This Asian seared Chicken and Green Beans recipe has the marinade and method to get you the most tender chicken of your life! And also the crispiest skin. Stir fry the green beans in a quick sauce and you are on your way to an amazing low-carb meal!
Originally Posted February 14, 2017
Truman just learned to potty train (hallelujah) and is now wearing underwear, but he keeps putting it on backwards because the cool pictures of stormtroopers are always on the back and he wants to see them. I explained to him this morning that he can tell where the front of his underwear is because there’s this cool pocket for…well I won’t go into detail, you know what the pocket is for.
But I forgot that Truman is obsessed with pockets. I already have to check every single shirt and pants pocket when doing laundry to make sure there are no broken crayons hidden away.
He just came up to me and said “MOM I FOUND A QUARTER! I put it in my pocket lemme show you.” and reaches his hand down…down…down…
And now I’m just thinking, who even cares if his underwear is backward?? What have I done??
Happy Valentine’s Day, by the way! But is anyone else feeling like lately just LOOKING at all those red frosted sugar cookies at the grocery store puts an extra pound on your hips? Maybe it’s just the baby pounds talking. But these days I’m in the mood for some low carb protein and veggies.
How to make Asian Seared Chicken and Green Beans
Have you ever made orange chicken? Or any Asian marinated-then-fried meat? Recipes often call for baking soda, and at first I thought that was so weird. But it acts as a meat tenderizer and makes the chicken taste SO GOOD. When you are searing it it gets all foamy and reactive-looking. And it makes the chicken skin SUPER crispy. If you thought you didn’t like skin-on chicken…you were wrong. This stuff is amazing.
The green beans and sauce are killer too. Do a quick blanch to get them nice and tender, a 1 minute saute, and then finish in the sauce. This recipe is super easy and soooo delicious. The sauce is boss. It is full of flavor and has a little heat but nothing crazy. All ingredients are easy to find in the Asian section of the grocery store.
We ate this with brown rice (recipe coming soon hopefully! I made it in my pressure cooker!! (UPDATE: here’s the link for How to Make Instant Pot Brown Rice) but I think it would also be amazing with Asian Cauliflower “Rice” or Coconut Jasmine Rice with Cilantro.
If you make any of my recipes, be sure to share them on Instagram using the hashtag #TheFoodCharlatan so I can see it! I love that.
What to serve with Asian Chicken and Green Beans
- Asian Cauliflower “Rice”
- Coconut Jasmine Rice with Cilantro
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Easy Sesame Noodles with Spring Veggies
More recipes you will love!
- Asian Pork Tenderloin with Ginger Glaze (Slow Cooker) << One of the top recipes on the blog!
- Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Asparagus << this is such a great date-night dinner.
- Easy Orange Chicken Stir Fry from Yummy Healthy Easy
- Chinese Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry from Weary Chef
- Lemon Honey Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry from Spoonful of Flavor
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Asian Seared Chicken with Stir Fried Green Beans
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs, skin-on bone-in, about 1 to 1 and 1/4 lbs
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 & 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce
- salt, to sprinkle on chicken
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 pound green beans, washed and trimmed
- 1 cup chicken , or vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon Thai sweet chili
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Trim the fat and excess skin from each chicken thigh.
- In a medium bowl, combine raw chicken, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, baking soda, cornstarch, soy sauce, and sriracha. You will feel weird dumping dry cornstarch on your chicken. Just do it. Mix it up and it will come together I promise.
- Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for about an hour. 15 minutes will do it too. Longer is better but don't stress about it.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a small casserole dish (big enough to lay each piece of chicken flat) with nonstick spray.
- Heat a dry 12-inch skillet on medium high heat. Salt the tops (skin side) of each chicken thigh.
- Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to the hot skillet. When it shimmers (if your pan is hot, this will happen right away. Don't let it smoke.) swirl the oil around and then add the chicken, skin side down. Leave as much space in between each thigh as you can.
- Sear for 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on it. Salt the side of the chicken that's facing up. When the bottom is brown and nice and crispy looking, use tongs to flip the chicken. (Discard excess marinade)
- Sear for another 1-3 minutes until browned.
- Turn off the heat and remove the chicken to the prepared casserole dish. Set aside the dirty skillet, don't clean it.
- Bake the chicken in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. (If your chicken is done before you're done with the green beans, turn off the oven for a few minutes, then turn the oven to 170 degrees ("keep warm" setting) and put the chicken back in the oven to keep it from getting cold.
- Meanwhile, wash and trim the green beans.
- Prepare the sauce: in a measuring cup, combine 1 cup COLD* chicken broth, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Whisk in the 4 teaspoons cornstarch. Set aside.
- When the chicken is done or almost done, blanch the green beans: boil a medium pot of water on high heat (like 8 ish cups of water) with 1 tablespoon of salt. When the water is at a rolling boil, add the green beans all at once and cover immediately with a lid. Leave the heat on high. Set a timer for 2 minutes.
- Heat the skillet (that you seared the chicken in) on medium high heat. If there is plenty of oil leftover, great, if not, add 1 teaspoon olive or sesame oil.
- Drain the beans after 2 minutes, and immediately dump them into the hot skillet. Be careful, oil may splatter.
- Saute for 1 minute.
- Add the sauce you prepared.
- Bring the sauce to a boil over medium high heat. When it is bubbling and thickened and the green beans are crisp-tender, add the chicken and turn off the heat.
Perfectly delicious. This is an easy one pan meal. I added carrots and broccoli to the mix. Will be making again.
This was so delicious!!! I truly appreciate how much detail you go into on your recipes, as well as showing pics of certain ingredients. Heck yes, my dear! Thank you. Also, mind blown by the lil baking soda trick.
Hi
Can I add more green beans to this recipe, if so, do I have to alter the recipe.
Hi Jackie! It depends on how much more you add! If you are doubling the green beans, you might want to 1 and 1/2 the sauce.
Looks delicious and I will get back with you on the taste
Hubby does not like dark meat. Can I use boneless skinless chicken breast instead? Sounds wonderful.
Absolutely Sharon! Just use a meat thermometer, when it reaches 160F take it out and let it rest. Enjoy!
Is this spicy? My tummy doesn’t do well with anything spicy.
Hi Susan, yes it has a little kick to it from the sriracha and sweet chili sauce. I would omit the sriracha, but you might want to try it with the sweet chili sauce, it’s pretty mild! Enjoy!
I tried this last night and the hubs and I both looooooved it. I have seen that baking soda trick in recipes for years but this is the first time I’ve tried – thanks a million for this post and inspiration. I am also going to note your boss sauce 😀🌞😀 recipe in my book of favs to use on stir fried veggies (called use ‘em up❣️)
And, your photography is top notch.
Thank you so much Barb! That means so much to me! And I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Now I need to try this sauce with some stir fried vegetables, that sounds amazing! Thanks for commenting and reviewing :)
Was very good. Made it with pork, it was awesome.
Oh good idea Judy! Thanks for the tip! I’m glad you liked it.
I finally got to make these Chicken with Stir Fried Green Beans this past weekend and it was such a hit!! My family were happy!
These asian seared chicken with stir fried green beans absolutely something new for me! Looks yummy! I’m also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Karen, Thank you for sharing Chicken with Stir Fried Green Beans recipe. Its look delicious!
Haha Truman is just the cutest and this pocket story made me laugh so hard!!! hehe
This chicken looks amazing Karen and even though I haven’t tried using baking soda on chicken, I will for sure be trying out this trick soon as I love crispy chicken!
Haha! Hopefully he won’t read that story when he’s 13, he will hate me :) And yes, definitely try out the baking soda! It’s magic!
I think this pocket story will go down in the annals of our family as one of the funniest stories ever! Truman’s “pocket” will live in infamy!
This recipe is so good! I love the asian sauce on the green beans and the chicken coating. It’s a winner for a fast and easy dinner! (I made a rhyme;-))
Haha! Hopefully he doesn’t hate me when he’s older! And thanks for eating my recipe testing twice in a row on this one Kris!