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Mar 9, 2016

Stir-Fried Chicken with Black Bean Sauce | Wok Wednesdays

Stir-Fried Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

This stir-fried chicken with black bean sauce is exceptionally tasty. It's also really easy to prepare.

As a participant in Wok Wednesdays, I'm trying to stir-fry my way though Grace Young's James Beard award winning book, Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge. I can't believe how much I've learned about wok cooking, Asian ingredients, and the Chinese diaspora since embarking on this adventure.

For example, fermented black beans. Even though the name of the recipe includes "black bean sauce," you actually make the sauce yourself with fermented black beans. In this post, I describe how I found the fermented black beans with the help of the Wok Wednesdays community.


Once you get the beans, they last a long time if kept in a jar in the refrigerator. Out of the jar, they are kind of stinky (to me). Don't let this frighten you my friends. It's kind of like fish sauce. The sum is greater than the parts. It's magical.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

The only other difficult ingredient you will need to make this stir fry is dark soy sauce. If you have a Chinese market in your area, look for Pearl River Bridge with the pink label. Try not to get too distracted with all of the other Pearl River Bridge soy sauces, or you will need lots of new pantry space. Someday I will learn the differences!

Stir-Fried Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

According to Grace, this is a classic Cantonese stir-fry. It also includes carrots, garlic, ginger, red onions, green onions, and red pepper flakes. It was delicious with sticky rice.

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P.S. This recipe is easy and delicious. So easy, that I made this while making two types of bread, including a sourdough, even though I'm not the best multitasker.

P.P.S. Check out my friend Cathy's mise en place for this dish. Talk about organizational skills.

The recipe can be found on page 137 of Grace Young's Stir Frying to the Sky's Edge. You can also find the recipe on Andrea Nguyen's page, Viet World Kitchen, where she did a review of the recipe. I love her take on making your own black bean sauce.

Would you like to comment?

  1. Karen, I love that you and Cathy Hagin post links to my recipes that i've completely forgotten about. Your food photography is stunning---what a beautiful plate for the chicken.

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    1. I love Andrea's site and have two of her books!

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  2. Karen, you are a great multitasker, and I am sure you are!

    this recipe goes right up to my bookmarks - I think I have fermented black beans somewhere in that crowded space I call my pantry... probably very old, but still unopened. One of those impulse buys - I do have black soy sauce, so basically I've got no excuses not to make this recipe

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    1. Sounds like my pantry Sally =) No excuses!

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    2. I think I need therapy... (sigh)

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    3. No you don't! Ingredient hoarding is completely normal!! =)

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  3. I remember the first time I used fish sauce - panic attack!! I love your photo of this stir-fry, you can see all the elements of the recipe. My picture looks more like a plateful of carrots!

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