surface before folding, rather than leaving the dough bare, is what keeps the two folded layers from actually sealing together during steaming, letting the bun open cleanly once it’s time to fill. - Prepare the Cucumber and Sauce
Toss cucumber ribbons with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and sesame seeds. Rest for 15–20 minutes, then drain lightly before using. Mix Kewpie mayo, sriracha, lime juice, sesame oil, honey, and salt until smooth. Drain the cucumber before assembling. Wet cucumber will soften the fried chicken crust. That deliberate draining step protects the crisp chicken from a real, specific risk — any residual pickling liquid left on the cucumber would transfer directly onto the crust the moment the bun is assembled, softening it well before it’s even eaten. - Steam the Bao
Bring a steamer to a steady simmer. Steam the bao buns in batches for 8–10 minutes, leaving space between them. Turn off the heat and let them sit covered for 2 minutes before opening the lid. Do not open the steamer immediately. Sudden temperature change can wrinkle the bao. Keep warm, covered with a clean towel. That brief, covered rest after the heat is off lets the buns’ own internal temperature settle gradually, protecting their smooth surface from the real risk of wrinkling under a sudden shift from hot, humid steam to open air. - Prepare the Dredge
In a wide bowl, mix flour, potato starch, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika or chili powder. Drizzle 2–3 tbsp of the chicken marinade into the dry dredge and rub it through with your fingers to create small shaggy crumbs. Those little wet flour crumbs become the craggy fried texture. A perfectly smooth dry dredge gives a flatter crust. That deliberate introduction of moisture into an otherwise dry mixture is specifically what creates real, irregular texture — a dredge left perfectly smooth and dry would coat the chicken far more evenly and flatly, missing the rough, craggy surface this recipe is built around. - Dredge the Chicken
Lift chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Press each piece firmly into the dredge, squeezing the coating onto the chicken so it forms rough ridges. Shake off loose flour. Place on a rack and rest for 10 minutes before frying. The coating should hydrate slightly and look rough, not dusty. This rest helps the crust stick during frying. That brief resting period lets the dredge’s own moisture continue working into the coating, giving it genuine time to adhere properly to the chicken before it ever meets the shock of hot oil. - First Fry
Heat oil to 160–165°C. Fry the chicken in batches for 4–5 minutes, until pale golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack. Do not stack the chicken and do not drain directly on paper towels. The first fry cooks the chicken and sets the crust. The second fry creates the real crunch. That deliberately moderate first-fry temperature gives the chicken genuine time to cook through at a manageable pace, leaving the crust’s own final colour and crunch intentionally underdeveloped so the second, hotter fry has real room to finish the job. - Second Fry
Increase oil to 185–190°C. Fry the chicken again for 1–2 minutes, until deeply golden, craggy, and very crisp. Internal temperature should reach 74°C. Rest on a wire rack for 2–3 minutes. The second fry must be hot and short. If it is too long, the crust darkens and the chicken dries out. That higher second-fry temperature is specifically what builds real, deep colour and maximum crispness quickly, in a genuinely brief window — since the interior is already properly cooked from the first fry, this stage exists purely to finish the crust. - Assemble
Open each warm bao bun gently. Fill each bun with 1 piece crispy fried chicken, drained pickled cucumber ribbons, sriracha mayo drizzle, sliced scallions, and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Assembling only at this final, immediate stage protects every carefully built component — the bun’s own softness, the chicken’s real crispness, the cucumber’s cold crunch — from compromising each other before the bao ever reaches the table.
*Notes :
- Rubbing a little of the chicken’s own wet marinade directly into the dry dredge deserves genuine recognition as the technique most directly responsible for this fried chicken’s whole craggy, textured crust. The recipe’s own explicit framing — “those little wet flour crumbs become the craggy fried texture” — reflects exactly how deliberate this step is; a perfectly smooth, dry dredge alone simply couldn’t produce that same rough, irregular surface.
- Double-frying the chicken in two genuinely distinct stages deserves the same attention this technique receives throughout this collection’s other double-fried proteins. The first fry cooks the meat through at a moderate pace, deliberately leaving the crust’s colour underdeveloped, while the second, considerably hotter fry has real room to finish building deep colour and maximum crispness in a genuinely brief window.
- Draining the pickled cucumber thoroughly before it ever meets the fried chicken deserves genuine attention as a real, functional safeguard rather than a minor step. The recipe’s own explicit warning that “wet cucumber will soften the fried chicken crust” reflects a real, immediate risk — any residual pickling liquid transfers directly onto that crisp coating the moment the bun is assembled.
- Letting the steamed bao rest briefly, covered, before the steamer lid is ever opened deserves respect as a small but consequential detail. That gradual transition protects the bun’s own smooth surface from the sudden temperature shift a too-quick lid opening would cause, which is specifically what risks wrinkling the finished bao.
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe works because the bao dough is kneaded thoroughly, building the structure needed to fold and steam without wrinkling. The chicken is sized specifically to fit the bun and fry through completely, and wet marinade rubbed into the dry dredge builds the recipe’s signature craggy crust.
Double-frying at two distinct temperatures cooks the chicken through gently before finishing it hot and crisp.
The pickled cucumber is drained thoroughly, protecting the fried chicken’s own crust from softening, and every component is assembled only right before serving, delivering the whole bao’s intended contrast between soft bun, crisp chicken, cold cucumber, and creamy sauce.
Ingredient Breakdown
Thoroughly Kneaded Bao Dough
The critical technique — real gluten development protects the folded bun from wrinkling during steaming.
Wet-Crumb Dredge (Marinade Rubbed In)
The critical technique — deliberately hydrated crumbs are what actually build the craggy fried texture.
Two-Stage Fry (Moderate, Then Hot)
The critical technique — cooks the chicken through gently, then finishes it with real, maximum crispness.
Thoroughly Drained Pickled Cucumber
The critical technique — protects the crisp fried chicken’s own crust from softening once assembled.
Oil-Brushed, Unsealed Folded Buns
The critical technique — keeps the two dough layers from sealing shut, letting the bun open cleanly once steamed.
Last-Minute Assembly
The finishing technique — protects every component’s own distinct texture from compromising the others before serving.
Flavor Structure Explained
This bao bun follows a layered balance model:
- Soft, pillowy foundation (steamed, unsealed folded bun)
- Craggy, crisp centrepiece (double-fried, wet-dredged chicken)
- Cold, sharp accent (drained pickled cucumber ribbons)
- Creamy, spicy finish (sriracha mayo)
- Fresh, aromatic touch (scallions, sesame seeds)
A soft, genuinely pillowy steamed bun provides this dish’s foundational texture, its structure protected through thorough kneading and careful folding. Craggy, double-fried chicken serves as the crisp centrepiece, its texture built through a deliberately hydrated dredge and two-stage frying. Cold, thoroughly drained pickled cucumber ribbons add a sharp, crisp accent against the rich, fried chicken. A glossy, spicy-creamy sriracha mayo finishes the filling with real richness, and scallions with toasted sesame seeds add a final, fresh, aromatic touch that ties this whole layered bao together.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Underkneading the Bao Dough – This produces rough, wrinkled buns once steamed. Always knead until the dough is genuinely smooth and elastic.
- Cutting the Chicken Pieces Too Large or Too Small – This either overpowers the bun and cooks unevenly, or dries out. Always keep pieces to the specified 50–60g.
- Leaving the Dredge Perfectly Smooth and Dry – This produces a flatter, less textured crust. Always rub in a little wet marinade to build small, shaggy crumbs.
- Skipping One of the Two Fries – A single fry alone can’t deliver both proper cooking and maximum crunch. Always double-fry at the two specified temperatures.
- Assembling With Undrained Cucumber – This softens the crisp fried chicken almost immediately. Always drain the cucumber thoroughly first.
Variations
Extra-Spicy Sauce Version
Increase the sriracha in the mayo for a sharper, more assertive heat throughout the finished bao, adjusting the honey or sugar slightly to keep the sauce balanced.
Korean Chili Powder Version
Use Korean chili powder in place of smoked paprika throughout the seasoning and dredge, per the recipe’s own optional note, for a different, slightly fruitier heat profile.
Make-Ahead Dough Version
Prepare and proof the bao dough ahead of time, shaping and steaming the buns closer to serving, so the fried chicken can be made fresh while the buns stay warm and ready.
Extra-Craggy Crust Version
Increase the amount of wet marinade rubbed into the dry dredge slightly for an even more pronounced, rugged, craggy texture once fried.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Boneless chicken thighs are genuinely the best choice for this recipe, since they stay juicy under the heavy, craggy crust in a way leaner cuts wouldn’t manage nearly as well through two separate fries.
Potato starch combined with cornstarch gives a sharper, lighter crunch than using flour alone, and the craggy coating itself comes directly from pressing the dredge onto the chicken and working a few wet crumbs into the otherwise dry flour mixture.
Do not cover the fried chicken after cooking, since trapped steam destroys the crust almost immediately, and keep the bao warm but genuinely not wet, wrapping the steamer lid with a clean towel if needed to prevent condensation from dripping onto the buns.
The cucumber must be thin and only lightly pickled, never watery, since its whole job is to cut cleanly through the richness of the fried chicken rather than adding unwanted extra moisture to the finished bao.
Assemble the bao only right before serving so the chicken stays genuinely crisp inside the soft bun, since holding a fully assembled bao for any real length of time works directly against the contrast this dish is built around.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a little of the wet chicken marinade rubbed into the otherwise dry dredge?
Those small, hydrated crumbs are specifically what become the fried chicken’s characteristic craggy texture. A perfectly smooth, dry dredge alone would coat the chicken more evenly and flatly, missing that same rough, irregular surface.
Why does the chicken need to be fried twice instead of just once?
The first, gentler fry cooks the chicken through at a moderate pace, deliberately leaving the crust underdeveloped. The second, considerably hotter fry then has real room to build deep colour and maximum crispness quickly, since the interior is already properly cooked.
Why does the pickled cucumber need to be drained so thoroughly before it goes into the bun?
Any residual pickling liquid left on the cucumber transfers directly onto the crisp fried chicken’s crust the moment the bao is assembled, softening it almost immediately. Thorough draining protects that crispness.
Why does the steamer need to sit covered for a couple of minutes before the lid is opened?
That brief, gradual transition protects the bao’s own smooth surface from a sudden temperature shift, which is specifically what risks wrinkling the finished buns if the lid is opened too quickly.
Are there other classic bao, fried chicken, or braised pork stuffed bread dishes worth trying?
Gua Bao offers another classic steamed bun dish worth exploring. Karaage and Roujiamo Sandwich (Chinese Burger) are also worth trying for other classic fried chicken and stuffed bread directions, and Japanese Milk Bread / Shokupan and Baked Char Siu Bao offer other soft, enriched dough projects worth exploring.
Nutrition Facts
( Per Serving — 3 buns )
Calories
~920 kcal
Protein
38 g
Fat
44 g
Carbs
92 g
Calories
~920 kcal
Protein
38 g
Fat
44 g
Carbs
92 g
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Bao Buns — Crispy Fried Chicken
Ingredients
Method
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, instant yeast, baking powder, and salt. Add the lukewarm milk or water and neutral oil. Knead with the dough hook for 8–10 minutes, until smooth, soft, and elastic. The dough should feel supple, not sticky-wet. Cover and proof for 60–75 minutes, until about doubled. Bao dough should be smooth and soft before proofing. If it is rough, knead longer. Rough dough gives wrinkled buns. That thorough kneading, worked until genuinely smooth, is what builds enough gluten structure to prevent the pleated, folded bun from wrinkling once it’s actually steamed.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and optional paprika or chili powder. In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Add the chicken and coat well. Marinate for 1 hour while the bao dough proofs. Keep the chicken pieces around 50–60g each. Bigger pieces overpower the bun and take too long to fry; smaller pieces dry out. That specific piece size is calibrated precisely to the bao’s own scale — large enough to feel substantial inside the folded bun, small enough to fry through completely within the recipe’s own brief frying windows.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces, about 70g each. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Rest for 10 minutes, covered. Roll each ball into an oval about 12–13cm long. Brush the surface lightly with neutral oil, then fold in half without sealing. Place each folded bun on a small square of parchment. Cover and proof for 25–35 minutes, until slightly puffed and airy. Do not overproof. The buns should look puffy but still hold their shape. Overproofed bao collapse and wrinkle after steaming. Brushing the oiled surface before folding, rather than leaving the dough bare, is what keeps the two folded layers from actually sealing together during steaming, letting the bun open cleanly once it’s time to fill.
- Toss cucumber ribbons with rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and sesame seeds. Rest for 15–20 minutes, then drain lightly before using. Mix Kewpie mayo, sriracha, lime juice, sesame oil, honey, and salt until smooth. Drain the cucumber before assembling. Wet cucumber will soften the fried chicken crust. That deliberate draining step protects the crisp chicken from a real, specific risk — any residual pickling liquid left on the cucumber would transfer directly onto the crust the moment the bun is assembled, softening it well before it’s even eaten.
- Bring a steamer to a steady simmer. Steam the bao buns in batches for 8–10 minutes, leaving space between them. Turn off the heat and let them sit covered for 2 minutes before opening the lid. Do not open the steamer immediately. Sudden temperature change can wrinkle the bao. Keep warm, covered with a clean towel. That brief, covered rest after the heat is off lets the buns’ own internal temperature settle gradually, protecting their smooth surface from the real risk of wrinkling under a sudden shift from hot, humid steam to open air.
- In a wide bowl, mix flour, potato starch, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika or chili powder. Drizzle 2–3 tbsp of the chicken marinade into the dry dredge and rub it through with your fingers to create small shaggy crumbs. Those little wet flour crumbs become the craggy fried texture. A perfectly smooth dry dredge gives a flatter crust. That deliberate introduction of moisture into an otherwise dry mixture is specifically what creates real, irregular texture — a dredge left perfectly smooth and dry would coat the chicken far more evenly and flatly, missing the rough, craggy surface this recipe is built around.
- Lift chicken from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Press each piece firmly into the dredge, squeezing the coating onto the chicken so it forms rough ridges. Shake off loose flour. Place on a rack and rest for 10 minutes before frying. The coating should hydrate slightly and look rough, not dusty. This rest helps the crust stick during frying. That brief resting period lets the dredge’s own moisture continue working into the coating, giving it genuine time to adhere properly to the chicken before it ever meets the shock of hot oil.
- Heat oil to 160–165°C. Fry the chicken in batches for 4–5 minutes, until pale golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack. Do not stack the chicken and do not drain directly on paper towels. The first fry cooks the chicken and sets the crust. The second fry creates the real crunch. That deliberately moderate first-fry temperature gives the chicken genuine time to cook through at a manageable pace, leaving the crust’s own final colour and crunch intentionally underdeveloped so the second, hotter fry has real room to finish the job.
- Increase oil to 185–190°C. Fry the chicken again for 1–2 minutes, until deeply golden, craggy, and very crisp. Internal temperature should reach 74°C. Rest on a wire rack for 2–3 minutes. The second fry must be hot and short. If it is too long, the crust darkens and the chicken dries out. That higher second-fry temperature is specifically what builds real, deep colour and maximum crispness quickly, in a genuinely brief window — since the interior is already properly cooked from the first fry, this stage exists purely to finish the crust.
- Open each warm bao bun gently. Fill each bun with 1 piece crispy fried chicken, drained pickled cucumber ribbons, sriracha mayo drizzle, sliced scallions, and toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Assembling only at this final, immediate stage protects every carefully built component — the bun’s own softness, the chicken’s real crispness, the cucumber’s cold crunch — from compromising each other before the bao ever reaches the table.