Asparagus & Chicken in Black Bean Sauce
Submitted by miller_544
Authentic Chinese stir-fried chicken and asparagus in fermented black bean sauce with garlic and sherry. A savory, glossy wok dish with tender thigh meat that rivals your favorite takeout.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
60 minCOOK
30 minREADY
90 minIf you’ve ever had a truly great black bean chicken at a Chinese restaurant and wondered how they get that deep, savory glaze, this is how.
Fermented black beans mashed with garlic create a sauce that’s intensely savory, almost smoky, with layers of umami that soy sauce alone just can’t touch.
Chicken thighs (never breast for this one; thigh meat stays juicy in the wok) get marinated in sherry and cornstarch, then stir-fried until just firm before the asparagus and sauce come together in a sizzling finish.
The dish is done when the asparagus turns bright green and everything is coated in a glossy, reduced glaze.
Chef Tips
- Use chicken thighs, not breasts. Thigh meat holds up to high-heat stir-frying without turning dry and spongy
- Rinse the fermented black beans before mashing to remove excess salt
- Have everything prepped and within arm’s reach before you heat the wok. Stir-frying moves fast
- If the sauce is too liquid at the end, remove the chicken and asparagus and reduce the sauce on high heat before tossing everything back in
Ingredients
Directions
Marinating: With sharp paring knife, scrape chicken meat from thigh; slice into thin strips across the grain. (Breast meat is not preferred for this dish, as meat is too dry and spongy.) Combine sherry, soy, cornstarch and sugar in bowl; massage liquid into meat with your fingers. Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
Preparation: Wash asparagus; peel tough white outer skin off ends; slice on diagonal in 2½ inch sections. Rinse fermented black beans.
In bowl, combine and mash black beans and garlic, brown sugar, black soy sauce and chicken stock; stir; reserve for 15 minutes.
Stir-Frying: Add ⅔ of oil to hot wok; when oil is very hot, add chicken. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes on high heat - or until chicken begins to shrink and firm up. Remove chicken to holding bowl.
Reheat wok to high, add remaining oil. When oil is hot, add black bean sauce. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add asparagus; mix with sauce. Stir sauce with asparagus. When sauce boils, add cooked chicken; toss to combine.
Dribble in a little cornstarch paste if needed; cornstarch in chicken marinade might be enough. Toss ingredients until very little liquid remains and is reduced to glaze. Dish is ready when asparagus brightens. If you still have too much liquid, remove ingredients, continue to reduce sauce, then return ingredients to coat them with sauce.
Serve in individual portions.
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