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This Black Pepper Chicken is one of those recipes that wakes up your tastebuds instantly. Whether it’s a busy school‑night or you fancy something satisfying but not overly complex, this delivers and its ready in under 25 minutes!
The black pepper provides a lovely warmth, rather than the sometimes-fiery heat of using chillies.
Let’s make it chicken
If you love black pepper beef, then I know you’re going to love this one too. It’s a quick and simple stir fry in a warming peppery sauce.
Using the chicken makes it a bit more economical. I use 3 chicken breasts to feed four people (you can get away with two large chicken breasts). You can also replace with thigh fillets if you prefer. Go for 2 per person if you do.
The cornflour in the sauce makes it lovely and glossy (and thickens it too) as it heats though, so don’t leave it out.
Hope you love it!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
Abbreviated recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
Season the chicken with a little salt and 1 tsp of black pepper. Stir-fry for 5 minutes, then add onion, peppers, garlic and ginger and fry for a few mins. Mix the sauce ingredients and add to the wok and heat through with the chicken. Serve with rice.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to stir the cornflour (cornstarch) into the sauce before you add the stock. Cornflour needs to be mixed into cold liquid before adding any hot liquid, otherwise it can be lumpy.
- Freshly ground pepper is best for taste and aroma, so use that if you can.
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Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
- Boiled rice or egg fried rice
- Stir fried noodles
- How about a side of prawn toast or chicken lollipops?
This Recipe is in my cookbook!
Quick & Easy contains 90 recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less!
📺 Watch how to make it
Black Pepper Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken and Vegetables:
- 3 chicken breasts – sliced into thin strips this is about 525g/18.5oz
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil (neutral oil such as avocado or rapeseed)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped into thick slices
- 1 green bell pepper deseeded and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper deseeded and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch in USA)
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or replace with dry sherry)
- 120 ml (½ cup) chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To Serve
- Boiled rice
- Spring onions (scallions) chopped
Instructions
- Toss the chicken strips with 1 teaspoon of black pepper and ¼ teaspoon of salt.3 chicken breasts – sliced into thin strips, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Heat the neutral oil and sesame oil in a wok (or large frying pan/skillet) over a high heat until hot, then add the chicken.2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Fry the chicken for 5 minutes, moving it around the wok so it doesn’t stick together, until lightly browned.
- Turn the heat down to medium-high. Add in the sliced onions, sliced peppers, garlic and ginger.1 large onion, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- Fry for 3-4 minutes, tossing everything together often with a spatula, until the vegetables are just starting to soften.
- Whilst the chicken and vegetables are cooking, take a small jug or bowl and add the cornflour, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and Chinese rice wine, and stir together, until the cornflour is incorporated.2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch in USA), 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster Sauce, 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
- Add the chicken stock and the remaining 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir together to combine.120 ml (½ cup) chicken stock, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Add the sauce to the wok and stir together. Heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing it to come to a gentle simmer. If it looks too thick you can add in a splash of water. Turn off the heat.
- Serve the black pepper chicken with boiled rice and a sprinkling of chopped spring onions.Boiled rice, Spring onions (scallions)
Video
Notes
Leftovers/Reheating
This dish reheats well (although the peppers will be softer), so if you wanted to make it ahead, you can make the dish, then quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to reheat it to take the chill off it, then reheat over a medium-high heat in a wok for 5-6 minutes, until piping hot throughout. Stir often to prevent it sticking and add in a good splash of water or stock to help loosen up the sauce. Nutritional info is approximate, per serving (this recipe serves 4), not including sides and toppings.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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