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Easy Spicy Chicken with Dried Chiles and Green Beans

This easy spicy chicken with dried chiles and green beans is a quick, flavour-packed dinner made with juicy browned chicken thighs, crisp green beans, scallions, red onion, garlic and dried red chiles tossed in a savoury-sweet chili sauce. Ready in about 35 minutes, it is an easy chicken stir-fry with plenty of colour, texture and just the right amount of heat.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Asian inspired
Servings 4 servings
Calories 501 kcal

Equipment

  • Large skillet or wok
  • Cutting board
  • Sharp knife
  • Mixing bowl
  • Small bowl
  • Wooden spoon or spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken

  • 1½ pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless , cut into 1½-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil divided

For the Vegetables

  • 2 cups green beans trimmed and cut in half
  • 6 green onions cut into 2-inch pieces, white and green portions separated
  • ½ red onion medium sized, cut into chunky pieces
  • 1 small carrot thinly sliced
  • ½ yellow bell pepper cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 6-10 dried red chiles cut into pieces

For the Spicy Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1½ tablespoons honey or brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions
 

Coat the chicken.

  • Pat the chicken thighs dry. Add them to a bowl with the cornstarch, salt and black pepper and toss until evenly coated.

Make the spicy stir-fry sauce.

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, water and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Set aside.

Brown the chicken.

  • Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 6–8 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Stir-fry the vegetables.

  • Add a little more oil if needed. Add the green beans and carrot and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Add the red onion, yellow bell pepper and white and light-green portions of the green onions. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the garlic and dried chiles.

  • Stir in the sliced garlic and dried red chiles. Cook for 30–60 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Do not allow the garlic or chiles to burn.

Add the chicken and sauce.

  • Return the browned chicken to the skillet. Give the sauce another quick stir, then pour it over the chicken and vegetables.

Cook until glossy.

  • Toss everything together over medium-high heat for 1–2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the chicken and vegetables.

Finish with green onions.

  • Add the remaining green onion pieces and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, just until they begin to soften while remaining bright green.

Serve.

  • Serve the spicy chicken hot on its own or with steamed rice.
    • For the best spicy chicken stir-fry, let the chicken sit undisturbed for a minute or two before turning it. That extra contact with the hot pan helps create golden, slightly crisp edges while keeping the chicken juicy inside.

Notes

  • Chicken thighs work best for this spicy chicken stir-fry because they stay juicy while developing the browned edges shown in the finished dish.
  • For a milder recipe, use 4–6 dried chiles and leave them whole or in large pieces.
  • For extra heat, cut several dried chiles open so the seeds flavour the cooking oil.
  • Keep the vegetables slightly crisp. Overcooking them will take away from the colourful, fresh texture of this easy chicken stir-fry.
  • Have all ingredients prepared before you begin cooking. Stir-fry recipes cook quickly once the pan is hot.
  • Chicken is safely cooked when the thickest pieces reach 165°F / 74°C.
  • Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 501kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 32gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 1411mgPotassium: 885mgFiber: 4gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 3914IUVitamin C: 137mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 3mg
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