Easy Black Pepper Chicken Recipe
User Reviews
4.9
147 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
10 mins
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Cook Time
10 mins
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Total Time
25 mins
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Servings
4
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Course
Side Dish, Main Course, Appetizer, Dinner
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Cuisine
Chinese
Easy Black Pepper Chicken Recipe
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A Panda Express inspired recipe. Juicy, tender chicken bites in a savoury black pepper sauce. This homemade black pepper chicken is easy, only requires a few ingredients to make, and tastes as good as your favorite Chinese takeout or even better.
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Ingredients
- 500 gram or 1.1 lbs skinless chicken breast cut into bite size cubes
- 2 tablespoon peanut oil
- salt as required
- 2 medium size onion cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 large size green bell pepper cut into 1 inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 fresh red/green chili chopped
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
For the sauce
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 3 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water/chicken broth
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Instructions
Make the sauce
- Make the black pepper sauce by whisking together the crushed black pepper, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, cornstarch, and water in a bowl until there are no lumps.
Marinate the chicken
- Coat chicken with 1 tablespoon of the sauce, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and salt. Rest it aside while you prepare the onion, ginger, garlic, and pepper.
Brown the chicken
- Heat a large frying pan until it's hot. Add one tablespoon of oil and tilt the pan to spread oil all over. Add chicken in a single layer and cook over medium flame until golden from the bottom. Then flip the chicken cubes over and cook until the chicken begins to brown and is almost cooked through. Then transfer the chicken to a plate. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan; cook the chicken in batches if needed.
Stir fry vegetables
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the same pan. Add ginger, garlic, and chopped chilies; Saute for 30 seconds. Immediately add onion and bell peppers. Stir fry over a high flame until the vegetables are crisp and tender.
Combine
- Reduce the flame to the lowest. Whisk the sauce to recombine and pour the sauce. Let it simmer for 30 seconds. Add the fried chicken and toss well until warmed through.
Serve
- Switch off the flame and add freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine and serve hot.
Notes
- Prepare your ingredients in advance. Like all stir-fries, you need everything ready before heating the pan.
- Use freshly ground peppercorns. Freshly cracked black pepper has a strong flavor. You can crush the peppercorns using a mortar and pestle or peppermill or just put them in a kitchen towel and pound them with a heavy object like a rolling pin.
- Don't skip the quick marinating process. It's essential for a tender, juicy, flavorful chicken, just like in Chinese restaurants.
- Use the marinating time to do other prep work. While the chicken is marinating, prepare your veggies and aromatics. Whisk the sauce before using.
- Always whisk the sauce well before using it, as the cornstarch tends to settle at the bottom.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
147 reviews
Excellent
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