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Skillet Night
Asian 3 min read

Sesame Chicken and Green Beans

Sesame chicken and green beans stir-fries crispy chicken with blistered beans in a sesame-soy glaze in about 25 minutes. Easy takeout-style skillet dinner.

Sesame Chicken and Green Beans

Takeout sesame chicken is usually deep-fried and cloying. This skillet version keeps the glossy sesame-soy glaze but skips the batter: bite-size chicken browns hard, green beans blister in the same pan, and a quick cornstarch slurry turns the sauce sticky in under a minute.

Rice on the side is all you need. About 25 minutes, and the green beans actually taste like vegetables instead of an afterthought.

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 3 Tbsp (45 ml) low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) honey or brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp (3 g) cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) water
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds, plus more for serving

Stir-fry

  • 1 lb (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into ¾-inch pieces
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil, divided
  • 12 oz (340 g) green beans, trimmed and halved
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • Cooked rice, for serving
  • Red pepper flakes, optional

Method

  1. Whisk all sauce ingredients until smooth. Toss chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 Tbsp cornstarch.
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high. Add chicken; cook 5–6 minutes, turning, until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
  3. Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil and green beans. Cook 3 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp water; cover 2 minutes to steam-blister. Uncover; cook 1 minute more until beans are crisp-tender with charred spots.
  4. Return chicken. Pour in sauce; toss 1–2 minutes until thick and glossy.
  5. Finish with green onions, extra sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes if using. Serve over rice.

Cook's note

The light cornstarch on the chicken gives you browned edges without a wet batter. Do not skip toasting the beans uncovered at the end — that blistered flavor is half the dish.

What to serve with it

Steamed rice, microwave brown rice, or cauliflower rice. Cucumber salad or egg drop soup from a carton if you want a second plate.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Mix the sauce up to 5 days ahead. Leftovers keep 3 days; reheat in a skillet so the glaze loosens. Chicken freezes well up to 2 months; beans soften slightly.

Troubleshooting

**Sauce watery?** It needed a harder bubble — cook 30–60 seconds more. **Beans dull and soft?** They steamed too long; shorten the covered step. **Chicken pale?** Pan was not hot enough or was crowded — cook in two batches.