Sichuan Chicken with Green Beans and Sichuan Pepper Recipe
A homemade version of spicy Sichuan chicken, but instead of peanuts you get crunchy green beans. The dish is aromatic, slightly numbing from Sichuan pepper, and perfect for warming you up on cooler days. In China, quick stir-fries like this are a classic after-work dinner – a bit like our “whatever’s in the fridge in a pan”, just with a lot more flavor.
This is a loose take on Sichuan-style la zi ji stir-fries, where the aromatic oil, chili and Sichuan peppercorns matter more than a heavy sauce. Instead of the usual peanuts or a large amount of chilies, it uses green beans, which are easier to find in many Western supermarkets.
This dish combines the characteristic numbing heat of Sichuan pepper with the crunch of green beans and juicy marinated chicken. The quick stir-fry technique keeps the vegetables crisp and the meat tender, while a simple sauce of soy, vinegar, and sugar creates a deep, restaurant-style flavor at home.
Why this version works
- A cornstarch-and-egg white marinade (velveting) protects the thin strips of chicken from drying out, even over very high heat.
- Blanching and thoroughly drying the green beans keeps their intense green color and crunch without leaving the centers raw.
- Toasting and grinding Sichuan peppercorns first gives a clean, citrusy aroma without bitterness and lets the flavor distribute evenly through the sauce.
- Mixing the sauce before you start stir-frying lets you cook over high heat without scrambling to measure ingredients over the pan.
Chef's tips
Slice the chicken as evenly as possible so it cooks at the same speed and doesn’t dry out. Don’t skip toasting the Sichuan pepper – it dramatically boosts the aroma. Prepare and measure all ingredients before you start stir-frying, because once you heat the wok everything goes very fast.
How to serve
Serve in deep bowls over a bed of hot jasmine or plain white rice. Add a simple cucumber salad or lightly pickled vegetables on the side to balance the heat and richness. For a fuller meal, pair with a mild soup or a simple stir-fried leafy green.
Watch out for
- Don’t crowd the chicken – if it covers the whole surface of the pan, it will start to steam and release a lot of liquid.
- Dry the green beans and meat very well; even a thin layer of surface moisture will turn your stir-fry into a stew.
- Dried chilies burn easily – keep them moving and react as soon as they start to darken significantly.
- Don’t add all the Sichuan pepper at the beginning; keeping some to sprinkle in at the end preserves its fresh aroma.
Substitutions
- You can swap the green beans for broccoli cut into small florets and blanched for 1–2 minutes.
- Sichuan peppercorns can be approximated with a mix of freshly ground black pepper and a little grated lemon zest, though you’ll lose the numbing effect.
- You can replace rice vinegar with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, using slightly less.
Ingredients
- boneless chicken breast you can also use boneless chicken thigh, it will be juicier - 400 g
- green string beans fresh or frozen, trimmed - 250 g
- oil e.g. rapeseed or peanut oil - 3 tablespoons
- garlic finely chopped - 3 cloves
- fresh ginger peeled, finely chopped - 2 cm
- dried chili peppers deseeded, you can reduce the amount for a milder version - 6 pieces
- Sichuan pepper you can replace it with regular black pepper, but without the light numbing effect - 1 teaspoon
- light soy sauce - 3 tablespoons
- dark soy sauce for color, can be omitted - 1 tablespoon
- rice vinegar can be replaced with mild apple cider vinegar - 1.5 tablespoons
- sugar - 1 teaspoon
- potato or corn starch for marinating the chicken - 2 teaspoons
- egg white optional, tenderizes the meat - 0.5 pieces
- water for the sauce - 3 tablespoons
- chives or spring onion chopped, for sprinkling - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Cut the chicken into thin, bite-sized strips. Transfer to a bowl, add the starch, egg white (if using), and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Mix with your hand until the meat is evenly coated. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- If using fresh green beans, trim the ends. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the beans, and cook for 2–3 minutes, until slightly softened but still crisp. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. If using frozen beans, just thaw and pat dry.
- Place the Sichuan pepper in a dry pan and toast over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until very fragrant. Remove from the pan, let cool slightly, then crush in a mortar or grind in a grinder.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, water, and half of the ground Sichuan pepper. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan or wok over high heat. Add the chicken, spread it out over the surface, and fry for about 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat turns white and lightly browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the same pan. Add the dried chilies and fry for about 30 seconds over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they darken slightly but do not burn (if they start to smoke, reduce the heat).
- Add the chopped garlic and ginger. Fry for 30–40 seconds, stirring, until very fragrant but not browned.
- Add the blanched green beans and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes over fairly high heat, stirring, until they are lightly browned on the edges.
- Return the chicken to the pan and mix. Pour in the prepared sauce, mix everything thoroughly, and stir-fry for another 1–2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats all the ingredients evenly.
- Sprinkle the dish with the remaining ground Sichuan pepper and the chopped chives or spring onion. Serve immediately, preferably with hot rice.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
This is one of those dishes that feels like a takeaway favorite but is surprisingly easy to make at home. The key is high heat, quick cooking, and not overcrowding the pan. Once you get the hang of it, you can swap in whatever vegetables you have on hand and adjust the level of chili and Sichuan pepper to your taste.
