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Chicken and Green Bean Stir-Fry

4.5

(49)

Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal Vegetable and Produce
Photo by Alex Lau, styling by Sean Dooley

We think Shaoxing wine, a Chinese fermented rice wine, is the secret sauce that makes this recipe sing. It’s pretty easy to find at Asian markets, but don’t confuse it with rice vinegar! If you see bottles labeled “rice cooking wine” without the Shaoxing designation, they will work too. While you can substitute dry sherry, nothing else achieves quite the same flavor. See the step-by-step photos here and click here for four more easy stir fry recipes.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

1

pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced across the grain into bite-size strips

teaspoons cornstarch

½

teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

3

tablespoons soy sauce, divided

2

tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2

tablespoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry

2

tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

6

scallions, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal

1

2-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced crosswise

12

ounces green beans, trimmed, halved crosswise (about 4 cups)

Steamed white rice, chopped toasted cashews or peanuts, sesame seeds, and/or thinly sliced fresh chiles (for serving; optional)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Toss chicken, cornstarch, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce in a medium bowl. Stir vinegar, wine, and remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce in a small bowl. Have all your other ingredients prepped and ready to go (once you start cooking, there isn’t a stopping point and you’ll need them handy).

    Step 2

    Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet (not nonstick) over high. When oil is shimmering and slides quickly across surface of pan, add scallions and ginger and cook, tossing, until scallions are browned and softened, about 2 minutes. Add green beans and a pinch of salt and cook, tossing often, until green beans are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer green bean mixture to another medium bowl.

    Step 3

    Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over high. When oil is shimmering again, add chicken mixture and arrange slices in a single layer in skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until chicken is browned and caramelized on first side, about 1 minute. Toss and continue to cook until meat is no longer pink and cooked through, about a minute or two longer. Pour in wine mixture and green bean mixture and cook, tossing briskly, until sauce is thickened and all ingredients are coated, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and taste, then season with more salt, if desired.

    Step 4

    Divide stir-fry among plates. Serve with rice alongside, if using. Sprinkle with desired toppings.

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Reviews (49)

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  • This has been put into our menu rotation for dinners, which is a very select group of recipes!

    • J.smith

    • Florida

    • 8/11/2023

  • I've made this a handful of times, and it's always delicious. I was out of shaoxing wine and didn't have any sort of cooking alcohol, so I added a splash of fish sauce for that hint of fermented funk, and a bit of honey for sweetness. It worked wonderfully! My mom loved it so much she ate heaping seconds, and she *never* does that.

    • Anonymous

    • madison, wi

    • 7/18/2022

  • I made this last night, it needs a little more flavor? Next time I will be adding more things.

    • Anonymous

    • 7/13/2022

  • Fantastic, quick, and delicious meal. We didn't have access to Shaoxing wine, so we used sherry cooking wine. We also subbed a quarter size of fresh ginger paste. It was fantastic, so I can't imagine what adding Shaoxing would do instead! It's easy enough to turn the spice level up or down, but honestly, I wouldn't change a thing with this one!

    • Anonymous

    • Grand Rapids, MI, USA

    • 1/24/2022

  • Absolutely delicious! I used dry sherry and a mix of dark and light soy sauce. Didn't find it salty at all. I grated the ginger as someone suggested the slices were odd and also added a little ginger powder. Added some broccoli that I boiled with cappelini noodles to give it a ramen vibe. I will for sure add shitakes and maybe bok choy next time. My son had three helpings and that's saying a lot!! Can't wait to make it again.

    • Anonymous

    • Los Angeles, CA

    • 10/25/2021

  • This was fantastic. Made the recipe as stated. For me, a bit too salty but still excellent. Next time I think I willl chop up the ginger instead of slices. My dinner guests were perplexed by the slices of flavor. - but they still loved it. Used roasted cashews - added a bit of sweetness. Delicious

    • Karen V

    • Ridge, NY

    • 8/11/2021

  • A fantastic recipe for a maiden voyage of using Shaoxing wine to cook at home. I cook a ton and can be picky about recipes, but wouldn't change a thing with this one.

    • Anonymous

    • South Lyon, MI

    • 6/4/2021