This chicken and green beans recipe is an easy and healthy stir fry with seared chicken breast and fresh green beans, all tossed in a honey garlic sauce. The perfect quick dinner or meal prep option!
I make stir fry at least once a week, my family loves chicken and asparagus stir fry, moo goo gai pan, and this simple yet satisfying chicken and green bean version.
You can never go wrong with a stir fry at dinner time – they’re fresh, relatively healthy and super speedy to make. This chicken and green beans stir fry gets made constantly at my house. It’s got protein and veggies all in one place. Start a pot of rice at the same time as you make your stir fry, and you’ll have a complete dinner on the table in 30 minutes.
How do you make chicken and green beans?
The first step is to cook your green beans until they’re crisp yet tender. The green beans are removed from the pan, then bite sized pieces of chicken get seared to golden brown perfection. Combine your green beans and chicken, then add a honey garlic sauce to the pan. Simmer until thickened, then serve over rice and enjoy!
HOW DO YOU COOK CHICKEN FOR STIR FRY?
The best way to cook chicken for stir fry is to cut it into 1 inch pieces, season it with salt and pepper, then sear it in vegetable oil in a hot pan until browned and cooked through. Be careful not to overcrowd your pan; if you add too much meat at once, the chicken will steam instead of brown. I typically cook my chicken in two batches.
WHAT KIND OF SAUCE DO YOU PUT IN A STIR FRY?
Most stir fry sauces are made with soy sauce, minced garlic, and other seasonings such as sesame oil, fresh ginger, rice vinegar, chicken broth, sugar or chili sauce. One important component of stir fry sauce is a thickening agent, such as cornstarch. A thicker sauce will cling better to your chicken and vegetables.
This recipe is written for garlic lovers with 2 teaspoons of garlic in the dish. If you prefer you can cut that amount down to 1 teaspoon and it’ll still be delicious. Serve your chicken and green bean stir fry over rice for a quick meal that’s sure to please the whole family.
Chicken and Green Beans variations
You can make this dish with just chicken and green beans as written, or you can add a variety of other veggies to the mix for a different flavor combination. You can substitute up to half of the green beans with any of the following vegetable options.
- mushrooms
- bell peppers
- onions
- carrots
- snow peas
- broccoli
- asparagus
While this chicken and green bean dish is great for dinner, it’s also perfect for meal prep. Divide your stir fry into 4 portions, then place into meal prep containers with a side of rice. You’ll be able to enjoy it all week long!
MORE STIR FRY RECIPES
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
- Teriyaki Shrimp Stir Fry
- Orange Beef Stir Fry
- Mongolian Chicken
Chicken and Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon +1 teaspoon vegetable oil divided use
- 2 1/2 cups green beans trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth or water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the green beans and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes or until beans are tender.
- Remove the green beans from the pan; place them on a plate and cover.
- Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and turn the heat to high.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add them to the pan in a single layer - you may need to do this step in batches. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the green beans back to the pan and cook for 2 more minutes or until the green beans are warmed through.
- In a bowl whisk together the chicken broth, honey and soy sauce.
- In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water.
- Pour the soy sauce mixture over the chicken and green beans; cook for 30 seconds.
- Whisk in the cornstarch and bring to a boil; cook for 1 more minute or until sauce has just started to thicken, stirring constantly.
- Serve immediately, with rice if desired.
Leslie Merriman says
Delicious. I added mushrooms and a few drops of sesame oil . One suggestion for more accuracy in assembling the dish- steps 9 and 10 should be 1 and 2 and then put aside so they are ready to add to the stir fry as needed.
Gemma says
Delicious! Tastes just as good than my local Chinese restaurant. Easy also which appeals to me.
Jessica says
Easy and delicious!
Nicole says
Great recipe! Super tasty and quick to make! I added some fresh red peppers and some fresh grated ginger. Would highly recommend.
Laura says
Finally the perfect stir fry recipe! I swear I have tried dozens and they just don’t taste right! THIS ONE IS THE PERFECT ONE! I also doubled the sauce…. added a tsp of hoisin sauce and a tsp of ground ginger to the sauce! I also added in broccoli with the green beans and topped with chopped cashews. A touch of red pepper flakes and this recipe was so so good! I had leftover Chinese food rice so it paired well with this dish! I am so excited to save this recipe! Will make again for sure!
Tiffany says
I made this for dinner last night, followed directions to the T with only additions being some mushrooms and some red pepper flakes. Loved how the process kept the green beans crisp and the chicken done. Very good simple sauce. Thank you for sharing this will be in my rotation for being simple and delicious.
Maggie says
SO delicious and easy! I added fresh ginger and 1 tsp hoisin sauce and doubled the sauce recipe to pour over rice too. It was wonderful (even without my additions!)
Becky says
This was simple, quick, and delicious! Tasted like take-out, but healthier and way cheaper. Will definitely be making this again!
Louise Nesbitt says
Great, fast, tasty recipe. I added a chilli at the same time as the garlic to give it a bit of a kick and it was delicious.
annie says
Can I substitute the chicken with beef? If so, any modifications you’d make?
Sara says
Beef is fine, I’d recommend a thinly sliced flank steak or something similar!
Kathy says
Easy & fast preparation without a ton of ingredients. We have lots of fresh green beans from the garden and always looking for tasty recioes. Wish I had doubled the sauce noted by others, will certainly do so next time. Love it!!
Eee says
Amazing and very simple to make
Kayleigh says
So good! I had it over quinoa and added a little bit of red pepper flakes, and garnished with green onions and sesame seeds. Will definitely make again!
Arlene says
I made this tonight with frozen green beans and brown rice. Yummy. My hubby says make it again, but add red pepper flakes.
Rachel says
Whole family loved it! And a couple are very picky.
Jessica says
Delicious!
Gail Fesnak says
Have not made this yet, but I I gave it 5 stars because I know we are going to LOVE IT. I do however have a question. Can the sauce be doubled, we like a lot of sauce to put over our rice. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
Aly says
I made this tonight and doubled the sauce with no problem! It was so yummy!! I also added some red pepper flakes and topped with chopped cashews for a little crunch. Adding it to our rotations.
Joy says
We used pistachios and doubled the sauce… love sauce on brown rice at our house .
Kelsey says
Can I substitute a flour water solution instead of cornstarch?
Sara says
I’m not sure if it would work, as I haven’t tried it that way. You can omit the cornstarch if needed, the sauce will just be thinner.
lily says
I tried it. It technically works but it makes the sauce look more like a gravy, which I found unappealing. However, it still tasted great.
Christine Ripka says
You can also substitute potatoe or tapioca starch. Each will work the same but may thicken the sauce a little differently.
Jordonna wilson says
Delicious! Better than any Chinese takeout around me. I added broccoli as well as green beans. Green bean quantity was doubled with broccoli. I doubled the sauce as noted in a lot of reviews. It was the perfect amount to saturate the rice with the flavor. I did not have corn starch so I used flour . It worked perfectly . I just had to whisk and add a lot more flour than expected to get the consistency I wanted. Making this again tonight! Definitely add red pepper flakes if you like a little heat. I am also going to add green onions and sesame seeds on top as noted in some other reviews.
Katrina says
This sounds amazing and I can’t wait to make it. i did have one question, how much is a portion size made. I cup, 2 cup, etc?
Thanks again!
Sara says
1 1/2 cups!