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Chicken with Spicy Black Bean Sauce

Front view of bowl with spicy black bean chicken.
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This Chicken with Spicy Black Bean Sauce is a quick and easy weeknight stir-fry that’s full of BIG and BOLD flavors! Tender chicken pieces get tossed with aromatics, onion, bell peppers, and dried red chilies in a wicked delicious savory and spicy sauce!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken Marinade:

  • 500 grams / 1.1 pounds Chicken Thighs (or Breasts), boneless, skinless – cleaned and pat-dried, excess fat trimmed, and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 TBLS Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 TBLS Shao Xing Rice Wine
  • 1 TBLS Corn Starch
  • 1 TSP Sesame Oil

For the Stir-fry Sauce:

  • 2 TSP Corn Starch
  • 2 – 3 TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, more or less to taste
  • 1 TSP White Sugar
  • ½ – 1 TSP Chili Oil (optional)
  • 1 TSP Sesame Oil
  • 1 TBLS Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 TBLS Shao Xing Rice Wine
  • 2 TBLS Oyster Sauce
  • 2 TBLS Spicy Black Bean Sauce (I used Lee Kum Kee brand, but any store-bought black bean sauce will work)
  • 1 TBLS Gochujang
  • 1–2 TSP Sriracha Sauce, to taste
  • ½ cup Water

For the Stir-fry:

  • 3.5 TBLS Peanut Oil (or any other neutral flavored cooking oil with a high smoke point)
  • ½ medium Yellow Onion – diced
  • 2 large Spring Onion – cut into 1.5-inch pieces, white and green parts separated
  • ½ medium Red Bell Pepper – deseeded, diced
  • ½ medium Yellow Bell Pepper – deseeded, diced
  • 10 Garlic cloves – minced
  • 2 TBLS minced Ginger
  • 4–12 fresh Red Chilies (I used Bird’s Eye, but Holland or any other small hot chilies will work), to taste – finely chopped
  • 10–12 Chinese Dried Red Chilies (I used Yunnan Dried Red Chilies)
  • To Serve: Steamed rice, chopped spring onion

Instructions

Prep:

  1. Marinate the chicken: Clean and pat-dry the chicken thighs and trim off any excess fat. Cut into bite-sized pieces and add to medium sized bowl, followed by the low sodium light soy sauce, Shao Xing rice wine, corn starch, and sesame oil. Mix well to combine, then set aside.
  2. Make the stir-fry sauce: Combine the corn starch, freshly cracked black pepper, white sugar, chili oil (if using), sesame oil, low sodium light soy sauce, Shao Xing rice wine, oyster sauce, spicy black bean sauce, gochujang, sriracha, and water in a small measuring cup (for easier pouring) or bowl. Mix well until thoroughly combined, then set aside.
  3. Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop the yellow onion, spring onions (be sure to separate the white and green parts, red and yellow bell peppers, garlic, ginger, and fresh red chilies as indicated in the ‘Ingredients’ section. Destem the dried red chilies and set aside.

For the Chicken with Spicy Black Bean Sauce:

  1. Fry the dried red chilies: Heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in a large wok or heavy bottomed deep frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the dried red chilies and sauté for 30-40 seconds, until they start to crisp up and darken slightly. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Then transfer to a small bowl and set aside. (Pro-tip: For a spicier dish, snip the chilies using kitchen shears into 2-3 pieces each. The seeds that become exposed will add more heat into the stir-fry.)
  2. Cook the chicken: Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the marinated chicken and immediately spread out the pieces in the wok. Allow to sear for 1 minute without touching, then stir-fry for another minute until the chicken has cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a clean bowl. Wipe out the wok with a paper towel and set back on the stovetop. (Note: Depending on your wok size, you many need to cook the chicken in two batches in order to not overcrowd the wok. Overcrowding will result in the chicken steaming and becoming mushy.)
  3. Stir-fry the onion and aromatics: Heat the remainder 1.5 tablespoons of oil in the wok over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the yellow onion, spring onion white parts and stir-fry for a 30-40 seconds until slightly softened. Add the garlic, ginger, and fresh red chilies and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Add the bell peppers and dried red chilies: Add the red and yellow bell peppers and the dried red chilies, toss to combine.
  5. Add the chicken and sauce: Add the chicken along with any juices in the bowl, and pour the stir-fry sauce on top. Stir-fry continuously for 1-2 minutes, until everything is well coated in the sauce it starts to thicken.
  6. Toss through spring onion: Stir in the spring onion green parts, then switch off the heat.
  7. To Serve: Transfer to a serving bowl/dish and garnish with more chopped spring onion. Serve immediately with warm steamed rice.

Equipment

Notes

  1. Asian ingredients. All sauces and oils used in this stir-fry can be found in an Asian supermarket or online. Some (oyster sauce, gochujang, sriracha sauce, sesame oil) may also be available in the Asian aisle of a well-stocked regular supermarket. For more information on each of these ingredients, refer to the ‘Ingredient Notes’ section in the post.
  2. Spicy Black Bean Sauce. You can use Lee Kum Kee brand Spicy Black Bean Sauce, their Black Bean Garlic Sauce for a milder dish, or any black bean sauce available in your local Asian supermarket.
  3. Spice level: This dish can be made milder based on your heat level preference by using less of (or omitting) the fresh red chilies and dried red chilies. You can also omit the chili oil and use less freshly cracked black pepper in the stir-fry sauce.
  4. Storing leftovers: Store any leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat for 2-3 minutes on high in the microwave until hot throughout.
  5. See ‘Variations’ section in post if you’d like to customize this stir-fry with a different protein, use more or other veggies, or make it suitable for a gluten-free or vegetarian/vegan diet.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/chicken-spicy-black-bean-sauce/