This quick and easy chicken and green bean stir fry is simple to prepare, packed with flavor and can be cooked under 30 minutes.

I'm all about easy recipes that taste great! From chicken Manchurian to salt and pepper chicken to spicy pork bulgogi to gochujang fried rice to beef salpicao, I love meals that take less than 30 minutes.
And there aren't many recipes easier than this chicken green bean stir fry. I adopted it off of a recipe I saw from Emeril Lagasse. Speaking of Emeril, his show was actually my first memory of watching the Food Network. Sadly his show is no longer around, but who can forget "BAM!"
Up until 3 years ago, I never had used a wok. But I started to make more Asian dishes and thought it was time to get one. Luckily our wedding was coming up so I put it on our registry.
Needless to say since then it's gotten quite a bit of use, but ironically is was this easy chicken stir fry that was the first dish I made in the wok. When using a wok, it is crazy how quickly you can cook everything. The cooking time of this meal is literally 10 minutes.
Yes there is some prep, but even so, it can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. So if there is a night where you just don't feel like cooking, I suggest giving this green bean stir fry a try.
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken - for this recipe, I use chicken breasts and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Sauce - the sauce gets its flavor from a few different ingredients including soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and Siracha.
- Vegetables - green beans are the star here, but the garlic and green onions add flavor as well.
- Cashews - adds flavor and crunch.
- Rice - I like to use some rice for carbs. Jasmine or basmati works best.
Ingredient Swaps
This salmon stir fry is super customizable. Some variations include:
- I'm a fan of chicken breasts, but thighs can be used as well.
- I use low-sodium soy sauce as the base for the teriyaki sauce, but if you need a gluten-free option, tamari is a good substitute.
- You can buy the Asian spice blend or make your own.
- While green beans are the main ingredient and in the title for a reason, you can sub with other veggies like broccoli or asparagus.
- I like cashews for the crunch, but peanuts are a great option.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Combine the chicken with some soy sauce and spice blend, letting it sit for 10 minutes. Heat oil over high heat in a wok and cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes.
Add in the green beans, cooking for another 2 minutes before tossing in the garlic. Finish by adding the remaining ingredients, cooking for a minute. Serve over some rice.
FAQs
The key to cooking chicken in a wok is to not overcrowd it. If you overcrowd the wok, the chicken will just steam and won't get a nice crust on them. To avoid this, I cook half the chicken at a time.
A large skillet works just as well.
Yes of course. I made this with chicken breasts as most people (including my wife) like white meat better, but if you’re a fan of dark meat go with the same amount of chicken thighs.
Most stir fry sauces consist of soy sauce, garlic and other seasonings like sesame oil, ginger, rice vinegar and chili sauce. While this stir fry sauce has many of those ingredients, I also added hoisin sauce, which has a sweet and salty taste.
PS this recipe has a lot of garlic. I'm of the opinion that you can never have too much garlic, but you can cut it in half if needed.
You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
It can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The flavors will continue to meld. You can also store in the freezer for 3 months.
While you can microwave I like to reheat in a skillet over low heat with the sauce until warmed through.
Equipment
The equipment you use is important to how the chicken and green bean stiry fry recipe turns out. What is needed is the following:
- Wok/Skillet - you want something large enough to be able to quickly cook everything at high heat.
- Wooden spoon - used to toss everything in the sauce.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Be consistent with the size you cut the chicken so it cooks evenly.
- Use fresh green beans whenever possible as they contain some bite still after cooking. Frozen green beans lose some texture and canned green beans are too mushy.
- Add cold oil to a cold wok and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the chicken. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- Cook the chicken in batches so you don’t overload the wok and cool it down. You want to cook the chicken quickly and adding too much at a time will slow the cooking process.
Similar Recipes
If you’ve tried this chicken and green bean stir fry or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 ½ teaspoon Asian spice blend
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 lb green beans, stem ends trimmed
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¾ cup roughly chopped cashews
- 4 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 teaspoon Sriracha
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup basmati rice
Instructions
- Cook basmati rice according to instructions.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, 3 tablespoon soy sauce and Asian spice blend. Toss to coat the chicken and let sit for 10 minutes.
- In a large wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the chicken and stir constantly, cooking until brown, about 3-4 minutes. Toss in the green beans and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 15 seconds. Finally, add the cashews, hoisin, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, Sriracha and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat.
- Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.
Notes
- Be consistent with the size you cut the chicken so it cooks evenly.
- Use fresh green beans whenever possible as they contain some bite still after cooking. Frozen green beans lose some texture and canned green beans are too mushy.
- Add cold oil to a cold wok and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the chicken. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- Cook the chicken in batches so you don’t overload the wok and cool it down. You want to cook the chicken quickly and adding too much at a time will slow the cooking process.
- Leftovers will store well in the fridge for 2-3 days in an air-tight container or be frozen for 3 months.
Chris says
Ah good old Emeril!