A Filipino chicken and string beans recipe that is economical, quick, and nutritious! This dish is bursting with a savory and spicy flavor using only two types of seasoning for the whole dish! Have your bowl of rice ready!
This chicken and string beans recipe is a favorite when I feel like eating a lot of vegetables in a spicy sauce! In Tagalog, “ginisang sitaw” roughly translates to sautéed string beans, which is a classic Filipino dish.
Served with white rice, this sauce is so easy to make with the right ingredients! Of course, in our family we love this with a bit of spice so there is a kicker in this recipe that is different than the typical ginisang sitaw recipe.
With 7 key ingredients, beginner cooks will have no problem with this dish and have family wowed with the amazing flavor!
This post will go over everything you need to know to create this chicken and string beans recipe.
Recipe difficulty: Basic beginner
This ginisang sitaw recipe is super easy with some yummy vegetables! For this dish, the prep work is actually more work than the cooking. Cooks will also create an amazing flavor with only two types of seasoning that is not challenging at all!
Sam’s Pro Tips for this Chicken and String Beans Recipe
- Don’t have chili sesame oil? No problem! You can make your own if you have sesame oil and red pepper flakes, it will be close enough! Chili sesame oil should be pretty easy to find in either the Asian section of the grocery store or the Asian market. This is one of the main seasonings, and gives this chicken with green beans and tomatoes a nice kick!
- Don’t overcook the chicken in this dish. The first step in this recipe is to cook the chicken in the olive oil for only 5-6 minutes until slightly browned. Don’t worry, the chicken will continue cooking throughout this recipe! This first step is just to cook the outside of the chicken. The chicken will later simmer with the rest of the vegetables and seasoning. Overcooked chicken tastes like rubber and is hard! Not good! The diced chicken will also absorb the flavoring of the sauce and become nice and juicy.
- Time save tip – Buy your garlic already minced. One product I am absolutely loving is the Trader Joe’s Minced Garlic. A half teaspoon is the equivalent to 1 garlic clove minced and you’re done! Sometimes if I’m being lazy or am in a pinch, I use this in my dishes and it works just as well as fresh garlic minus the peeling and the cutting.
Key Ingredients – Chicken and String Beans Recipe
Below are some key ingredients for this recipe:
Chicken
- Chicken breast: I love this chicken green beans and rice because of the sauce. The chicken can be omitted if you just want the vegetables, but I wanted this dish more hearty with my rice so we added the chicken. This recipe only uses 1 pound chicken breast diced, which is plenty with the other ingredients.
Vegetables and Herbs
- 1 bunch string beans: I usually buy my string beans from the Asian market. Typically, one bunch of string beans is one pound or less. If you’re thinking how will I know what a bunch is equivalent to, don’t worry in the market the string beans are already tied and bunched together. Look for string beans that are bright in color and do not have black marks or bruised skin. To prep the string beans, make sure you wash the bunch. Cut the ends off and cut into pieces about 3-4 inches in length.
- Tomatoes: So tomatoes release their juice when its cooked. We use 2 tomatoes in this recipe, which adds to the sauce for a nice freshness! Tomatoes are really common in Filipino cooking, so this is good to always have in your kitchen.
- Onion and garlic: The basics! In other words, the onion and garlic will continue to flavor your chicken as it cooks and only adds to the sauce.
Sauce
- Chili sesame oil: This oil is a game changer in this dish! The chili sesame oil adds a nice spicy flavor, and really brings out the flavor of the string beans. We get the Trader Joe’s chili sesame oil and I definitely use extra to season the dish. This is part 1 of the seasoning you need!
- Hoisin sauce: Here comes part 2! I used hoisin sauce in this dish as it pairs great with the chili sesame oil and the sweetness really rounds the dish out. When the water is added to this chicken and string beans recipe, the hoisin sauce and chili sesame oil help cook the string beans and will give the most amazing flavor to the chicken.
More Variations to this Recipe
There are a few ways you can variate this chicken and string beans recipe. Here’s how:
- Add a different meat or use fish sauce: Ground pork or even shrimp can be added in place of the chicken breast. Or you can go completely vegetarian and don’t add any meat! Fish sauce is traditionally used as an alternative as well in place of the hoisin sauce.
- What can I pair with this dish? White rice on the side please! As this dish is pretty filling by itself with the meat and the vegetables, it’s already a great standalone option! Make sure to have extra chili sesame oil on the side for those that want to use more. For another vegetarian dish, check out our Spiced Tortang Talong Recipe that is super filling!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How to cook ginisang sitaw?
Ginisang sitaw is cooked with string beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and a meat if you like. You can use chili sesame oil and hoisin sauce for the seasoning.
How to store ginisang sitaw?
Keep the chicken and string beans recipe in the refrigerator. Eat within 3 days.
How to store string beans?
Store string beans in the vegetable drawer section of the refrigerator and use within 5-7 days at the most.
Penny says
I tried you’re better than grandma’s ginger snaps. They turned out perfect and are so delicious with coffee.
sam says
So glad to hear!