Something about chicken and green bean stir fry has always been a favorite of mine from Chinese restaurants, buffets, etc. The ever crisp green beans, little bites of chicken, and a perfectly savory and salty sauce.

I’ve tried a few recipes over the years, peeked at some others. Nothing has quite come close to Chinese takeout. Until this recipe. Maybe my downfall was tending to avoid recipes with fish sauce and oyster sauce, since I didn’t always have those on hand, and generally didn’t have a favorable impression of those sauces. I mean, it’s sauce made from fish. Or oysters.

The first time I made this, I purposefully didn’t tell my family what was in it. Everyone liked it. In fact, we liked it so well (kids and all!), that we actually had to BUY another bottle of fish sauce and oyster sauce because we ran out instead of them expiring first. Between this recipe and my new favorite Pad Thai recipe, we have to keep the the fish sauce in stock!

While no one loves recipes that use specialty ingredients rather than pantry staples, there are certain specialty Asian ingredients I’ve started keeping on hand, even if they’re for just 1 or 2 recipes, because they’re just that good. The ingredients usually keep for a long time, even once opened, so there is rarely waste. This recipe, to my mind, has three of such specialty Asian ingredients: fish sauce, oyster sauce, and chilli bean paste/gochujang. Partly in thanks to this recipe, I always have those three things on hand.

Use Quality Ingredients

Part of the secret to this recipe to take it from “really good” to “amazing” is using authentic, quality ingredients, especially fish sauce and oyster sauce. Instead of just buying the cheapest grocery store fish sauce and oyster sauce, it’s worth it to splurge and get some good ones. If you look at the ingredients of some of the cheaper ones, you probably wouldn’t want to buy them anyway. Oyster sauce especially can contain caramel color, MSG, modified cornstarch, and more.

If you would like a recommendation for our favorite fish sauce, check out Red Boat Fish Sauce.

For our favorite oyster sauce, check out Megachef Premium Oyster Sauce. It’s made from real oysters, not just “oyster flavor”, no MSG, no added color, and it’s gluten-free.

For our favorite soy sauce, check out Ohsawa. It’s authentic Japanese soy sauce, the kind that is fermented and has actual health benefits for you.

Chilli Bean Sauce is another one of those Asian ingredients that can be so easily confused with others. If you’re having trouble distinguishing it from other “pastes”, “Chilli this or that”, or “Fermented Bean this or that”, here is what you’re looking for.

This recipe does have a bit of spice to it. Whether you choose to use Chilli Bean Paste or Gochujang, both add a kick, although I’m sure some brands are spicier than others, as with curry pastes and such. I usually do scant Tablespoons of Chilli Bean Paste or Gochujang to keep the spice mild for my kids. They don’t complain but may ask for an extra glass of water during dinner, haha.

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Recipe by Jenny, inspired by Taste Asian Food

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Chicken and Green Bean Stir Fry

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

For the Chicken

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbsp / 34g soy sauce
2 tsp / 5g cornstarch

For the Sauce

2 Tbsp / 34g soy sauce
2 Tbsp / 36g oyster sauce
2 Tbsp / 28g water
2 tsp / 10g sesame oil
2 tsp / 10g fish sauce

For the Stir-Fry

2 Tbsp / 28g neutral-flavored cooking oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp / 36g Chilli Bean Sauce or Gochujang
1 lb / 454g green beans, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces

Rice, for serving

Directions:

Marinade the Chicken

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, soy sauce, and cornstarch until chicken is evenly coated. Allow to sit for at least 15 minutes.

Make the Sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients; set aside.

Stir-Fry

In a large cast iron pan or wok, heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
Cook the chicken, stirring occasionally until cooked (internal temperature of at least 165°F / 74°C). Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Add about another tablespoon of oil to pan. Add garlic and chilli bean sauce and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add green beans and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender yet crisp. Add water as necessary to keep from cooking too dry.
Add sauce and chicken, bring to a simmer.
Remove from heat and serve over rice. Enjoy!

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Last Updated August 20, 2024

Aglio, olio, peperoncino is a pasta found often throughout Tuscany, and even more often on my table for lunch. It originally hails from Napoli but has become beloved throughout Italy.

It’s simple, so simple, with the classic version requiring just 4 ingredients: spaghetti, garlic, olive oil, and a hot pepper. It’s great to whip up in a pinch because it’s quick and the ingredients are those you probably have in your pantry. It can be on the table in about as long as it takes to boil and cook pasta, plus 2 minutes for mixing. Because of its simplicity, as many Italian dishes are, attention to the quality and freshness of your ingredients will really make this dish shine. (Especially with that olive oil, nice and shiny. :)

There are many slight variations, but they hardly vary more than an ingredient or two. Some use fresh hot peppers, some use chili flakes; some versions call for bread crumbs, others a bit of fresh parsley added at the end, some say to mince the garlic, others slice. Based on these variances, you can always decide to play a bit to find exactly how you like to eat your aglio, olio, e peperoncino pasta.

The version that follows I learned from my husband, the fresh pasta expert. We usually use fresh hot peppers, but will also use chili flakes if we don’t feel like running to the store. It’s pretty close to the classic recipe, with one exception. We add a bit of grated Parmigiano Reggiano and it catapults the pasta to the next level. OH YES, cheese!

A note about using fresh peppers: I’m not actually sure what kind of peppers I use here in Italy. At the supermarket there are usually bell peppers “peperoni” and hot peppers “peperoncini” with no indication what variety they might be. Bell peppers come in red and green, but not always at the same time, and the hot peppers are usually red OR green, depending on the season. I suppose they’re serrano or a similar variety because they’re spicy but not overly so, although they do vary. Apparently Italians are not pepper connoisseurs, you won’t find jalapeño, habanero, serrano, and other pepper types readily available year round! If I were writing this recipe in Italian I would just put “peperoncino,” and everyone would know to get the only kind of peperoncino available from the store. In English recipes we are used to being told more specifics, and writing “1 hot pepper” would not be as helpful. So I wrote serrano on the recipe, but just be aware that you can play around with the kind you use if you want, especially if you think serrano might be too spicy for you!

Recipe Adapted from the Italian Classic

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Garlic, Oil, and Pepper Pasta - Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino

Serves about 4-6

Ingredients:

500g / 16 oz spaghetti
84g / 6 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 serrano pepper, or spicy pepper of choice
generous 1/4 cup /30g grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring water to boil in a large pot over high heat. Just before boiling, add some salt.
While water is heating up, mince the garlic and dice the pepper. Add the oil, garlic, and pepper to a small pot or pan.
When the water boils add spaghetti and cook according to instructions on package. Meanwhile, place the small pan of oil over low heat.
Simmer oil for 5-8 minutes; remove from heat when garlic is fragrant and starts to appear to dry with barely golden edges.
When pasta is done cooking, drain, reserving about 1/2 cup / 120g of pasta water.
Return drained pasta to the pot and immediately add oil mixture, reserved pasta water, and cheese. Working quickly, use two forks to mix and toss spaghetti until oil, cheese, and water have coated the pasta in a light, creamy sauce. Serve immediately.

Jenny’s Notes:

These measurements are approximate, we never measure when making this, but this is pretty close to our normal. So if you decide you want to use 5 cloves garlic and 2 jalapeños, that’s fine, too, because this is not an overly precise recipe!
For less heat, remove the seeds of the pepper before dicing. If using chili flakes, don’t simmer them in the oil but add to the pasta with the cheese at the end.
Look for parmigiano reggiano, which is the best. It can only be called so if it is made and aged in the designated area in Italy according to their regulations. Even if you are a world-class parmesan maker but make it in Wisconsin, it cannot legally be called parmigiano reggiano. This pasta is also delicious with other sharp, aged Italian cheeses. I like a mixture of aged pecorino and parmigiano.
Keep a close eye on the simmering oil, the garlic goes quickly from perfectly cooked (barely golden) to burnt (anything golden or beyond.) Even if you happen to burn your garlic, it only takes a few minutes to start the oil, garlic, and pepper over again and could still be ready before the pasta even finishes cooking.
One of the great things about making this is that even if you add too much pasta water, it will eventually evaporate out while mixing. One of the first times I ever made this solo, I added way too much and had a good inch or so sitting in the bottom of my pan. I had already added the oil and cheese and it was too late to dump the extra out. So I tossed and mixed for several minutes, and what do you know, the water eventually evaporated and mixed in, and I ended up with a wonderfully creamy and cheesy sauce.
When making this in Italy I always use the classic spaghetti option, as this is called spaghetti aglio e olio traditionally. However, the typical spaghettis you find in grocery stores in America don’t hold up as well, so I usually opt to use linguine in the USA.

Garlic, Oil, and Pepper Pasta - Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino

Yield 6-8

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

25 Min

Total time

25 Min

Garlic, Oil, and Pepper Pasta - Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino

A simple and classic pasta dish served throughout Italy with plenty of garlic, olive oil, spicy pepper, and a bit of parmigiano reggiano.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Instructions

Bring water to boil in a large pot over high heat. Just before boiling, add some salt.
While water is heating up, mince the garlic and dice the pepper. Add the oil, garlic, and pepper to a small pot or pan.
When the water boils add spaghetti and cook according to instructions on package. Meanwhile, place the small pan of oil over low heat.
Simmer oil for 5-8 minutes; remove from heat when garlic is fragrant and starts to appear to dry with barely golden edges.
When pasta is done cooking, drain, reserving about 1 cup / 237g of pasta water.
Return drained pasta to the pot and immediately add oil mixture, reserved pasta water, and cheese. Working quickly, use two forks to mix and toss spaghetti until oil, cheese, and water have coated the pasta in a light, creamy sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes

These measurements are approximate, we never measure when making this, but this is pretty close to our normal. So if you decide you want to use 5 cloves garlic and 2 jalapeños, that’s fine, too, because this is not an overly precise recipe!
For less heat, remove the seeds of the pepper before dicing. If using chili flakes, don’t simmer them in the oil but add to the pasta with the cheese at the end.
Look for parmigiano reggiano, which is the best. It can only be called so if it is made and aged in the designated area in Italy according to their regulations. Even if you are a world-class parmesan maker but make it in Wisconsin, it cannot legally be called parmigiano reggiano. This pasta is also delicious with other sharp, aged Italian cheeses. I like a mixture of aged pecorino and parmigiano.
Keep a close eye on the simmering oil, the garlic goes quickly from perfectly cooked (barely golden) to burnt (anything golden or beyond.) Even if you happen to burn your garlic, it only takes a few minutes to start the oil, garlic, and pepper over again and could still be ready before the pasta even finishes cooking.