Alright, so I’ve been on a mission lately. You know how you get a taste of something amazing at a restaurant, or maybe a friend makes it, and you just have to figure out how to make it yourself? Well, that was me with this “Chicka Licka Bam Bam” chicken. I had it once, and the name alone stuck with me, not to mention the taste! So, I decided, why not try to recreate it? Here’s how my little kitchen adventure went.
My Go at the Chicka Licka Bam Bam
First things first, I had to do some detective work. Since there’s no official recipe just lying around, I had to go by memory. What did it taste like? A little sweet, a bit tangy, definitely some warmth to it, but not like “blow your head off” spicy. And the chicken was super tender.
So, I hit the grocery store. I grabbed:
- Chicken thighs – boneless, skinless. I just think they have more flavor and stay juicier than breasts for something like this.
- Some bell peppers – red and yellow, for color and a bit of sweetness.
- An onion and a good few cloves of garlic. Can’t go wrong there.
- Pineapple chunks. I had a hunch pineapple was part of that tangy-sweet equation. I got a can of chunks in juice.
- For the sauce, I kind of winged it: soy sauce, a bit of ketchup (don’t knock it ’til you try it for that base tang!), some brown sugar, a splash of rice vinegar, and a little bit of sriracha for that “bam bam” kick. Oh, and some cornstarch to thicken things up later.
- Ginger! Almost forgot fresh ginger. Grated that in.
Back in the kitchen, I started by chopping up the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Seasoned them with a bit of salt and pepper. Then, I got my pan nice and hot with a little oil and seared the chicken pieces until they were nicely browned on all sides. Took them out and set them aside.
Next, into the same pan went the chopped onion. Let that soften up a bit, then tossed in the bell peppers. Cooked those for a few minutes until they were a little tender-crisp. Then, the garlic and grated ginger went in – just for about a minute until you could really smell them. You don’t want to burn the garlic, that’s a disaster.
While the veggies were doing their thing, I quickly whisked together my sauce ingredients in a bowl: the soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sriracha. I also drained the pineapple, reserving some of the juice. I added a splash of that pineapple juice to the sauce mixture too.
Now for the assembly! I added the cooked chicken back into the pan with the veggies. Poured the sauce mixture all over everything. Stirred it all up to make sure everything was coated. Then I threw in the pineapple chunks. I let this simmer for a few minutes, just to let the flavors meld together. The smell in the kitchen at this point was pretty darn good, I have to say.
The sauce was still a little thin for my liking, so I mixed a tablespoon of cornstarch with a couple of tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry. Poured that into the simmering chicken and sauce, stirring constantly. And just like magic, it thickened up beautifully in a minute or two, coating everything nicely.
And that was pretty much it! I served it over some plain white rice. The verdict? Honestly, it was pretty close! Maybe not an exact clone, but it definitely had that “Chicka Licka Bam Bam” vibe I was going for. The chicken was tender, the sauce was that nice mix of sweet, tangy, and a little spicy. The pineapple was a great addition, I was right about that.
The family ate it all up, which is always the best sign, right? I was pretty chuffed with how it turned out, especially for a first attempt based purely on taste memory. I think next time, I might add a tiny bit more ginger, or maybe a splash of sesame oil at the end. But overall, a successful experiment! It’s definitely going into the rotation. It wasn’t too complicated, and it was a fun process trying to figure it out. Give it a whirl if you’re feeling adventurous!
