Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry — 🧡💚 Juicy pieces of chicken and crisp-tender green beans are coated in a sweet and savory stir fry sauce! It’s a simple yet flavorful stir fry that’s made with pantry staples you have on hand already! Best of all, it’s a QUICK and EASY one skillet recipe that’s ready in less than 30 minutes so it’s great for busy weeknights!
Table of Contents
Easy Chicken Green Bean Stir Fry Recipe
This easy chicken stir fry recipe has everything I look for in a weeknight dinner. It’s quick (ready in 25-30 minutes), made in one skillet, and there are plenty of green beans so I’ve got my protein + veggies all in one! Steamed rice on the side for some carbs and we’re set.
The stir fry sauce is sweet, savory, and perfectly thick – just like your favorite takeout place! Sweet chili sauce forms the base of the stir fry sauce. If you’re unfamiliar with sweet chili sauce, it’s super flavorful but isn’t spicy so don’t be scared of the ½ cup that’s in this recipe.
Soy sauce adds saltiness, rice vinegar adds tang, and because I wanted this chicken and green bean stir fry to be as easy as possible I used ground ginger and garlic powder instead of fresh.
Spoon the string bean chicken stir fry over white or brown rice, quinoa, or rice noodles. It’s a filling yet mostly healthy recipe that doesn’t skimp on flavor in the slightest!
Ingredients Needed
To make the chicken, green beans, and stir-fry sauce, you’ll need the following easy to find ingredients:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs)
- Cornstarch – Don’t skip this because it gives the chicken a very lightly crispy crust when you sear it, much lighter than if it’s breaded with breadcrumbs. It helps create the perfect texture!
- Oil – Vegetable, canola, or olive oil to sear the chicken. If you like sesame oil, adding 1 tbsp to the stir fry sauce will give great flavor!
- Fresh green beans
- Yellow onion
- Salt
- Pepper
- Sweet chili sauce
- Low-sodium soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Rice vinegar – may also be labeled ‘rice wine vinegar’ (same thing)
- Garlic powder
- Ground ginger
- Red pepper flakes – optional but recommended for a touch of heat
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Love Sweet Chili Sauce? Make These Next!
If you love the flavors in this chicken and green bean stir-fry, be sure to make my Sweet Chili Ground Chicken and Broccoli Sitr Fry, new Sticky Sesame Chicken recipe, and this viral recipe for Sweet Chili Chicken and Roasted Vegetables. They’re all quick and easy recipes that are made with basic ingredients and picky-eater approved!
How to Make Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry
The green bean chicken stir fry requires very little time and effort to prepare. Below is a rough overview of the recipe steps:
- Add the bite-sized pieces of chicken to a bowl and season with salt and pepper, then toss with some cornstarch.
- In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until no longer pink in the middle.
- Remove the chicken to a clean plate. To the same skillet, add the green beans and saute for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Add the stir-fry sauce. Cook just until the sauce has thickened and is heated through.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with white rice or rice noodles, if desired.
Recipe FAQs
Coating the chicken in cornstarch helps it crisp up as it cooks in the oil without having to go through the hassle of properly breading and deep frying it. Coating the chicken in cornstarch takes just a few seconds, but it makes the stir-fry taste like it came from your favorite takeout place so don’t skip it. I
No you don’t which is the beauty of this recipe – it’s quick and easy! However, for extra flavor, you could marinate the chicken for a few hours in the fridge in a mixture of soy sauce, ginger, and garlic before cooking – about 1/3 cup soy and 1/2 tsp of the other two. You’ll still want to make the sauce as written though.
I’ve only tested this recipe using fresh green beans so that’s what I recommend using. Green beans are the star of the show and so you want to use fresh beans. My instinct says that frozen green beans would become mushy once stir-fried, plus they’d release excess moisture which might affect the texture of the sauce. Do not used canned green beans! They’re way too mushy.
Sure! You can use other quick-cooking veggies like chopped bell pepper, mushrooms, asparagus, baby corn, water chestnuts, and so on. Small broccoli florets and small diced zucchini will also work.
We didn’t think this was spicy, no. The sweet chili sauce is definitely on the sweet side, so any real heat you’ll taste in this dish will come from the optional red pepper flakes.
For a kick of heat, add up to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the stir fry sauce. You can also add a squeeze of Sriracha or another favorite Asian hot sauce, if desired. A pinch of cayenne pepper will also do the trick but make sure you’re careful because 1/8 tsp is probably all you need for plenty of heat.
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Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (to coat the chicken)
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided
- 12 ounces fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup sweet chili sauce
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (for the stir fry sauce)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional and to taste
- Sesame seeds, for garnishing, optional and to taste
Instructions
- Chicken – To a large bowl, add the chicken pieces, evenly sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cornstarch, salt, pepper, and toss to combine and coat evenly.
- To a large skillet or wok, add 2 tablespoons oil, the coated chicken pieces, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5-6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Stir and flip chicken frequently as it cooks to ensure even cooking. When it's done, remove it from the skillet and set it aside on a plate.
- Green Beans – To the same skillet, add the green beans, onions, the additional oil as needed, and saute over medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes, or as needed to soften the vegetables as desired. Stir intermittently. While they're sauteing, make the stir fry sauce.
- Stir Fry Sauce – To a small bowl, add the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, rice vinegar, garlic powder, ground ginger, optional but recommended red pepper flakes, and whisk to combine.
- Assembly – When the green beans and onions are done, add the chicken back into the skillet, pour the stir fry sauce over the top, stir to combine, and allow everything to simmer over medium to medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly and is bubbly.
- Serving and Storage – If desired, garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately (with rice is a great way to serve this). If desired, add more red pepper flakes for heat, salt, pepper, etc. Extra stir fry will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, noting that the green beans will not retain their crisp-tender texture as time passes, which is unavoidable. I do not recommend freezing this recipe for the texture issue the green beans will have. Reheat leftovers in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was fabulous and flavourful. I found it took a little longer to cook than indicated in the recipe, no big deal!!
Love how you give the option to double the recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Karen, and I’m glad it was fab and flavorful! Cooking times can vary a bit depending on so many things from pan size to heat output of stove but glad it all worked out great.
loveeee how detailed your explaination is! you even provided reasons for this and that, absolutely cant wait to make it!!
I know you’ll love it!
Simple, fast and SO delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Debbie, and glad it was so delish, simple and fast! Thanks for making this the same day I posted it! 🙏🏻