Panda Express String Bean Chicken Copycat Recipe

This Panda Express string bean chicken recipe gives you the same tender chicken, crisp green beans, and savory ginger-soy sauce you get at the restaurant, ready in about 30 minutes on a weeknight. It’s lighter than most of the other items on the Panda Express menu, and it tastes genuinely fresh because you’re making it yourself.

Skip the drive-through tonight. This one comes together fast and you control exactly what goes in it.

Why I Love This Recipe

The sauce hits that balance of salty, slightly sweet, and ginger-forward that makes you want to eat it over a whole bowl of rice. The green beans stay crisp because they cook quickly over high heat, not until they go soft.

This is the version I keep coming back to on busy nights. The ingredient list is short and most of it is already in your pantry.

Recipe Ingredients

• 1 lb (450g) boneless skinless chicken breast – Slice thin against the grain so it cooks fast and stays tender
• 12 oz (340g) fresh green beans – Trim the ends; fresh gives you the crunch, frozen will go limp
• 3 tbsp soy sauce – Low-sodium works fine here
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce – Adds depth and a mild sweetness; skip it and the sauce tastes flat
• 1 tsp sesame oil – Stirred in at the end, not cooked in; it’s for aroma
• 2 tsp cornstarch – Split use: some for the chicken marinade, the rest thickens the sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil – Or any neutral oil with a high smoke point
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced – The backbone of the whole dish; pre-ground ginger is not a fair swap here
• 3 cloves garlic, minced – About 1 tbsp once minced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth – Loosens the sauce and keeps it from scorching
• 1/2 tsp sugar – Just enough to round out the salt without making it sweet
• 1/4 tsp white pepper – Gentler than black pepper and more authentic to this style of stir-fry
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes – Optional, but it adds a mild background heat that the restaurant version has

Variations / Substitutions

• Chicken thighs – Boneless thighs stay juicier than breast meat if you tend to cook things a little too long.
• Tofu – Press it well and use extra-firm; it won’t absorb the marinade the same way, but the sauce still tastes great.
• Broccoli or snap peas – Either works as a green vegetable swap; broccoli needs about 1 extra minute in the wok.
• Tamari instead of soy sauce – A direct one-for-one swap that makes the whole dish gluten-free.
• Skip the oyster sauce – Replace it with 1 tsp hoisin sauce and an extra splash of soy; not identical, but close.
• No chicken broth on hand – Plain water works in a pinch here without noticeably changing the flavor.

If you like this kind of fast, saucy stir-fry, you might also enjoy a Panda Express Honey Sesame Chicken Copycat Recipe.

How To Make String Bean Chicken

Step 1: Slice and Marinate the Chicken

Slice the 1 lb chicken breast thin, about 1/4 inch thick, cutting across the grain. Toss the slices in a bowl with 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp of the soy sauce, and 1/4 tsp white pepper. Mix until every piece is coated and let it sit for 10 minutes while you prep everything else.

The cornstarch here forms a thin coating that keeps the chicken from drying out in the hot pan. After 10 minutes, the surface of the chicken will look slightly tacky, which is exactly what you want.

Step 2: Whisk the Sauce

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/2 tsp sugar, and the remaining 1 tsp cornstarch until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Set it next to the stove because you’ll need to pour it in fast once cooking starts.

Make sure there are no white lumps of cornstarch at the bottom of the bowl. Give it a quick stir right before it goes in the pan since cornstarch settles.

Step 3: Sear the Chicken

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat for about 2 minutes until it’s very hot, then add the 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Lay the chicken slices in a single layer and cook without moving them for 2 minutes, then flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes until just cooked through and lightly golden on the edges.

You want some color on the chicken, not just steaming. Resist the urge to stir constantly. Remove the chicken to a clean plate and leave the pan on the heat.

Don’t worry if a few bits stick. A hot pan and a quick cook are more important than a perfectly clean pan at this stage. Any sticky bits left behind will lift when the sauce goes in.

Step 4: Stir-Fry the Green Beans

Add the 12 oz trimmed green beans to the same hot pan. Stir-fry over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, moving them around every 30 seconds or so, until they’re bright green and starting to blister slightly on the outside.

The beans should still have snap to them. If they look dull green and soft, they’ve gone too far. Blistered spots are good; that char is part of the flavor.

Step 5: Build the Sauce and Combine

Add the 1 tbsp minced ginger and 3 cloves minced garlic to the pan with the beans. Stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant, then pour in the sauce mixture. It will bubble up immediately. Return the cooked chicken to the pan, toss everything together over high heat for 1 minute until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and beans, then take the pan off the heat and drizzle in the 1 tsp sesame oil.

Step 6: Plate and Garnish

Spoon the string bean chicken over steamed rice in a wide bowl or on a plate, making sure you scrape all the glossy sauce from the pan over the top. Finish with a light scatter of red pepper flakes if you’re using them, and a few drops of extra sesame oil if you want a stronger aroma.

Recipe Tips

• Slice the chicken while it’s slightly cold. Ten minutes in the freezer before you slice makes it much easier to get thin, even pieces.
• High heat is non-negotiable. A wok or skillet that isn’t hot enough will steam the ingredients instead of searing them, and you’ll end up with watery sauce and limp beans.
• Have everything prepped before the pan goes on. Once the oil is in the hot pan, this dish moves fast. Garlic, ginger, and sauce should all be measured and within arm’s reach.
• Don’t skip the resting time on the marinade. Ten minutes is enough for the cornstarch to bond with the chicken surface. Shorter than that and it slides right off in the pan.

Cook times vary by how many beans you’re cooking at once:

How To Store

• Refrigerate – Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The sauce thickens as it sits, which is fine.
• Reheating – A hot skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes works better than a microwave; it revives the texture of the beans instead of making them soggy. Add 1 tbsp of water to loosen the sauce.

What To Serve With String Bean Chicken

Steamed jasmine rice is the obvious base, and it works because the rice absorbs the salty-savory sauce without competing with it. Fried rice is a good option if you have leftover cooked rice from the night before, since the drier texture holds up under the sauce better than fresh-steamed rice does. A simple cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar and sesame seeds works on the side because the cool, acidic crunch cuts through the richness of the stir-fry sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can marinate the chicken and mix the sauce up to 24 hours in advance and keep them in separate containers in the fridge. Cook it fresh when you’re ready to eat; the beans don’t hold up well if cooked and reheated more than once.

Why is my sauce not thickening?

The cornstarch needs heat and liquid together to thicken. If the pan temperature drops when you add the sauce, give it a full minute over high heat while you toss the ingredients, and it should come together.

Can I use frozen green beans?

Frozen green beans will cook faster and release water, which dilutes the sauce and softens the texture. If that’s all you have, pat them completely dry before they go in the pan and expect a shorter stir-fry time, about 2 minutes.

Is this dish spicy?

Not by default. The red pepper flakes are optional, and without them the dish has no real heat, just the subtle warmth of white pepper and ginger.

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String Bean Chicken Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb (450g) boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 12 oz (340g) fresh green beans, trimmed
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp cornstarch, divided
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Method

 

1. Slice chicken thin against the grain, toss with 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 1/4 tsp white pepper, and marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Whisk together the remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth.
3. Heat a wok or skillet over high heat for 2 minutes, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil, then sear the chicken in a single layer for 2 minutes per side until lightly golden and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
4. Add 12 oz green beans to the same hot pan and stir-fry over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until bright green with slight char.
5. Add 1 tbsp minced ginger and 3 cloves minced garlic, stir-fry 30 seconds, then pour in the sauce. Return chicken to the pan and toss over high heat for 1 minute until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp sesame oil.
6. Spoon over rice, scrape all the sauce from the pan over the top, and scatter red pepper flakes to finish.

Notes

The 10-minute marinade makes a real difference to the chicken’s texture, so don’t skip it even when you’re in a hurry. If your pan isn’t large enough to hold all the chicken in one layer, sear it in 2 batches rather than crowding it. Leftovers reheat best in a hot skillet with a splash of water.