Simple Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry

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Chicken and green bean stir fry is all about tender chicken with blistered fresh green beans, wrapped in a bold and delicious homemade stir fry sauce.

The whole family will enjoy this simple and healthy weeknight dinner. So move over Chinese food take out. We’re upping our game.

chicken and green bean stir fry in skillet with sesame seeds

Basic steps

Prep the beans and chicken.
Stir fry the chicken (and while it’s cooking, stir the sauce together)
Stir fry the green beans
Toss together the beans, chicken and sauce in the pan

Ingredients – tailored to your taste

green beans, chicken boneless thighs in bowl, marinade ingredients in small dishes — **Gather ingredients:** fresh green beans, boneless chicken, sauce (brown sugar, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, soy, Shaoxing wine, garlic, salt, ginger, cornstarch) – plus oil and a little mayonnaise for chicken

Chicken – I prefer to use boneless chicken thighs as they are more flavorful and juicy and less likely to dry out. But boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders work very well too.

Green Beans – We’re using string beans, the most common ones you’ll find at the market or grocery store.

Shaoxing wine, a Chinese rice wine, can be found in an Asian market and even some mainstream grocery stores. It’s excellent in this dish if you can snag it. If you can’t, don’t worry, there are substitutes.

Sauce ingredients – In addition to the shaoxing wine, your will need garlic, ginger, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and brown sugar – all things you likely have in your pantry or fridge.

Variations and substitutes

Flavor: Add a tablespoon of oyster sauce or bottled black bean sauce for more depth of flavor if you like.
Vegetable options: Add green onions, red peppers or sliced onions when sautéing the beans.
Substitutes
- Shaoxing wine: Replace with regular dry sherry or anything called “rice cooking wine”. Mirin (a sweeter Japanese rice wine) or even apple cider vinegar with a bit of sugar can be used in a pinch. Note: rice vinegar is not the same thing.
- Green beans: I know this recipe is a green beans stir fry, but you can skip the beans if you don’t like or have them. Try mushrooms, bok choy, celery, peppers and onions instead. Or other veggies from your fridge.
Double the sauce if you like it to soak into the rice.

Step by step instructions

boneless chicken thighs with mayo and sesame oil in white bowl — 1.

bite size chicken pieces sauteing in skillet — Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Coat with mayonnaise and sesame oil. Stir fry in a large skillet on medium-high heat until lightly browned and cooked through.

cooked browned chicken in white bowl — Set cooked chicken aside.

green beans and red pepper in skillet — Stir fry green beans and optional red peppers.

chicken and green bean stir fry on plate over quinoa with sesame seeds — Serve over white rice, brown rice or quinoa.

Tips

Chicken

Slice chicken breasts across (perpendicular to) the grain of the meat for more tender, less stringy chicken.
Cut chicken fairly thin so that it cooks more quickly. Just be cautious not to overcook it or it will become dry.
Sauté the chicken with a thin coating of mayonnaise and sesame oil for great flavor and moistness. You won’t taste the mayo at all.

Best pan to use: I prefer a large nonstick skillet for the chicken bean stir fry as you only need a dash of oil and it’s easier for clean up. A wok or a cast iron skillet will work well too and, in fact, better for browning the chicken.

Sauce tip: Double the sauce if you like to have extra to soak into the rice.

Shortcuts

Buy green beans already trimmed and washed.
Chicken
- Buy chicken tenders or boneless chicken breasts that have already been thinly sliced by the butcher or grocery store. Less cutting and trimming off fat.
- I actually grill boneless chicken thighs for a few minutes per side, then cut them into bite size pieces. I find it quicker than stir frying which sometimes needs two batches if the pan is not large enough.
Use two pans: You can cut some time by stir frying the chicken and beans in two separate pans at the same time. But you have to wash two pans 🙁
Use ginger and garlic already minced (in frozen cubes or jar) instead of fresh ginger and garlic. Although fresh is best!

Make Ahead

All the meal prep (sauce, beans, chicken) can be done a few hours or a day ahead. Keep the chicken in the fridge, covered.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I love the chicken and green bean stir fry cold!

Recipe FAQs

What is the difference between dark soy sauce and light soy sauce?

Here’s an excellent article on the differences of various soy sauces and when to use them by Recipe TinEats. In a nutshell, dark soy sauce is darker, thicker, sweeter and more flavorful. And yes, it contains more salt. For this recipe, I use low sodium soy sauce because that’s what I buy. If you have both, use half and half.

What is Shaoxing wine?

Shaoxing wine is an essential pantry ingredient in Chinese cooking and restaurants. It’s a type of Chinese rice wine that adds that authentic flavor to Chinese dishes. It is darker than clear rice cooking wine and has a deeper flavor. And not the same as rice vinegar. Better substitutes are dry sherry or another rice cooking wine with a pinch of sugar.

Is this stir fry healthier than a restaurant version?

According to Baylor College of Medicine, it is healthier to pan-fry than to deep fry in oil. Most Chinese restaurants deep fry the beans and chicken to speed up the cooking process. We are sautéing the beans with high heat and very little oil which blisters the beans and maintains some crispness. We are also using just a bit of mayonnaise to sauté the chicken instead of deep frying it.

What to serve with green bean chicken stir fry

Serve it over white rice, brown rice, coconut rice, rice noodles or quinoa. You don’t really need any other side dishes unless you want to stretch the meal with a side salad or a refreshing Thai mango salad.