hello hi everyone! Wesley here. Today we’re diving back into our series on Panda Express Hacks with a shot at their string bean chicken, which we’re gonna deconstruct, and then see if we can’t amp it up a bit with some of my favorite additions drawn from more traditional Chinese wok cooking. For those not familiar, Panda Express’ string bean chicken features (as you might guess) string beans (or green beans, depending on who you ask), sweet white onion, and a bit of chicken breast done in a fairly mild “ginger soy sauce,” (or at least, that’s what they call it). To me of course, ginger and soy sauce are in most Chinese stir fries already, so that sauce could very well be really anything.
So, I’m taking a bit of liberty with my attempt here, and adding a couple of ingredients to bring out a little bit more savory umami and heat, with a couple of ingredients that you’ll likely recognize from some of our more traditional recipes. This is mainly gonna be done with the addition of dark soy sauce, black bean paste, and my favorite combination of heat elements, some Chinese doubanjiang, and spicy chili crisp or “lao gan ma.” Hope you try it.
yields 6
INGREDIENTS
2-3 medium chicken thighs
6-8 oz green beans
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp (about 1 inch) ginger
1/2 medium sweet white onion
2 tbsp corn starch + water (corn starch slurry)
peanut oil or vegetable oil
INGREDIENTS (marinade)
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp corn starch
pinch kosher salt
INGREDIENTS (sauce)
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or 2 tbsp full sodium soy sauce)
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp black bean paste
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp doubanjiang
1 tbsp lao gan ma
1/4 cup stock
PREP
CRUSH and mince the garlic, set aside
FINE MINCE the ginger, set aside
SLICE the chicken thigh thinly, then combine with all marinade ingredients and marinate for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour
SLICE the green beans into 1 inch strips, set aside
SLICE the onion, set aside
COMBINE the corn starch with water and mix into a slurry, set aside
COMBINE all sauce ingredients, set aside
ON THE STOVE
HEAT a wok as hot ass possible, then add 4 tbsp peanut oil, and long yao
ADD the chicken a piece at a time, flat side down, and sear undisturbed for 2 1/2 minutes before tossing for an additional minute until cooked through
REMOVE the chicken, wipe down the wok, reheat, add an additional 2 tbsp peanut oil and long yao
ADD the green beans and sear undisturbed for 2 1/2 minutes before tossing
ADD 1/4 cup water, then cover and steam for 3 minutes
MOVE green beans to one side, then add the garlic and ginger and bloom until fragrant (about 10 seconds)
ADD the onion and saute for 2 minutes
ADD the chicken back to the wok, followed by the sauce mixture and corn starch slurry
TOSS to combine and serve