Chinese Chicken with Black Beans (Instant Pot)
As we started this quarantine I realized that I had a large container of black bean sauce. The umami rich fermented kind. Through trial and error, I have created this absolutely amazing Chinese Chicken with Black Beans. While I do this more often in the instant pot, it works quite well on the stove top as well. Of course, I kind of sort of made this up. But, it is so very good. Like most of my cooking it is ridiculously easy. I serve this paired with my coconut Jasmine rice.
My Chinese Chicken with Black Beans Story
For some reason, I thought that all of New York was getting ready to partially open. I guess this was wishful thinking on my part. I miss the sounds and pace of things working. Like everyone else, I want to get back to things working again. I did the first of a three part cooking class series virtually for NYWCA, it really was nice to connect with everyone. Food is such an equalizer. It is difficult not to connect over something so satisfying.
Now, in this recipe, I marinate the chicken briefly with the black bean sauce and a little corn starch. The rest kind of flows together. My essential tips to keep this going,
Some tips and tricks
- Do not skimp on the time needed to sear the chicken properly. This allows the chicken to develop a nice crust.
- After this, the time needed to put the dish together is very little. this is because the chicken is quite cooked.
- This allows us to keep the veggies bright and tender crisp.
- I have tried this with both dark and light meat (I know, the things we do during a pandemic), and while I prefer the dark meat, using chicken breast is not all that bad in this recipe.
It is a perfect dish any time of the week. However, on a Friday after a long week, you will appreciate the Umami goodness, many times over. A Chinese fish recipe to join the fun would be this steamed fish recipe.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot Facebook group . Of course Instant Indian is a great idea to pick up,right with its siblings The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
Do not forget to get social with me, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and even YouTube.
A gorgeous flavorful dish, that is made with a few key ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Chinese black bean sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 cup cooking wine
- 1 large or 2 small (red or green ) bell peppers cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
Instructions
- Toss the chicken with half the minced garlic, half the black bean sauce and the cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
- Turn you instant pot on and let it register until it is very hot. Add the oil and after a couple of minutes add in the chicken and let it cook for about 3 minutes and turn. Cook another 3 minutes and remove from the pot. If this is done right, it should be fairly easy to remove.
- Add in the sesame oil.
- Add in the remaining garlic and ginger and the red pepper flakes and stir well. Turn off the heat.
- Add in the chicken and the cooking wine. Carefully use the wine to de-glaze the pot.
- Add the peppers and the remaining black bean sauce.
- Add the remaining black bean sauce. Cover and cook for a minute on low pressure. Do a quick release.
- Garnish with the scallions and serve with rice.