Sweet Chicken and Green Bean Stir-Fry
with rice
I dedicate this meal to my dad whose secret is to always add a bit of ketchup to his stir-fries for an extra layer of sweetness. Give it a try, and you'll never go back! (For the rice, you'll make a bit extra for tomorrow night's dinner)
Ingredients
- Rice - 3 cups, white or brown
- Chicken breasts - 1 1/2 lbs, cubed
- Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
- Green beans - 1 lb, trimmed
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 3 Tbsp
- Ketchup - 2 Tbsp
- Rice vinegar - 2 tsp
- Corn starch - 1 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp
- Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
- Lemon - 1/2, juice of
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Chicken - Chop into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper and then tenderize with a fork. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Garlic / Green beans - Prep as directed. Green bean trimming is a perfect activity for kids to do with scissors. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Make stir-fry sauce - Mix together soy sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) corn starch, and 1/2 cup (118 ml) of water.
- Rice - If using white rice, rinse until water runs clear. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven with rice and 2:1 ratio of water to rice. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once water boils, stir, lower heat to a low-medium, and cover. Check white rice after ~20 min; brown at ~45 min. Rice is done when it's absorbed all the water. If it's not done, leave the cover on until all water has been absorbed. Take cover off to release steam and fluff with a wooden spoon after 5 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make
- Toss chicken with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of corn starch. Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs. (14.8ml) cooking oil and then add chicken to heated oil. Saute for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the exterior is nice and golden. Remove and set aside (the chicken doesn't have to be cooked through at this point).
- Return wok to heat, and add remaining tablespoon of cooking oil. Add garlic to heated oil. Once you can smell the garlic, add in green beans with a dash of salt. Stir-fry for about 1 minute and then return chicken back to wok. Make a donut in the middle of your wok, and then pour in stir-fry sauce. When it starts to bubble and thicken, toss everything together. Cook until chicken is done (just slice into a cube to check). Add in a squeeze of lemon juice and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm over rice (reserve 2 cups (472 ml) for tomorrow night's dinner though!).
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
21 reviews
I followed the recipe exactly. It was nothing special. I don't understand why it's called sweet chicken. It had a heavy undertone of soy sauce. I know that can depend on your soy sauce, but I haven't had that problem with my soy and cooksmarts before. It was really bland. After trying it as is, I added a little more rice vinegar, a touch of brown sugar, and some sweet chili sauce to give it more flavor. It was edible, but not something I'll make again. My family gave it two thumbs down.
0 HelpfulAwesome. The chicken was excellent, and although I was suspicious about it, the ketchup totally worked. Be sure to add plenty of black pepper to deepen the flavors.
0 HelpfulI don't know about this one. It was okay, but the sauce was really nothing to rave about. My green beans also needed to be cooked a bit longer. Edible, but I won't make it again.
1 HelpfulSubstituted snow peas for green beans. Husband had some trouble with chicken sticking to our wok, but I'm beginning to think that it was because the oil was too cool when we put the chicken in.
0 HelpfulI actually used a gluten free teriyaki sauce instead of the marinade above. Delicious....will definitely make again!!
0 Helpful