String bean chicken, a classic Chinese takeout dish, is one of my recent and favorite additions to my weekly rotation. It uses simple ingredients, Chinese pantry staples, and a sauce that I use for almost all of my stir-fries.
This dish pairs perfectly with rice, and it can be completed in just 30 minutes!
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String Bean Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 lb green beans
- 1/2 yellow or red onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- Neutral oil for cooking
marinade:
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp sugar
- dash of white pepper
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp neutral oil
sauce:
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or 1/2 cup water + 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp chili crisp optional
Instructions
Marinade the chicken
- Slice the chicken thighs into 1/2 inch strips or 1 inch chunks.1/2 lb boneless
- In a bowl, add the chicken with all of the marinade ingredients except for the neutral oil.1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp sugar, dash of white pepper, 2 tsp cornstarch
- Mix well. Add the neutral oil, and mix again.1/2 tsp neutral oil
- Set aside to let marinade (15-20 minutes is great, and you can also marinade ahead of time for up to 8 hours for the best flavor). In the meantime, prepare the veggies.
Prepare the veggies
- Wash then trim the ends off the green beans. Cut them into ~2 inch long pieces.1/2 lb green beans
- Slice the onions into ~1/2 inch wide strips.1/2 yellow or red onion
- Roughly mince the garlic.3 cloves garlic
Make the sauce
- In a bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients together.1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tbsp chili crisp
Stir fry the chicken and green beans
- To a hot pan, add 1 tbsp of neutral oil. Spread the chicken out in 1 layer, then don’t move it for 1-2 minutes to let it brown slightly.Neutral oil for cooking
- Flip the chicken over and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes or until cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Add the green beans and 2 tbsp water to the pan. Cover the pan with a lid to steam the green beans for 1-2 minutes or until softened slightly.
- Remove the lid, and add the onion and garlic. If needed, add additional oil to the pan to help stir fry the ingredients.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the onion softens slightly but still maintains a slightly crunchy texture.
- Add the chicken back into the pan. Give the sauce a mix to dissolve any cornstarch, then add it to the pan.
- Toss all the ingredients in the sauce. Once the sauce thickens slightly, it’s ready to serve. If the pan is hot, this should happen pretty quickly (within 10-20 seconds). If it thickens too much, add some water to thin it out. Enjoy!
