How to Make Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry
Did you know stir fry is really a quick and easy dinner to make? It’s really is a quick dinner. This chicken and green bean stir fry is an easy weeknight dinner I’m sure you’ll love.
Easy Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry
We eat stir fry often. It’s a great way to get more vegetables in your diet. They are quick to make. You can prep the vegetables ahead to make for a quick dinner on your busy weeknights.
And making stir-fry can help you use those fresh vegetables you have hanging out in your crisper drawer.
Easy, yes! Quick, yes! Vegetables packed, yes! Uses those vegetables hanging out and not being used to save money, yes!
This chicken and green bean stir fry is a dinner recipe that’s sure to become a favorite meal.
Let’s go over a few stir-fry tips first.Â
How Do You Cook Chicken for Stir Fry?
The main thing you have to know when cooking chicken in stir-fry is to cut it thin or cut it into small cubes.
Because the pan will be really hot if you have big pieces of chicken, the chicken will cook on the outside quickly. But it won’t cook through.
So be sure to slice your raw chicken thinly or into small cubes.
What Kind of Sauce Do You Put In Stir Fry?
I think the one thing that holds most people back from making stir-fry is what sauce to use. When you eat out and get stir-fry, they all have such flavorful sauces. How do you replicate that at home?
Well, you could purchase stir fry sauce in the bottle. Yes, they have it in the store in the Asian food section. You can purchase foil packets to make your sauce with too.
But making your own sauce is easy. And you can make extra to marinate the chicken in before you cook it too.
The flavors to include in stir-fry sauce are…
Soy Sauce, it’s the best base
Ginger, it’s really not stir-fry without it
Garlic, an ingredient found is so many stir fry sauces
Crushed Red Pepper, if you like it spicy this is a great addition
Fish Sauce, this gives a nice unique flavor to the sauce.Â
How Do You Make Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry?
Here’s the step-by-step video for this recipe. If watching a video isn’t for you, keep going to read the steps below.
I’ve noted areas in the written steps that can be done ahead the day of cooking or a couple of days before.
Chicken and String Bean Stir Fry Recipe Step by Step
1. Prep the Vegetables
Wash and snap or cut your green beans. I cut off the stem end but leave on the blossom end. This step can be done ahead of time, a couple of days before. Place them into a sealed container.
If you don’t have fresh green beans, use a bag of cut green beans from the freezer section.
Peel and slice the onions. I slice ours pretty thin because everyone in our family likes them. But if you have onion hater in your family, slice them bigger so they can be picked out more easily.
Onions can get stinky in the refrigerator. So it’s best hold off until the day of making the stir-fry to slice them.
If you are using canned mushrooms, then there is no prep except draining them before cooking. If you’ll be using fresh mushroom, wash and slice.
Since fresh mushrooms don’t hold up well after being washed, prep these the day of if you’ll be using fresh.
The canned sliced water chestnuts are already sliced so you only need to drain and they are ready. I love them in this recipe because it’s add a little crunch.
2. Prep the Chicken
You’ll want to slice or cube your chicken. I prefer to use chicken breast but you can use any cut of boneless chicken you like the best.
To make it easier to slice thinly, you’ll need a good sharp knife. If you are starting with a frozen chicken breast, thaw it just a bit. Then while it’s partly frozen slice it. You can get it much thinner than when it’s thawed.
3. Make the Sauce
Measure your sauce ingredients and mix well. If you are using garlic powder and ginger powder, add it to the sauce. If using fresh, you’ll add the ginger and garlic to the vegetables when cooking.
4. Cook
Add oil to your warm pan, it should be shimmering. Then add the chicken and stir and cook until the chicken is slightly brown and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm.
Add more oil to your pan and add the green beans and cook for 1 minute. Then add the water chestnuts, stir and cook 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and onions and stir. Then add the garlic and ginger if you are using fresh. Stir-fry another 2-5 minutes or until the beans and other vegetables are tender crisp.
Once the vegetables are tender crisp, add the cooked chicken back to the pan.
Stir the sauce then add the sauce to the pan, cook and stir about 1 minute. Until the sauce is thickened.
5. What to Serve With this Recipe
If you are eating low carb, then eat this stir-fry by itself. If you aren’t you can serve it over rice or stir-fried noodles.
Easy Stir Fry Variations
You can use lots of other vegetables in your stir-fry. You can make it your own. You can make this chicken and green bean stir fry with just green beans and chicken.
You don’t have to add the extra vegetables like I added in this recipe. You can scale it down or up with less or more vegetables.
It can also be made with what you have in your crisper drawer. You know those fresh vegetables you bought while shopping with high hopes of eating more vegetables.
But they are still hanging out in the drawer. Hoping to be picked soon before they become a wilted, soggy mess.
Don’t let those vegetables and the money go to waste. Grab them and use them in your stir-fry.
Vegetables that Work Great in Stir Fry
Broccoli, fresh or frozen will work
Carrots, slice them thinlyÂ
Onions, if you have onion haters in your family, cut them big so they are easy to be picked out.Â
Cabbage, slice it thin and add at the last few minutes of cooking so it doesn’t get too wilted.
Celery, slice thin or thick, on a slant makes it more visually appealing.
Spinach, add towards the end so it doesn’t wilt too much.
Cauliflower, slice florets thinly and add in with harder vegetables like the carrots.Â
If you’re ready to make your own chicken and green bean dinner, grab the printable recipe below.
Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chicken Breast sliced thin
- 1 pound Fresh Green Beans cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 can sliced Mushrooms drained
- 1 can sliced Water Chestnuts drained
- 1 medium Onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons Oil
- 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Fish Sauce
- 1 Garlic Clove minced
- 2 teaspoons grated Ginger root
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
Instructions
- While the pan is heating make your sauce. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, and cornstarch to a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to your warm pan, it should be shimmering.
- Add the chicken and stir and cook until the chicken is slightly brown and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm.
- Add more oil to your pan and add the green beans and cook and stir for a minute or two. Then add the water chestnuts. Stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and onions and stir. Then add the garlic and ginger if using fresh. Stir-fry another 2-5 minutes or until the beans and other vegetables are tender crisp.
- Once the vegetables are tender crisp, add the chicken back to the pan.
- Stir the sauce then add the sauce to the pan and let cook and boil about 1 minute. Until the sauce is thickened.
- Serve immediately on a plate or over rice or stir-fried noodles.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
That’s how easy it is to make this easy chicken and green bean stir fry.
Making stir fry regularly can help to use up fresh vegetables that would otherwise go to waste. And you can eat more vegetables too.
More Easy Skillet Dinner
Chicken and Mushroom Skillet Dinner
Easy Salisbury Steak Skillet Dinner
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