This takeout string bean chicken is so easy to make and perfect for a weekday dinner. The juicy chicken is seared in a fragrant black bean sauce with tender green beans. The recipe yields extra sauce so you can serve it on rice to make a delicious one-bowl meal. {Gluten-Free adaptable}
While so many Chinese recipes call for a wok to make stir fry, I tend to disagree. I used to live in an apartment with an electric stove, and it never generated heat quickly enough for wok cooking. Plus wok cooking requires more oil. Even after moving to New York, where I have a gas stove in the apartment, I still have the habit of using a nonstick skillet so I can reduce my oil consumption in daily meals.
Today I want to share this easy delicious string bean chicken stir-fry recipe with you. It uses a very simple setup and does not require intimidating wok cooking. But it generates a result that’s even better than takeout. The chicken is so tender, juicy, and flavorful. The sauce is extra rich and aromatic. Simply cook some steamed rice while preparing the stir fry, and your dinner will be ready in no time.
Cooking notes
Cookware
I’ve discussed in the past why NOT to use a wok, and some of the best ways to set up your stir-fry station if you’re using an electric stove. Long story short, the most convenient setup is to use your electric stove (or even gas stove) with a nonstick pan (such as the 12” Calphalon deep fry pan, which provides enough surface area against the heating element to heat up your pan well, while it’s also deep enough to hold the ingredients during cooking).
The benefit of using a nonstick pan is that it heats up faster on an electric stove than a traditional wok does. Plus, the nonstick surface prevents the food from sticking to the pan, which happens a lot when you cook starchy foods such as marinated meat and noodles. Most Chinese stir-fry dishes use cornstarch to coat the meat. You always need to use a bit more oil to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Even though I enjoy better seared meat using my carbon steel pan, I always reach for my nonstick pan when I’m preparing daily meals, to reduce my oil consumption.
On the other hand, if you prefer not to use a nonstick pan, I would recommend a cast iron or a carbon steel pan (Ignore stainless. They stick like hell). In this case, you will need to add more oil to prevent the meat from sticking.
Marinating the chicken
The most important step for most Chinese stir-fries. The marinade will season and tenderize the meat. The cornstarch will coat the chicken and protect it from the high heat. It takes a bit of effort but yields a very juicy and tender result, just like the restaurant version.
Secret ingredients to create a rich sauce
Adding some fermented black beans or black bean sauce will go a long way. Fermented black beans, also called Douchi in Chinese, are cooked black soybeans fermented in salt water. They give anything you cook with them a deep umami flavor. It will take this simple stir fry to the next level without any extra work. You can find them in an Asian market or order them online (shop on Amazon or The Mala Market).
The bottled black bean sauce works as well. Although I always prefer to use fermented black beans instead, because they are gluten-free and do not contain additives.
Mise en place
I like to organize my ingredients in groups, so I can use fewer bowls. It also makes the cooking process easier. Once you’re done prepping, your kitchen counter should have:
- Chicken with marinade
- Mixed sauce with a spoon (to stir again right before adding)
- Chopped ginger, garlic, and green onion in a bowl
- Chopped green beans
Best way to cook the green beans
In the recipe, I borrowed the cooking technique from Sichuan dry fried green beans. To make the beans extra tasty, the best way is to slowly roast them until the surface is withered and browned. The process takes some time and patience (about 10 minutes). But the beans will end up with a perfectly seared surface that absorbs more sauce and has a tenderer texture.
On the other hand, there is another solution if you’re in a hurry. Simply sear the beans for 2 minutes or so. Then pour in 1/4 cup chicken stock (or water) and cover the pan. Steam until the beans reach your preferred texture, another 2 minutes or so.
To sum up
You’d be surprised at how easy it is to prepare this restaurant-style string bean chicken at home. I’ve made this dish very saucy so it is perfect to serve on top of rice. I hope you enjoy it!
More takeout style recipes
- Crispy Chinese Honey Chicken
- Chinese Beef Chow Mein
- Easy Egg Foo Young
- Easy Pineapple Fried Rice
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
String Bean Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breast (or thighs), sliced to 1/4” (5mm) thickness
Marinade
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 tablespoons fermented black beans (or black bean sauce)
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Stir fry
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 lb (450 g) green beans , cut to 1” (2.5 cm) long pieces
- 3 cloves garlic , chopped
- 2 teaspoons ginger , minced
- 2 green onions , chopped
Instructions
- Combine the chicken and all the marinade ingredients in a big bowl. Stir to mix well. Let marinate for 15 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Stir to mix well.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Spread the chicken in the skillet in a single layer. Sear until the bottom turns golden without moving it, 1 minute or so. Stir and flip to cook the other side, until golden, another minute or so. Transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a big plate and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the green beans. Turn to medium heat. Sear the green beans, stirring and flipping occasionally, until the surface is browned and the texture turns tender, 10 minutes or so (*Footnote 1). Reduce to medium-low heat if the pan starts to smoke too much.
- Turn to medium-high heat again. Add the garlic, ginger, and onion. Drizzle with a bit more oil (or chicken stock), 2 tablespoons or so. Stir and cook for a minute to release the fragrance.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet. Stir the sauce again to thoroughly dissolve the cornstarch and pour it into the pan. Stir a few times until the sauce thickens and coats the ingredients. Immediately transfer everything to a big plate.
- Serve hot over steamed rice as a main dish.
Notes
- Slowly searing the beans generates the best result. But if you’re in a hurry, you can sear the green beans for 2 minutes, add 1/4 cup chicken stock (or water), then cover to steam. Cook until the green beans turn tender or reach your desired texture, 2 to 3 minutes.
Made this with king oyster mushrooms instead of chicken and it turned out great! I’m living in Taiwan and I am learning so much from you how to cook local ingredients.
I made the recipe today. I started with a non-stick pan, but I had to turn to a carbon-steel wok, eventually, because the beans kept flying over the rim when I stirred them. It’s a lot easier to do the final stir in a decent sized wok.
Also, by mistake I mixed 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce instead of soy into the sauce mix. I then added about a tablespoon of soy sauce, because there was nothing else to do and I was not about to chuck all that sauce out, and it turned out beautifully. The black bean sauce I used was Lao Gan Ma, black bean chilli. Lovely.
This is the second recipe I have tried from this site and this one knock it out the park! Soooo good. I find the dishes tend to be salty but eating this with sticky white rice balances everything out. I will probably never do Chinese take out ever again!
I tried the recipe again, using zucchini instead of string beans, cut in quarters with the seeds and soft part removed, and then sliced on a sharp angle, so a lot of pulp was exposed, then salted and left to drain for 20-30 minutes. Obviously, I stir-fried them only a little, as they are a lot more tender than string beans.
Everything else in the recipe was kept the same. Great stuff, highly recommended!
I made the recipe according to the directions. Next time, I will reduce the sugar and add some hot oil for some heat. Glad I took your advice to use a cast iron. I do have a gas stove, but it really doesn’t get hot enough for the wok and I always struggle with using it. The cast iron skillet was easy.
Chili oil will work great in this recipe!
I’m glad to hear the cast iron skillet worked out for you.
I have a gas stove too and it’s a quite powerful one, but I can use it with a very small wok to make vegetables for 2. The large wok never gets hot enough.
Made it. Very good. I overcooked the chicken breast a bit. And be sure not to add any salt: the black bean sauce, the soy sauce, and the Better Than Bouillon chicken broth I used made it plenty salty. But it was still very good.