Description
This Chicken Green Bean Stir Fry is a flavorful and quick Asian-inspired dish featuring tender, velvety chicken strips stir-fried with crisp green beans and a savory sauce made from soy, oyster, hoisin, and rice vinegar. Garnished with fresh green onions and toasted sesame seeds, it’s a perfect weeknight meal rich in textures and umami flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
For Velveting the Chicken:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
For the Stir Fry:
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 1 pound frozen green beans
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional, for thickening)
- 2 green onions, sliced (for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Velvet Chicken: Combine the chicken strips with baking soda, cornstarch, water, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl. Allow the chicken to marinate for 15-20 minutes to tenderize. Then rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Make Sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and cornstarch (if using) until smooth and set aside.
- Stir-fry Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it is cooked through and lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Stir-fry Vegetables: Add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil to the skillet. Sauté the minced garlic and fresh ginger until fragrant, around 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the frozen green beans and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until heated through and slightly tender but still crisp.
- Combine and Finish: Return the cooked chicken to the skillet with the green beans. Pour the prepared sauce over the mixture and stir-fry everything together until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the ingredients well, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve: Garnish the stir fry with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve hot over steamed rice or noodles for a complete meal.
Notes
- Velveting the chicken with baking soda and cornstarch tenderizes the meat, giving it a silky texture.
- Rinsing the chicken after velveting removes excess baking soda to prevent off flavor.
- You can adjust sauces to taste; reduce or omit oyster sauce for a milder flavor.
- Frozen green beans can be substituted with fresh green beans; just blanch fresh ones before stir-frying for best results.
- If thicker sauce is preferred, add the cornstarch slurry gradually and cook until desired consistency.
