A very tasty homemade stir-fried Chicken in Black Bean Sauce recipe. This restaurant-style chicken dish is so flavorful and very easy to make.
The chicken is tender and seasoned with the most distinct Hunanese seasoning, a black bean sauce.
It's garlicky, and gingery, and has the perfect amount of saltiness and sweetness, an authentic Chinese food flavor that you’ll love.
Serve this chicken in black bean sauce with brown rice or white rice.
Jump to:
Chinese Chicken in Black Bean Sauce Recipe
Chicken with black beans is one of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants. The chicken meat is cooked with fermented black beans and has a pungent, salty flavor from the beans.
This Chinese black bean chicken may look like a complicated dish but it's actually not hard to put together, even for beginner cooks. It's so addictive, and this is a delicious Chinese recipe that will make you want to cook more at home and skip the takeout.
Ingredients
You can find most of these ingredients at any grocer, except the fermented black beans.
Because of the popularity of fermented black beans, you’ll see them in many Chinese recipes.
Don’t think twice to buy or order for home, as it’s worth it in the long run with the use you’ll get from them! These fermented beans can last for a very long time if stored properly.
To make this recipe, you will need:
- chicken meat. In this recipe, I used chicken thighs but you can make this recipe with chicken breast as well.
- fermented black bean. It's also known as dòuchǐ, or tochi.
- garlic. It's used as an aromatic base for stir fry.
- ginger. It's also another base for stir fry to enhance the flavor.
- Shaoxing wine. It's also known as Chinese cooking wine and it can be replaced with dry sherry.
- corn starch. I used it to marinate the chicken.
- Soy sauce. I used a combination of light soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
- Vegetables. To add bright colors to the dish, I added some chopped green bell pepper and red bell pepper.
- Salt to taste.
- Scallions. I used the light part for stir fry and the green part as a topping.
What are Fermented Black Beans
Douchi 豆豉; dòuchǐ, or tochi is the most popular seasoning in the Chinese cuisine.
It's a type of fermented black beans or fermented black soybeans that are commonly used for making black bean sauce dishes, such as stir-fries and other wok-cooked dishes.
The flavor of these fermented beans is sharp, pungent, and spicy in smell, with a taste that is salty and somewhat bitter and sweet. You must soak and rinse before use.
Please note that fermented beans are not the same thing as regular black beans that are often used in a variety of Tex-Mexican recipes. Therefore they can not be used interchangeably in recipes and will produce different results.
How to Make Chicken in Black Bean Sauce
Anybody can cook this dish. There is no special cooking skill required.
As always with Chinese recipes, once the cooking start you need to move quickly! So be sure to prepare and have all the ingredients you need nearby!
Step 1. Marinate the Chicken
- In a bowl, combine chicken thighs with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and cornstarch.
- Let the mixture marinates for 30 minutes.
Step 2. Cook the Vegetables
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat.
- Cook the green and red bell pepper until slightly cooked but still crisp. Set them aside.
Step 3. Cook the Marinated Chicken
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over high heat.
- Cook the chicken thighs for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and ginger. Stir fry until fragrant.
Step 4. Add the Aromatics and Seasoning
- Add the black beans into the wok and stir fry until you can smell them.
- Return the bell peppers to the wok.
- Add Shaoxing wine and stir to combine.
- Add chopped scallions (white and light green parts only).
- Keep stir-frying until the chicken meat is fully cooked.
Step 5. Adjust the Seasoning
- Give it a taste. Add salt, soy sauce, or chili if needed.
Check Out More Asian Recipes
- Singapore Noodles (Xing Zhou Mi Fen)
- General Tso's Chicken
- Vegetable Stir Fry with Tofu
- Thai Salad Dressing
- Shrimp and Green Peas Stir Fry
- Hainanese Chicken Rice
- Sesame Noodles
I hope you'll enjoy this recipe and share it with friends! If you try it and don’t mind, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating. Be sure to subscribe to receive weekly recipes and follow me on Pinterest.
This recipe is inspired by Fuschia Dunlop.
📖 Recipe
Chicken in Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs
Marinade:
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon corn starch
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
Stir Fry:
- ¾ cup diced red bell pepper
- ¾ cup diced green bell pepper
- 3 scallions, (chopped, white and light green for stir fry, dark green for serving)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil , (divided)
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 4 tablespoons Chinese fermented black beans, (also known as Chinese Douchi)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, (or use dry sherry)
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
optional:
Instructions
Preparation:
- Cut the chicken into small bite pieces, around ⅜ inch.
- Soak the fermented beans in hot water for 15-30 minutes and rinse them a few times.
- Place the chicken in a bowl, marinate with low-sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, and corn starch. Let it marinate for 30 minutes if possible.
Cook the Diced Bell Peppers:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Cook the green and red bell pepper until slightly cooked but still crisp. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Cook the Chicken:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over high heat. Cook the chicken thighs and stir fry for about 2 minutes, then add garlic, ginger and continue stir-frying until fragrant.
Stir Fry the Remaining Ingredients:
- Add the black beans and stir until you can smell them. Return the peppers into the wok.
- Add Shaoxing wine and stir. Add chopped scallions (white and light green parts only) and stir until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Adjust seasoning with salt or soy sauce or add spiciness by adding a pinch of dried pepper flakes if needed.
- Add chopped scallions (green part only) and sesame oil stir to combine. Serve.
Cathy Mini says
This recipe looks so delicious. I think my husband will surely like this, thanks for sharing!
Ruth I says
Oh yum! This looks so easy to cook. I would be trying this recipe next week.
Rosemary says
Great recipe to make chicken. I often find myself making the same two-three chicken recipes and I love the variation with the black bean sauce. Thanks for sharing.
Swathi says
This is yummy chicken . I haven't used black bean sauce. May be I need to try this recipe. It looks better than any take out.
Lizzie Lau says
I've ordered this and didn't realize that the black beans were fermented. I'll save this recipe to try at home.
Gervin Khan says
Such an easy, delicious and healthy dish to make for my family.
Amber says
This looks so yummy! Chinese food is my all-time favorite but I can never pull off the recipes to make it at home. This looks like something I can actually do.
Candida ortega says
Excellent!