TikTok's 'Banana Chicken' Feels Illegal

You might want to think twice before diving into a recipe from TikTok. It's not just that some viral TikTok recipes have a serious carbon footprint — some of the flavor combinations sound downright horrifying. Take, for example, the case of "banana chicken." Yes, you read that correctly.

@succhefful

You will love my banana chicken recipe. Squish a banana on top of chicken. Add ham and mustard as well as some butter and salt and pepper. Then wrap in banana skin. Then air fry. Thanks #chicken #airfryer #airfryerrecipes

♬ Pretty Little Baby – Connie Francis

In the viral video, a creative home cook mashes up a banana and places it over a raw chicken breast. Then, they add mustard, ham, and seasonings, then wrap everything up in the banana peel. After a stint in the air fryer, the cook cuts up the chicken banana and eats it, peel and all. They even include a side of cornflakes, just in case you weren't confused enough. The comments section looks about as you'd expect, with one viewer posting, "That's it I'm not eating for three days."

The creator of this video, user @succhefful, claims to be a professional chef of Italian origin. However, given that the chef's other videos include something called "chocolate Coke spaghetti" and "Fanta meatballs," it's more likely that this is a troll or "food gore" account. That being said, there's a chance that this specific recipe might have a kernel of goodness in it. Rather than being a prank to mess with the internet, this could actually be one of the many examples of TikTok messing with cultural recipes — and it might even taste good, when done right.

This may sound shocking to some, but chicken and bananas form a popular flavor combination in many countries, such as the banana-chicken casserole that's beloved in Sweden. Banana chicken curry is a rich and savory Caribbean-inspired favorite, and another regional dish involves stuffing breaded chicken with ham and banana for a salty and tropical bite. In South America, fried plantains accompany many chicken dishes as a side or a topping. And chicken foster, or chicken with banana ketchup, both hail from countries across the globe.

Many cultures eat banana peels and use them for cooking, as well. Some say the peels taste similar to chicken when cooked, and the ingredient commonly features in savory dishes. Some African recipes use banana peels to smoke chicken; and even in the States, you'll find some recipes using banana peels to cover chicken while cooking to keep it from drying out. 

With all that in mind, maybe the TikTok "hack" isn't so wacky after all, even if the creator originally intended it that way. To test whether this sweet and savory flavor combo works for you, you'll need a banana and its peel, a slice of ham, a chicken breast, salt, mustard, and an air fryer. And, while banana chicken might be one of those dishes no one wants you to bring to a cookout, that doesn't mean you can't try it out at home for yourself.