Chicken stir-fry with green beans & cashews is quick, easy, and flavorful. Chicken and green beans are coated in a luscious, tangy, spicy, and slightly sweet sauce. A sprinkle of crunchy cashews adds a nice touch of texture and flavor.
Stir-fry is one of my go-to weekday dinners. I can have them ready in under an hour, which I consider essential. They also tend to incorporate veggies for a healthy complete meal. Ground turkey stir-fry and this chicken five spice are two of my favorites with green beans.
The Elements
Green Beans: We are using fresh green beans for this recipe.
Low-Sodium Soy Sauce: I don’t think I have a stir-fry recipe that doesn’t include soy sauce. I always use the low-sodium variety.
Hoisin Sauce: A sweet fermented sauce that makes the sauce irresistible. You can find hoisin sauce in the Asian section of the grocery store.
Rice Vinegar: A generous amount of rice vinegar gives the sauce that needed acidity and makes it tangy. I also find rice vinegar in the Asian food section.
Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce
Sriracha: Adds heat to the sauce. It could easily be omitted if spicy isn’t your thing.
Black Pepper: It’s a rare day I don’t grab my pepper grinder. I love freshly ground black pepper on savory dishes.
Oil: Select an oil with a high smoke point for stir-fry recipes. I use canola oil.
Fresh Ginger: Ginger adds a great fresh, bright flavor. I chop up fresh ginger root and keep it in a bag in the freezer. It lasts a long time and frozen ginger can be easily grated up as needed for recipes.
Garlic: Adds great flavor.
Chicken breast or thigh: I like using chicken thighs for stir-fry as they don’t dry out as quickly as breasts due to a higher fat content.
Ripe Bell Pepper: Add great color, flavor, and texture to the stir-fry. I use red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, whatever I have on hand. Some sliced onion would also work well.
Raw Cashews: Cashews are so delicious on their own and make this recipe special.
Steamed Rice: The classic base for stir-fry.
The Extras
Thai Basil: When I have Thai basil available in my herb garden during the summer, I love using it in stir-fry dishes. It adds nice color and a peppery burst of flavor. This can certainly be omitted if you don’t have it available.
Green Onions: Sliced green onions add a nice pop of flavor and color.
Preparation
As with any quick stir-fry dinner, start by prepping and steaming your rice, so it is ready in time.
Next, I get the green beans trimmed and into my steamer. Steam until your beans are tender to your liking. We prefer the beans to be quite tender.
Now, you will prep the chicken and peppers and gather the sauce ingredients. The chicken doesn’t take long to stir-fry, so give the green beans a head start before the chicken goes in your skillet.
In a small bowl, stir together the sauce. Add the chicken to a skillet along with the bell pepper. Once the chicken is done, add the green beans, ginger, and garlic to the skillet with the chicken. Stir for a minute then add the sauce. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.
Spoon the mixture over rice and sprinkle with Thai basil, cashews, and green onions. Serve chicken stir-fry with green beans and cashews immediately and enjoy!
Chicken Stir-Fry with Green Beans and Cashews
Ingredients
- ½ pound fresh green beans trimmed
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp sriracha
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 tsp fresh ginger minced or grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced or grated
- 1 boneless chicken breast or large thigh chopped into bite-sized pieces
- ½ ripe bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp Thai basil chopped optional
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 2 green onions sliced
- 2 servings of steamed rice
Instructions
- Start by steaming your rice.
- Trim green beans and stream until tender.
- Combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, and sriracha sauce. Stir until the cornstarch has dissolved.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the chicken and red pepper, cook and stir until no trace of pink remains on the surface. Add the green beans, then garlic and ginger. Cook and stir for one minute. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle with Thai basil, cashews, and sliced green onions. Serve over rice.