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Home » Recipes » Chicken

Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

Published: Jul 15, 2020 · Modified: Jan 11, 2025 · by Khin · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Homemade easy Chinese stir-fried chicken in black bean sauce recipe made with juicy tender chicken slices, peppers, onions, and savoury stir-fry sauce. Perfect with a bowl of plain rice. You can create a restaurant-quality classic Chinese chicken dish at home in 30 minutes!

A white plate containing stir fried chicken slices with Chinese black beans, bell peppers, and spring onions.

Chinese chicken stir fry dishes are very fast and easy to prepare for busy days and they are always on our family meal rotations. If you love quick one-pan stir fry dishes like us, you don't want to miss our Chicken Rice Noodle Stir Fry, Black Pepper Chicken and Chicken & Mushroom Stir Fry recipes.

Jump to:
  • What is Chicken with Black Bean Sauce?
  • Ingredients you need
  • Variations & Cooking Tips
  • FAQ
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

What is Chicken with Black Bean Sauce?

This dish is a perfect combination of stir-fried chicken, tender-crisp vegetables, and umami black bean sauce. Fermented salted black bean is the key ingredient in making black bean chicken and it makes this dish very unique and flavourful.

Although black bean chicken is assumed as a well-known Chinese favourite dish that originated in China, it's now widely available at almost every Chinese restaurant in the UK, the US, Australia, and many counties around the world.

Depending on the region, restaurants, and takeaways cooking methods and recipes can be different. In this recipe, I am sharing our homemade version of chicken in black bean sauce recipe with simple, quick cooking instructions.

Ingredients you need

Following is a quick guide with photo instructions and detailed measurements on the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Labelled ingredients displayed on the wooden table.

Fermented black bean seeds: It is called Douchi ( 豆豉 ) in Chinese and you cannot avoid or replace these black bean seeds or black bean sauce to create this dish. It has a savoury, salty, umami taste and is slightly bitter. Perfect for adding stir-fries, soups, stews, and sauces.

Protein: Add your choice of boneless chicken breast or thigh meats. Cut it into thin slices. You can substitute with beef, lamb, fish fillets, prawns or a choice of seafood. Tougher meat will take more time to marinate and seafood does not need marinating process.

Vegetables: I love adding onions, bell peppers, and spring onions ( green onions ). You will also need freshly chopped garlic and ginger for the best garlicky flavour sauce.

Stir Fry Sauce: You can make a homemade quick stir fry sauce with only 3 simple ingredients, soy sauce, sugar, and oyster sauce. To thicken the gravy add a bit of cornstarch and water.

How to Make Chicken in Black Bean Sauce

  1. Roughly chop the black bean seeds and prepare the vegetables. Set them aside.
  2. Cut chicken into thin slices and mix it well with soy sauce, sesame oil, baking soda, Shao Xing wine, and cornstarch. Set it aside and marinate for 15 minutes.
  3. In a small bowl, combine all the stir fry sauce ingredients, mix it well, and set it aside.
  4. Heat the large wok or pan over medium-high heat, drizzle 2 tbsp of oil and add the marinated chicken slices. Flatten and sear the chicken for 2 minutes then flip and continue stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
    Add onions and bell peppers and cook for another 1 minute. Remove everything from the pan and set them aside.
4 image collage showing how to prepare ingredients and how to stir fry them.
  1. In the remaining pan, drizzle 1 tbsp of oil, and saute the garlic and ginger for a few seconds until fragrant. Add fermented black beans and stir fry for a few seconds.
  2. Pour the sauce mixture in and stir it well until the sauce is slightly thickened.
  3. Add the cooked chicken and vegetables back into the pan and combine well with the sauce and stir fry until the sauce is thick and glossy.
  4. Finish with spring onions and toss it well with the rest of the ingredients.
4 image collage showing how to cook black bean sauce with garlic, chicken, and vegetables.

Variations & Cooking Tips

Black bean garlic sauce: If you cannot get fermented black beans you can use Chinese black bean garlic sauce, available in the Lee Kum Kee brand.

Extra vegetables: Snow peas, green beans, carrots, and mushrooms, can be also added. Feel free to swap with your choice of vegetables. If you love a kick of heat, add fresh chilli slices or chilli oil and create a ''Spicy Chicken in Black Bean Sauce''.

A white bowl containing white rice and chicken stir fry with vegetables and black bean sauce.

FAQ

Where to buy Chinese black bean?

You can buy fermented black soybeans Douchi ( 豆豉 ) in most Oriental/Chinese supermarkets or on Amazon online. Make sure not to be mistaken it for La Doubanjiang ( 辣豆瓣酱, Chilli broad bean sauce ) which is used to make Sichuan Mapo Tofu.

How to serve this dish?

Perfectly match with a simple bowl of steamed rice, fried rice or Plain Chow Mein. Or it can be accompanied by Chinese Salt and Pepper Squid, Hot and Sour Soup, Beef Chow Fun, or other various Chinese or Asian cuisines you love.

Can you freeze or reheat it?

Do not recommend freezing black bean chicken but you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days in the fridge in an air-tight container.

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📖 Recipe

A white plate containing stir fry chicken with bell peppers, spring onions, garlic, and fermented black beans.

Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

Easy Chinese chicken with bean sauce recipe made with juicy tender chicken slices, onions, peppers, and savoury umami black bean sauce. You can make it at home with minimum ingredients and is ready in 30 minutes. Taste just like you've had at your favourite restaurants and takeaways!
5 from 19 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese Cuisine
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 397kcal
Author: Khin

Equipment

  • 1 Large wok/pan

Ingredients

Chicken & Marinade

  • 300 g Boneless chicken thigh/breast About 10.5 oz, Cut thin slices
  • 1 tsp Light soy sauce Or all-purpose soy sauce
  • 1 tsp Sesame oil Or cooking oil
  • 1 tsp Corn starch Or potato starch
  • 1 tsp Shao Xing wine Chinese cooking rice wine, see details in note
  • ½ tsp Baking soda

Stir Fry Ingredients

  • ½ Onion Cut thin slices
  • 2-3 cloves Garlic Finely chopped/minced
  • 1 tsp Ginger Finely chopped/minced
  • ½ Red bell pepper Cut small squares
  • ½ Green bell pepper Cut small squares
  • 1 tbsp Fermented black beans Roughly chopped (see recipe note for details)
  • 2-3 Spring onions Cut 2" pieces
  • 2-3 tbsp Cooking oil Or sunflower, canola, vegetable, peanut oil, etc

Sauce

  • 1 tbsp Soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
  • 3 tbsp Water
  • 2 tsp Sugar
  • ½ tsp Corn starch or potato starch

Instructions

  • Cut chicken into thin slices and mix it well with soy sauce, sesame oil, baking soda, Shao Xing wine, and corn starch. Set it aside and marinate for 15 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, combine all the stir fry sauce ingredients, mix it well, and set it aside.
  • Heat the large wok or pan over medium-high heat, drizzle 2 tbsp of oil and add the marinated chicken slices. Flatten and sear the chicken for 2 minutes then flip and continue stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add onions and bell peppers and cook for another 1 minute. Remove everything from the pan and set them aside.
  • In the remaining pan, drizzle 1 tbsp of oil, saute the garlic and ginger for a few seconds until fragrant. Add fermented black beans and stir fry for a few seconds.
  • Pour the sauce mixture in and stir it well until the sauce is slightly thickened.
  • Add the cooked chicken and vegetables back in the pan and combine well with the sauce and stir fry until the sauce is thick and glossy.
  • Finish with spring onions and toss it well with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Transfer to serving plate. Serve with plain rice or noodles.

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 1625mg | Potassium: 795mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1207IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @KhinsKitchen or tag #KhinsKitchen!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. J says

    November 09, 2024 at 8:16 pm

    5 stars
    awesome

    Reply
  2. Ruth Tredinnick says

    March 27, 2024 at 12:50 am

    5 stars
    Smashing! Made it with beef too. on the family favourites list.

    Reply
    • Khin says

      April 01, 2024 at 11:42 am

      This black bean sauce goes well with beef too. So glad that you enjoyed it, Ruth!

      Reply
  3. Anne day says

    December 06, 2023 at 8:29 am

    do you need to soak the black beans b4 cooking Khin

    Reply
    • Khin says

      December 07, 2023 at 2:32 pm

      Hi Anne, it's Chinese fermented black beans and you don't need to soak in water. You can add them in whole or roughly chop them before stir fry them.

      Reply
  4. Donna says

    November 12, 2023 at 7:05 pm

    5 stars
    This has become a regular in my household i had add some chopped green chillies to it and my family love it!! tastes better than our local takeaway.
    thanks for the great recipe.

    Reply
  5. Assunta says

    October 22, 2023 at 2:36 pm

    You mention that the marinating step can be skipped if using seafood but the ingredients like the sesame oil and the Chinese wine which give extra flavours would be missed out. Can they be added at any point? Thank you

    Reply
  6. H. Tommy says

    August 12, 2023 at 3:28 pm

    5 stars
    Taste just like my local Chinese!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      August 14, 2023 at 5:51 pm

      Glad that you enjoyed it, H. Tommy!

      Reply
  7. Sharclay says

    December 19, 2022 at 1:06 am

    I made this tonight, I did not have oyster sauce so used fish sauce, I should have cut the quantity way down, but I saved it by adding sesame oil, soya sauce and brown sugar! It was very good! Thank you for the recipe! I will make this again, but I will definitely buy some oyster sauce for next time!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      December 20, 2022 at 11:39 pm

      Hi Sharclay, fish sauce is saltier than oyster sauce. Instead of oyster sauce, you can use hoisin sauce or just a dash of chicken bouillon powder for a bit of extra umami taste. Happy that you enjoyed it and trying it out again with oyster sauce. Thanks for sharing feedback.

      Reply
  8. Kayune says

    May 25, 2022 at 11:07 am

    5 stars
    Made this tonight for dinner and it was very good and easy to make! Thank you for the recipe. 🙂

    Reply
    • Khin says

      June 05, 2022 at 10:06 pm

      So pleased that you enjoyed it, Kayune! Thanks for trying out and sharing feedback with us.

      Reply
  9. Graham Ritchie says

    January 05, 2022 at 6:59 pm

    If I choose to use the Lee Kum Kee black bean sauce, how much should i use with regards to the same quantities you have used in your recipe

    Reply
    • Khin says

      January 05, 2022 at 11:25 pm

      Hi Graham, you can add half a tablespoon of Lee Kum Kee black bean sauce for this recipe.

      Reply
  10. Karen Wells says

    December 09, 2021 at 2:59 am

    5 stars
    Thank YOU! This was 😋. Honestly I had my doubts I could pull this off BUT WOW!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      December 12, 2021 at 5:10 pm

      You are most welcome Karen. Thank you.

      Reply
  11. Mark T says

    June 14, 2021 at 11:00 pm

    5 stars
    We tried it. It was lush. Better than our local Chinese takeaway black bean chicken. Can you post beef with black bean sauce recipe too? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Khin says

      June 14, 2021 at 11:06 pm

      Thank you Mark! So glad that you enjoyed our recipe! Will definitely share beef in black bean sauce recipe too.

      Reply
  12. Mohit bhatt says

    December 14, 2020 at 7:52 am

    Can we cook oyster sauce in our home or and other sauce which taste like same as oyster sauce.

    Reply
  13. Diane kutschman says

    November 13, 2020 at 1:53 pm

    I am not a big seafood person. Is it necessary to add oyster sauce?

    Reply
    • Khin says

      November 13, 2020 at 11:05 pm

      Hi Diane
      If you do not like oyster sauce you could substitute with vegetarian oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce or mushrooms vegetarian stir fry sauce.
      Thanks.

      Reply
5 from 19 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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Hi, I'm Khin! This blog is all about my family home cooking recipes. I want to share how to make delicious meals from simplest method with step-by-step cooking videos.

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