Chicken Long Beans

Chinese long beans with velveted chicken and a garlicky brown sauce. Dry-frying the beans until they blister and wrinkle is what makes this dish — it concentrates them in a way blanching can't. See Stir-Fry Basics for the underlying technique.

IngredientsClear All

For the chicken (velveting)

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced ¼" thick against the grain
• 3 tbsp water or unsalted chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

For the sauce

• ¾ cup unsalted chicken stock
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil (added off the heat)

For the stir-fry

• 1 lb Chinese long beans (yardlong beans), cut in 2" lengths
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided
• 2 tbsp garlic, minced (about 5–6 cloves)
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 scallions, whites and greens separated, cut in 1" pieces
• 1–2 dried red chilies, optional

Instructions

1. Velvet the chicken: Massage the sliced chicken with the water 1–2 minutes until fully absorbed and tacky. Mix in the wine and soy sauce, then the cornstarch until evenly coated, then the oil. Rest 15–30 minutes.

2. Mix the sauce: Whisk everything except the sesame oil until smooth. Set beside the stove.

3. Dry-fry the long beans: Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok over medium-high. Add the beans and cook 4–6 minutes, tossing occasionally and letting them sit still between tosses, until blistered, wrinkled, and browned in spots. They should be tender-crisp. Remove and set aside. (Alternative: blanch 2–3 minutes in rolling salted water, shock in ice water, and dry thoroughly — faster and less smoke, but less flavor.)

4. Water-blanch the chicken: Bring a saucepan of water to a bare simmer with 1 tsp oil added. Add the chicken, stirring gently to separate. Cook 45–60 seconds until just opaque outside. Drain.

5. Heat the wok: Wipe it out, return to high heat until faintly smoking, and add the remaining 2 tbsp oil.

6. Aromatics: Add the dried chilies (if using), then the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites. Stir-fry 15 seconds until fragrant — the garlic goes from raw to burnt quickly here, so keep it moving.

7. Combine: Return the beans to the wok and toss 30 seconds. Add the chicken and toss another 30 seconds to warm through.

8. Sauce: Whisk the sauce again, then pour it around the rim of the wok. Stir constantly 20–30 seconds until glossy and clinging.

9. Finish: Off the heat, stir in the sesame oil and scallion greens. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Notes

About long beans: Chinese long beans (豆角, dòujiǎo) are drier and denser than green beans and hold up much better to hard cooking. Available at Asian grocers, usually in bundles. Look for firm beans without soft spots.

Substitutions:

• Regular green beans work — blanch 2 minutes rather than dry-frying, since they have more water and blister poorly
• Ground pork instead of sliced chicken is traditional and excellent; skip velveting and just brown it
• Vegetarian oyster sauce substitutes 1:1

Make ahead: Velvet the chicken and dry-fry the beans up to a day ahead. Sauce keeps a week.

Tips:

• Don't rush the dry-fry. The blistering is the whole point, and it takes longer than it seems like it should
• Dry-frying smokes — run the vent hood on high, or blanch instead

Storage: 3 days refrigerated. Reheat in a hot pan.

Source

Family recipe. Technique from Stir-Fry Basics.