Black Pepper Chicken
This Chinese black pepper chicken has such great balance! The chicken is tender and the vegetables are crisp tender, all tossed in a delicious black pepper stir fry sauce.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 416kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade
- 1 pound boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon Chinese shaoxing cooking wine or dry sherry
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch do not substitute
- ½ teaspoon baking soda do not substitute
For the sauce
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese shaoxing cooking wine or dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
For the stir fry
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ a medium yellow onion, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, diagonally sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into squares
- Vegetable oil for cooking
Instructions
- Marinate chicken: Slice the chicken thighs against the grain into ½ inch thick slices. In a bowl, combine the sliced chicken with the all the marinade ingredients. Cover and marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, prep all the vegetables and stir fry ingredients. Having everything ready is important because once you start cooking, everything happens quickly over high heat.
- Make the sauce: In a bowl, dissolve the chicken broth with cornstarch. Then, add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, and granulated sugar and mix until evenly combined. Tip: Cornstarch dissolves best with room temperature liquids, so make sure the broth is at room temp.
- Heat a large wok or skillet over HIGH heat and add a few generous drizzles of vegetable oil. Once hot, add the chicken and cook until fully cooked and golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same wok, add a few more drizzles of oil as needed, and then sauté the garlic and ginger for just 20 seconds until fragrant. Then, toss in onions, celery, and red bell peppers for about 1 to 2 minutes until crisp tender.
- Return the chicken to the wok. Give the sauce a quick stir again and gradually add it into the stir fry (adjust the amount to taste). Cook for 1-2 more minutes until the sauce is thickened, stirring.
- Serve immediately with rice or your favorite sides. Enjoy!
Notes
- Marinating time for the chicken: 20 minutes or even overnight.
- For busy weeknights: Prep all the ingredients the day before, including the chicken. Cooking takes 10 minutes or so.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave oven or in a skillet.
- Freezing: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave oven or skillet.
- How to make jasmine rice for serving: In a pot, combine jasmine rice with water. For every 1 cup of uncooked rice, I use 1 ⅓ cups of water. Bring to a low boil, covered, and cook for 18-20 minutes over low heat until tender. You can also use an electric rice cooker.
- Shaoxing wine: Dry sherry.
- Chicken thighs: Chicken breast, but marinate for an extra 15 minutes or overnight.
- Optional vegetable add-is: Broccoli, carrots, green beans.
- For heat, add diced jalapeños.
Nutrition
Calories: 416kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1293mg | Potassium: 450mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1113IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg