Easy Healthy Chinese Black Bean Chicken Stir-Fry with Peppers
Black bean chicken stir fry is such a flavourful delicious option for a weeknight dinner. This recipe uses only 1 tablespoon of oil and a healthy method to make the most tender chicken breast slices! Add crunchy sweet bell peppers and umami rich black beans and you have a low-fat crazy delicious dish!
Equipment
- 1 8-9 inch deep fry pan or carbon steel wok use a deeper pan to poach your chicken breast and stir fry
Ingredients
For the Chicken Breast Marinade
- 1 lb chicken breast (about 2-3 chicken breasts) (Note 1)
- 4 Tbsp. water
- 3 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp oil
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
For the Rest of the Dish
- 2 sweet bell peppers (any color)
- 2 small white onions
- 1 tsp ginger (minced or grated)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 Tbsp. dried whole black beans rinsed and drained (or wet whole black beans or black bean sauce) (Note 2) (Note 3)
- 2 tsp brown sugar (heaping)
- ¼ cup Shaoxing wine (or water/broth)
- 2 Tbsp. water (optional) for more sauce (Note 4)
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp chilli flakes/oil (optional)
- 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil) for frying
Instructions
Marinate and Velvet the Chicken Breast
- Add oil, water, cornstarch and soy sauce to the sliced chicken. Let it sit to marinate for 15 - 20 minutes while you chop and prepare your other ingredients.
- Boil water in a deep pan. (Note 5)
- Add the chicken slices to the boiling water making sure to separate the slices and prevent them sticking to each other. Blanch for 1-2 minutes.
- Once all the slices have changed color from pink to opaque, remove from the water and set aside. Discard the water.
Cook the Rest of the Dish
- Using the same pan for blanching the chicken, dry the insides with paper towels. Turn the heat on medium and add oil.
- Add the onions and bell peppers. Stir fry for about a minute.
- Add the minced ginger and fry until fragrant - approximately 15 seconds.
- Add the garlic, chilli flakes (if using) and black beans (or black sauce). Stir and mix.
- The bottom of the pan should be browning but not burning. If browning too quickly, lower the heat. Once the onions start to turn translucent, add the Shaoxing wine (or broth/water) to deglaze the pan.
- Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. A nice sauce should form. Add water (optional) if you would like more sauce.
- Add back the chicken slices and stir everything thoroughly for about 1 minute. Taste a small piece from your dish and salt to taste.
- Serve hot!
Notes
Notes:
Note 1: Place your chicken breast in the freezer for 30 minutes to partially freeze it. Freezing it will make slicing it thin easier. The slices will defrost quickly while it is marinating. Note 2: You can use dried whole black beans or wet black beans. Dried black beans will need to be rinsed but wet ones can be used right out of the jar (rinsing is optional). You can also substitute whole fermented black beans with black bean sauce. Just make sure to half the amount of sauce used. For every two tablespoons of whole black beans, use one tablespoon of sauce. Note 3: If using whole black beans, you can roughly chop them if you prefer not to have whole beans in your dish. Note 4: This is personal preference. For a dish with more sauce to mix with steamed rice, add a bit more water. Note 5: You can also velvet your chicken by doing a flash fry instead. Add 2 Tbsps. of oil to your pan and quickly fry your chicken slices in one layer on medium/high heat. Remove immediately from your pan once it changes color. You will be further cooking it when you finish the rest of the dish.Substitutions/Add-Ons
Black beans: You can also substitute whole fermented black beans with black bean sauce. Just make sure to half the amount of sauce used. For every two tablespoons of whole black beans, use one tablespoon of sauce. Chilli flakes/oil: Add a little spice to your black bean chicken by add chilli flakes or chilli oil. Bell Peppers: Instead of bell peppers, use celery, blanched broccoli, cauliflower or string beans. If you're choosing a quick cook vegetable like lettuce or spinach, add it last along with your chicken. Chicken breast: Use chicken thighs instead of breast and skip the blanching since thighs have a less risk of drying out. Thinly sliced pork loin or beef using the velveting technique will also work well. Shaoxing Wine: Substitute with rice wine or dry sherry.Make Ahead Tips:
You can chop all your vegetables, mince your garlic and ginger in advance the night before. Slice and marinate your chicken and place it in your refrigerator in an airtight container. Your chicken will actually turn out more tender! Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!