Chinese Black Pepper Chicken, a quick and easy stir-fry recipe made with marinated chicken breast chunks and peppers coated in a glossy sauce that has a lovely black pepper kick. It's a quick and easy dinner dish that can rival any take-away and a reliable weeknight dish that everybody loves. Serve it on a bed of rice or with noodles, and you get a complete dinner with little fuss and effort.
When in doubt, cook chicken! It's always a winner with my family, it cooks a lot quicker than any other meat, and it's so versatile, you can literally come up with endless dishes that deliver every single time.
We do love a good Chinese take away, it's delicious and it also gives mummy a break from cooking, so a win win situation. But making some exquisite Chinese food at home is a lot easier than you'd think, and it keeps the whole family happy.
Now, I know the list of ingredients used looks pretty long, but the beauty about cooking Chinese at home is that once you buy the ingredients you need, you get to use them many times, so it's not a big expense for one meal.
The foundation of most Asian cooking lies in a few key ingredients: soy sauces, rice vinegar and sesame oil for building sauces, and onion, ginger and garlic as the aromatic base for stir fries. Once you have these ingredients, the rest is super easy.
Unlike a traditional sweet and sour chicken recipe, which is defined by its sweet and tangy sauce, the black pepper chicken is more aromatic, milder stir fry that makes the freshly-cracked black pepper the star of the show.
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Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
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Ingredients overview: the marinade
- freshly-ground black pepper - adds a lovely heat and depth to this dish, I strongly recommend it over ready-ground pepper, the coarser one adds a lot more flavour and a great texture
- salt - we don't need a massive amount, as the soy sauces are already salty
- light and dark soy sauce - the light sauce is used for seasoning, the dark one for richness and colour
- sesame oil - adds a lovely nutty flavour to the marinade
- rice vinegar - adds a sharp touch
- cornflour - corn starch, tenderises the chicken and adds a protective coating that helps the chicken brown without drying out
Ingredients overview: the sauce and stir fry
- chicken breasts - you can swap for chicken thighs if you wish, the cooking process is the same
- onion - I used a small regular onion, spring onions, shallots or red onion are also ok
- ginger - I only had some ginger puree, you can also use fresh one if you like
- garlic - good old garlic, you can chop it, mince or use garlic puree
- sugar - balances out the acidity of the rice vinegar and soy sauces
- chicken stock / broth - adds flavour and makes the dish saucier
- peppers - I used a mix of red, yellow and green peppers, you can use whatever you have around
I have not mentioned again the ingredients used for the marinade, as they serve similar purposes.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- in a large bowl add the chicken chunks, cornflour, salt, pepper, soy sauces, rice vinegar and sesame oil
- mix well to coat the chicken pieces
- allow it to marinate for 20 minutes
- to make the sauce combine the chicken stock, soy sauces, sugar, rice vinegar and sesame oil
- in a pan or wok set over a medium heat add the oil and allow it to heat it up
- add the chicken pieces and fry them on both sides until golden
- remove the chicken from the pan and set aside
- in the same pan add more oil if necessary and stir fry the onion with a good pinch of salt and black pepper
- add the garlic and ginger, give it a good stir, then add the peppers and stir fry briefly
- return the chicken to the pan, pour over the sauce, and stir fry for 1 minute until the sauce thickens and it coats the chicken well
- serve with plenty of freshly-ground black pepper
Expert tips
Make sure you have all the ingredients ready before you start stir frying, it's a quick process, and once you start, there is no time for chopping or gathering everything.
Do not skip the marinade, it adds tons of flavour to the chicken, and it also tenderises it. Even 15-20 minutes will make a massive difference, although the longer, the better.
Stir fry the veggies briefly, we want to still have a vibrant colour and some good crunch. Cook the chicken in batches if needed, we want it stir fried, rather than steamed.
Key points
- Both the marinade and the sauce use dark and light soy sauce for balanced saltiness, colour and depth of flavour.
- Uses cornflour for the marinade and the sauce, the first to tenderise the chicken, the second to achieve a glossy, thicker sauce
- The freshly-ground black pepper is the main ingredient, rather than just seasoning
- It's stir fried in stages to build layers of flavour and a great texture
Other stir fry dishes you might like
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Chinese Black Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 tablespoon cornflour (corn starch)
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the sauce
- 125 ml chicken stock (broth, ½ cup)
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (corn starch)
- ½ tablespoon freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
For the stir fry
- 2 chicken breasts
- ½ red pepper
- ½ yellow pepper
- ½ green pepper
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ tablespoon ginger puree
- ½ teaspoon freshly-ground pepper (plus more to garnish)
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
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Instructions
- Add the diced chicken to a bowl together with the ingredients listed under the marinade.
- Mix well to coat the chicken, and allow it to marinate for 20 minutes.
- To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients.
- Heat up the oil in a large pan or wok, add the marinated chicken and fry it on both sides until golden.
- Remove it from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan add the onion peeled and cut julienne, a pinch of salt and pepper, and fry it until golden.
- Add the peeled and chopped garlic and ginger puree.
- Stir fry briefly, then add the chopped peppers and stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Return the chicken to the pan, stir well, then pour in the sauce.
- Stir everything quickly for the sauce to thicken and coat the chicken well.
- Garnish with extra black pepper and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you have all the ingredients ready before you start stir frying, it's a quick process, and once you start, there is no time for chopping or gathering everything.
- Do not skip the marinade, it adds tons of flavour to the chicken, and it also tenderises it. Even 15-20 minutes will make a massive difference, although the longer, the better.
- Stir fry the veggies briefly, we want to still have a vibrant colour and some good crunch. Cook the chicken in batches if needed, we want it stir fried, rather than steamed.
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