Black Pepper Chicken. Tender chicken stir fried in a delicious black pepper sauce with crunchy celery, carrots, onions, garlic and ginger! Ready in 30 minutes.
This stir fry dish is perfect for a busy weeknight meal. It serves well as a main dish for dinner or lunch. Pair it with some cooked rice or cauliflower rice and you have yourself a complete meal! A scrumptious main course packed with flavor in every bite. Great for the whole family!
What is Black Pepper Chicken?
Black Pepper Chicken is a Chinese stir fry dish. This Chinese food is made of juicy chicken breast marinated in a velveting cornstarch mixture to make the meat tender! Then stir fried with celery, carrots, onions and garlic. Covered in a rich delicious sauce packed with black pepper and umami flavor! It’s so good. A great way to feed the entire family or work it into meal prep.
It’s a delicious takeout dish in Chinese American food. Chinese Black Pepper Chicken was popularly served by Chinese American restaurant chain “Panda Express”. Panda Express serves tasty Asian food, specifically Chinese takeout dishes. They have become incredibly common in the United States. Serving this Chinese inspired black pepper chicken, to their infamous Orange Chicken or Crab Rangoons! I'll be sharing how to make this restaurant version that any home cook can make.
Easy Black Pepper Chicken Recipe
This easy Black Pepper Chicken is quite simple to make at home. If it is your first time making this, refer to the below images and recipe video on how to make it. The cooking process only takes about 6-7 minutes. Most of the time goes towards preparation. A great recipe that rivals any Chinese restaurants and is better than Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken.
My favorite way to enjoy this black pepper chicken stir fry is with white rice or brown rice and extra veggies! A family favorite in this household because it is such an easy meal that packs a lot of taste.
Ingredients
You’ll need the below ingredient list to make black pepper chicken. Please scroll down to recipe card below for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
- Skinless boneless chicken breast or substitute with boneless chicken thighs
- Celery: or substitute with any fresh vegetables you like, such as red bell pepper
- Carrots: optional
- Large Onion
- Garlic
- Vegetable oil, or any neutral oil like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils.
Chicken marinade
- Regular soy sauce: aka all-purpose soy sauce. The label will simply say "soy sauce". You may also use low sodium soy sauce. For a gluten free version, substitute with coconut aminos, tamari sauce or gluten free soy sauce.
- Vegetable oil, or any neutral oil like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils.
- Corn starch: or substitute with potato starch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- Shaoxing wine or substitute with rice wine vinegar
- Baking soda: this helps to tenderize the meat. It's the secret ingredient used in Chinese cooking to make meat super tender. Do not skip!
Stir-Fry Sauce
These ingredients are needed to make one of the best stir-fry sauces ever!
- Oyster sauce: this is different from hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce tastes completely different, it's very sweet. If you have a hard time looking for this ingredient, you may omit and add more regular soy sauce to taste when mixing the sauce.
- Regular soy sauce: aka All-purpose soy sauce. The label will simply say "soy sauce". You may also use low sodium soy sauce.
- Dark soy sauce: this is thicker and less salty than regular or light soy sauce. It's also darker in color.
- Fresh Ginger: adding fresh ginger will help to liven up dish giving it a refreshing taste.
- White granulated sugar: or substitute with brown sugar
- Black pepper: lots of black of black pepper will be needed for this dish!
- Shaoxing wine: or substitute with rice vinegar
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- Chicken stock or chicken broth: unsalted
How to Make Black Pepper Chicken
Below are steps on how to make this authentic black pepper chicken recipe:
First step, slice chicken breasts into ¼-inch-thick pieces ensuring they are a similar size.
Transfer sliced chicken breast into a medium bowl. Marinate chicken pieces with Marinade ingredients as listed above for 20 mins.
In a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
In a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once oil is hot, fry marinated chicken in a single layer on both sides until cooked and golden brown on the edges, about 3 mins in total. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Reduce to medium heat. Add remaining oil. Fry onions, garlic, carrots and celery until slightly softened, about 1-2 minutes.
Pour in prepared Sauce. Allow it to simmer to thicken.
Once sauce has thickened, toss back in cooked chicken until each piece is coated in sauce. Remove off heat. Enjoy!
Storage
This dish lasts up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave it for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat on the stove top.
FAQ
Is black pepper sauce spicy?
In terms of a spice level, I would rate it 7/10. The black pepper gives this dish a strong kick but it's not where your mouth is on fire.
What is black pepper sauce made of?
My black pepper sauce is made of oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, fresh ginger, sugar, black pepper, shaoxing wine or a Chinese cooking wine, cornstarch and chicken stock. This is just one variation of this popular sauce, there are other ways to recreate it.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast?
Yes. Just make sure it’s boneless.
Why do I need baking soda for the marinade?
This helps velvet the chicken making it very tender. It’s a secret ingredient used in Chinese cooking to tenderize meat.
How long does it take to velvet chicken?
For my recipe, about 20 minutes to velvet for ultra tender chicken. But you can get away with marinating it for 15 minutes, and you'll still get it quite tender!
Velveting is another word for making the chicken super tender with key ingredients like baking soda, cornstarch and oil.
Is there a substitute for oyster sauce?
Yes, vegetarian stir fry sauce is your next best substitute. Do not substitute with hoisin as it has a completely different taste profile.
Can I use other fresh vegetables in this homemade version?
Yes, you can definitely use other vegetables in this black pepper chicken stir fry. A great option would include:
- bell peppers like red pepper
- bok choy
- baby corn
- snow peas
- broccoli
- cauliflower
Other Chicken Recipes You May Enjoy!
If you enjoyed this chicken dish, you may like these other Asian recipes:
- Mongolian Chicken
- General Tso Chicken
- Orange Chicken
- Panda Express Mushroom Chicken (copycat panda express recipe)
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Lemon Chicken
- Honey Sesame Chicken
Black Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast skinless boneless
- 1 cup celery sliced on an angle
- ½ cup carrots thinly sliced into ¼ inch thick rounds
- ½ cup onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Chicken marinade:
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1.5 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or sub with rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda do not skip!
Stir Fry Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or sub with vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ginger peeled and grated
- 2 teaspoon white granulated sugar or sub with brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper (add ¼ teaspoon more if you desire a strong black pepper taste)
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or sub with rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup chicken stock unsalted
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts into ¼-inch-thick pieces ensuring they are a similar size.
- Transfer sliced chicken breast into a medium bowl. Marinate chicken pieces with Marinade ingredients as listed above for 20 mins.
- In a small bowl, combine Stir Fry Sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once oil is hot, fry marinated chicken on both sides until cooked and slightly golden brown on the edges, about 3 mins in total. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- Reduce to medium heat. Add remaining oil with onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Fry until slightly softened but still crisp, about 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in prepared stir fry sauce. Toss everything together and allow sauce to simmer to thicken.
- Once sauce has thickened, toss back in cooked chicken until each piece is coated in sauce. Remove off heat. Enjoy!
Collin S
Your recipes are a revelation. I've been making dishes like this for decades, and I've finally found the source for all the best recipes!
They're easy. They're delicious!! Thank you!
The only difference that I introduce is I usually blanch the vegetables for 1-2 minutes in salted water before stir-frying (I learned that from a local Chinese restaurant 🙂
christieathome
Thank you so much for your kind review and comment - it truly made my day, Collin! I'm so happy that I could share my recipes here with you and glad they're easy and delicious. Love that tip on blanching the veggies!