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String Bean Chicken is most commonly known from Panda Express. This copycat version is so delicious and SUPER easy to make! restaurant dish has been requested so many time and for good reason – it’s so good and easy to make, you’re never going to want to order it at a restaurant again!
Watch the String Bean Chicken Recipe Video Below!
Ingredients for String Bean Chicken
I love this String Bean Chicken recipe because only a few ingredients will make crispy, juicy chicken. Firstly, here are the ingredients you will need!
- Chicken Breast – I like to use chicken breast in this recipe but if you prefer chicken thigh, feel free to sub!
- Light Soy Sauce
- Dark Soy Sauce – Yes, they’re different! Dark soy sauce is thicker, darker, and sweeter (as well as has a higher sodium content) than regular soy sauce. Because I use these two ingredients at 1:1 ratio and there are so few ingredients in the sauce, there is not a substitute I can recommend 🙁
- White Pepper
- Salt
- Shaoxing Wine – If you cannot or do not want to use wine, you can sub with sherry, mirin, or chicken stock!
- Cornstarch – A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of cornstarch and water that is used in cooking to thicken WITHOUT powdery lumps or additional flavors/colors! This is the secret to so many of your favorite Chinese dishes. My #1 tip is make sure your cornstarch slurry has not separated before adding it in – I always try to re-stir right before!
- Chicken Stock
- Oyster Sauce
- Sugar
- Sesame Oil
- MSG – As always, this is optional 🙂
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Onion
- String Beans
- Neutral Oil – My favorite neutral oil is avocado oil, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil! I don’t use olive oil when cooking Chinese food for two reasons: 1. It has a low burning point and 2. I find that the flavor profile does not usually go with the dish.
String Bean Chicken: Recipe Instructions
Cut the Chicken
The first step in making this recipe is cutting the chicken into 1/4″ wide pieces. Cut the chicken thinly and at an angle to create wide, disk-like strips.
Next, place the sliced chicken into a bowl with light soy sauce, white pepper, salt, shaoxing wine, neutral oil and cornstarch. Mix well with your hands and let marinate for at least 15 mintues.
Next, mix the sauce by combining chicken stock, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and msg. I always like to premix my sauce to have it ready to go during the fast cooking process.
Velvet the Chicken in Neutral Oil
After the chicken is marinated, heat about a cup of neutral oil (I always prefer avocado oil) over high heat until smoking. Fry the chicken pieces (in batches if needed) for 2 minutes or until they are cooked through and golden brown. Remove the chicken and the excess oil to leave about 2 tbsp of oil left in the pan.
Dry Fry the String Beans
Next, sauté the string beans until they are slightly blistered. This should only take about 1 minute over medium high heat.
Sauté Onions
Once the string beans are blistered, add the onions and cook for another minute. Add the minced ginger and garlic, season with salt, and stir fry for another 30 seconds.
Add Chicken and Sauce
Once the vegetables are crisp and cooked through, add back the chicken along with the sauce. Work quickly to mix the sauce together to evenly coat all the ingredients in the pan.
Continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the sauce has thickened and your String Bean Chicken is done! I love serving this with a freshly steamed bowl of rice.
RECIPE TIPS
VELVETING
Velveting is a key Chinese cooking technique that involves marinating the protein in cornstarch and various seasonings (such as white pepper, salt, shaoxing wine, and oils) before quickly passing it through hot oil. It’s one of my favorite ways to guarantee moist and tender meat, and it’s a trick that I don’t hear home chefs talk about often. I love incorporating it into my recipes because it’s one of the best ways to make restaurant quality Chinese food at home!
VEGETABLE SIZES
In most of my recipes, I like to cut my vegetables to a similar size – this ensures that one vegetable is not ‘more’ cooked than others, and it also is more aesthetically pleasing! You can adjust the size of the vegetables to your preference (smaller or larger) – just make sure to adjust the cooking time so they are ‘done’ to your liking!
Cooking With a Wok (Alternatives)
By now, you know that I LOVE cooking with my carbon steel wok! It is my #1 most recommended kitchen tool, as I believe it is perfect for high-heat cooking and results in restaurant quality Chinese food!
If it is your first time cooking with a wok, make sure to read my “How To Season a Wok” post. There is a video included that shows exactly how to season your brand new wok and how to maintain it so it lasts for years.
If you cannot or do not want to use a wok, you can use a large pan, cast iron, or even a dutch oven.
My KEY TIP would be to avoid crowding your pan – crowding can lead to your String Bean Chicken not cooking thoroughly and becoming mushy. If you think your dish will be crowded, use a larger pan, cast iron, or dutch oven, OR cook in batches.
If you liked this String Bean Chicken recipe, check out some of the most popular Chinese Take-Out recipes on the blog!
If you tried this String Bean Chicken or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
String Bean Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast, sliced into 1/4" pieces
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 1/2 tbsp neutral oil, I used avocado oil
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp msg, optional
Aromatics & Oils
- 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium onion, cut into quarters, petals separated
- 1 lb string beans, cut into 2" strips
- 1 cup neutral oil, I used avocado oil
Instructions
- Slice chicken breast into 1/4" discs across the grain. Place in a mixing bowl and marinate with salt, white pepper, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch for 15 minutes.
- Cut green beans into 3" pieces and onion into quarters and separate the petals. Chop garlic and ginger and set aside in separate bowls.
- Premix your sauce by mixing together chicken stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and msg.
- Heat 1 cup of avocado oil on high to 350F. Cook chicken in oil for 2 minutes (this technique is called velveting and will keep the lean chicken nice and juicy). Remove chicken and oil, leaving about 2 tbsp left in the pan.
- Over medium high heat, stir fry green beans for 1-2 minutes until slightly blistered, then add your onions for another 30 seconds. Add in your ginger and garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Turn the heat to high, then add back your chicken and sauce and mix until combined. Continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the sauce has coated the ingredients and thickened slightly. Serve with freshly steamed rice and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is ahhhmazzzzzzing and turns out so much better then Panda Express, honestly this recipe is so good we eat it at least 2-3 times a month!! 🤤
One of our favorites. This is on rotation in our house. So easy and quick but full of flavor. Thank you CJ!
First recipe I made with my new wok! So easy and delish. Thank you CJ
Delicious and better than take out for sure! Why go out when you can make it fresh at home!
This was so easy to make!
Simple yet flavorful.