Description

This Black Pepper Chicken recipe is a flavorful and easy weeknight meal. Tender chicken is coated in a savory black pepper sauce and stir-fried with colorful vegetables for a delicious and satisfying dish.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Chicken:

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast (or thighs)
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

For the Rest of the Dish:

1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons neutral oil (divided)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 medium onion (cut into wedges)
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 bell pepper (any color, cut into 1-inch/2.5cm pieces)
1 stalk celery (thinly sliced on an angle)
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch (mixed with 2 tablespoons water to form a cornstarch slurry)

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Instructions

Marinate Chicken: In a bowl, add the sliced chicken, water, cornstarch, oil, oyster sauce, and black pepper. Rub the marinade ingredients into the chicken with your hands until the chicken has absorbed all the liquid. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Prepare Sauce: In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the chicken stock, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir everything together until well-combined, and set aside.
Sear Chicken: Place your wok over high heat until smoking. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, and then add the chicken all in a single layer. Sear the chicken until opaque on all sides (this should only take a couple of minutes). Turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the wok, and set aside. The chicken will be 80-90% done, but you’ll cook it again at the end.
Stir-fry Aromatics: Without washing the wok, turn on the heat to medium. Add another tablespoon of oil, along with the garlic and onion. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, then add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok.
Add Vegetables and Pepper: Add the peppers and celery, along with the 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
Simmer Sauce: Pour in the sauce mixture. Use your wok spatula to stir the sauce around the sides of the wok to deglaze, and let it come to a simmer.
Thicken Sauce: Stir up the cornstarch and water slurry, and drizzle the mixture into the sauce while stirring constantly. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10 to 15 seconds until thick and gravy-like.
Combine and Serve: Toss in the chicken and its juices. Stir-fry until the chicken is coated in the sauce and the sauce is thickened to your liking. At this point, you can make adjustments. If you like your brown sauce darker, add a dash more of dark soy sauce. Add more cornstarch slurry if your sauce is too thin, or more chicken stock or water if the sauce is too thick. Serve with steamed rice.

Notes

Chicken: You can use either chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe.
Shaoxing Wine: If you don’t have Shaoxing wine, you can substitute with dry sherry or omit it altogether.
Dark Soy Sauce: Dark soy sauce adds a richer color and depth of flavor to the sauce.
Spice Level: Adjust the amount of black pepper to your liking.
Cornstarch Slurry: The cornstarch slurry is essential for thickening the sauce.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories: 400kcal
Sugar: 6g
Sodium: 800mg
Fat: 20g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Unsaturated Fat: 15g
Trans Fat: 1g
Carbohydrates: 25g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 30g
Cholesterol: 70mg