String Bean Chicken

4.94 from 16 votes

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}

To make the dish gluten-free, replace the soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos, and use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Course: Main

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: takeout

Servings: servings

Author: Maggie Zhu

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g, Calories: 298kcal, Carbohydrates: 24.4g, Protein: 27.8g, Fat: 10.2g, Saturated Fat: 1.3g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 778mg, Potassium: 752mg, Fiber: 4.5g, Sugar: 10.6g, Calcium: 50mg, Iron: 2.2mg