Chinese Chicken and Green beans {One Pot}
Crispy green beans, juicy chicken, and tender potatoes cooked to perfection. My ultimate comfort food, chicken Green Beans, and Potatoes which are soy free, quick, easy, and perfect for meal prep.
Tossed with a salty, umami, Chinese-spiced sauce, this chicken green beans and potatoes is my ultimate comfort food.
Not only its flavor is well-balanced, but this dish also packs in all of your nutrient needs.
Many of you on Instagram asked me what my comfort food is –
This Chicken and Green Beans recipe was the number one recipe I had growing up.
It always reminds me of my childhood.
Crispy green beans, juicy chicken breast, and tender potatoes served over sweet jasmine rice mmm… I can just smell it now!
Since I got pregnant, all I’ve been wanting is some good old-fashioned home cooking. (More about my first trimester cravings and food aversions in this post).
Let me tell you, I’ve been eating A LOT of this Chicken Green Beans Potatoes for the past few months.
It’s easy to make, healthy and so delicious.
What is Special about this Chicken and Green Beans?
Coconut aminos- are used in place of soy sauce.
Coconut aminos is my favorite soy-free alternative tonative when it comes to Chinese cooking. My husband is sensitive to soy. So I have truly mastered the flavoring using coconut aminos.
It provides a salty-umami note that soy sauce has, yet it is lightly sweeter and lower in sodium.
A special spice used here is Prickly ash 花椒粉. It is a type of pepper that’s commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It adds a unique taste that’s not commonly seen in Western cooking. “Ma” which is directly translated as numb, makes your mouth tingle.
However, if you don’t have it on hand or you can’t find it, simply omit it.
How to Make String Bean Chicken
Next, thoroughly wash and pick the green beans.
In a large pot, heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium-high heat to sauté the green beans for 1-2 minutes. Remove green beans from the pot.
Then, in the same pot, heat another 1-2 Tbsp oil and sear the chicken on both sides, until slightly caramelized.
After the chicken is seared on both sides, add the green beans back into the pot along with the ginger, green onion, potatoes, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, cayenne pepper, star anise, prickly ash powder (if using), salt, and broth. Stir well.
How to Serve Chinese Chicken Green Beans Potatoes
There are so many ways you can serve this chicken and green beans recipe.
This sauce is amazing so you can add it to whatever side dish you want to serve along with it and you won’t be disappointed.
Some of my favorite serving suggestions are:
Jasmine rice- classic, how I used to eat it growing up (also my favorite way). I always loved loading the rice with the broth because it’s so delicious.
Fried Rice – Nothing beats a flavorful fried rice.
Cauliflower “rice”– if you’re looking for a lighter option
Quinoa Fried “rice”: another modern twist on the traditional recipe.
Get the recipe:Chinese Chicken and Green beans {One Pot}
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 1.5 lb chicken breast or thighs
- 1.5 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
Main dish:
- 12 – 16 oz Green beans, trimmed and washed
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp green onion, chopped
- 2 medium potatoes cubed
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- Dashes of cayenne pepper, optional: to kick up the heat
- 2 – 3 pieces of star anise
- Dashes of Prickly Ash powder 花椒粉, optional *
- Salt to taste **
- 1 cup water ***
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken marinade:Marinate the chicken in salt, coconut aminos or soy sauce, and arrowroot flour for at least half an hour. You can allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge overnight for optimal flavor.
Main Dish:
- Thoroughly wash and pick the green beans.
- In a large pot, heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium-high heat to sauté the green beans for 1-2 minutes, until bright green. Remove green beans from the pot.
- In the same pot, heat another 1-2 Tbsp oil and sear the chicken on both sides, until slightly caramelized.
- After the chicken is seared on both sides, add the green beans back into the pot along with the ginger, green onion, potatoes, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, cayenne pepper, star anise, prickly ash powder (if using), salt, and broth. Stir well.
- Bring all of the ingredients to a boil. Cover and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until green beans are a dark-ish green and potatoes are tender.
Notes
- * If you don’t have access to it, you can omit it or use black pepper
- ** Take into consideration when adding additional salt that coconut aminos is salty itself.
- *** Adjust the amount to your liking. I personally like more broth (growing up, I love drenching rice in it).
- A few substitutions: Coconut aminos – soy sauce, arrowroot starch – corn starch
The Nutrition Facts above are specific to the ingredients I chose to use for this recipe, which may vary.
I know I’ve rated this before but I’m back to say how much this recipe never disappoints! I doubled the broth to make ramen for my 3 year old and added kale at the end to wilt because I needed to use it, which took on all the delicious flavors and added an extra crunch to the dish. Every time I end up with potatoes and green beans on hand, this delicious recipe always comes to mind!
Hi Jessica,
We are so happy to hear this is a recipe you love, and that you are able to utilize the goodness for your 3yr old too!
Happy cooking! 🙂
Constance
I’m really excited to make this! I have green beans from my CSA box with no plans to use them, extra potatoes, and bone in chicken I’ve been saving for the right recipe. This one sounds like it’s the one! I even have all of the ingredients except the prickly ash, but I’m just going to use the Sichuan peppercorn power I have on hand.
Loved this recipe! It was easy, delicious & great leftover, too!
Loved all of the flavors in this recipe. Simple and quick but tasted like it took a lot more time than it did.
This came out SO GOOD! It’s easy and quick enough to add to our normal weeknight meal rotation. Even my picky-ish young children thought it was a hit (and they don’t even like green beans). We served it with rice but it was honestly great without any rice at all. I could drink the broth all day.