This Black Pepper Chicken features tender chicken and colorful peppers smothered in a rich, savory and bold black pepper sauce. Made in under 30 minutes, it's better than takeout! Add as much or as little black pepper as you want!
Want more 30 minute meals? Try my garlic butter shrimp or instant pot ground chicken pasta.
What is Black pepper chicken? Made famous by Panda Express, Black Pepper Chicken is a flavorful Chinese-American stir-fry known for its bold, peppery kick. It features tender stir-fried chicken and vegetables coated in a savory, robust black pepper sauce.
Asian recipes are always a family favorite. Stir fry dishes are quick to make and pack in serious flavors and make an easy weeknight dinner. It’s a complete meal with protein and veggies all cooked together and served with rice - Easy enough for a busy weeknight!
This dish is effortless and balanced, with vibrant colors and textures and is fantastic served with plain white rice, especially for Mother's day dinner recipe. The rice soaks up the rich black pepper sauce, so good!
Jump to:
Why you'll love this?
- 30 minute weeknight chicken dinner.
- Balanced dish with lean protein and colorful veggies.
- Mostly healthy ingredients.
- Addictive black pepper sauce.
- Tastes better than takeout!
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Chicken - I like to use boneless skinless chicken. Make sure to slice the chicken against the grain and that the slice is of even thickness, like in baked chicken cutlets, so they cook evenly. Otherwise, you will have one piece overcooked before another is still cooking.
- Bell peppers - Adds freshness, crunch, and vibrant color.
- Black pepper - Coaresly ground is the key ingredient with its distinctive peppery flavor.
- Soy sauce - Use regular soy sauce and not dark variety.
- Oyster sauce - Adds umaminess to the dish.
- Cornstarch - The most common thickening agent in Asian recipes.
- Stock - Use low sodium or 33% reduced sodium chicken stock.
- Sugar - White sugar balances the spicy and salty flavor.
Variations
- Use other type of vegetables like broccoli, carrots, snap peas, bok choy or zucchini instead of peppers.
- Switch up the protein and use pork or beef.
- Use tamari sauce to make it gluten free.
How to make black pepper chicken?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
1 & 2. Toss sliced chicken with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce and set aside for a few minutes, until you prep all remaining ingredients.
3 & 4. Stir all black pepper sauce ingredients in a small bowl, until combined.
5 & 6. Heat a medium non-stick skillet or a wok, over medium high heat. Add about 2 tablespoons oil when hot. Add the chicken and spread into an even layer. Cook stirring occasioanlly, until almost cooked, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken onto a plate.
Pro tip: Allow the chicken to sear undisturbed for 30 seconds after adding into the skillet. If you try to stir immediately, it may cause it to stick to the pan due to the cornstarch in the recipe.
7. Add the peppers and onions and stir fry until tender but crisp. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
8. Add the sauce and the chicken, along with any accumulated juices and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and coats the chicken and vegetables.
Tip: Stir the black pepper sauce before adding it to the pan because the cornstarch tends to settle down.
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below, and we’ll send the link straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get more creative recipe ideas every Sunday!
How to serve?
Serve your black pepper chicken with steamed white rice, air fryer fried rice or stir-fried noodles for a complete meal.
How to store leftovers?
Refrigerate leftovers in an air tight container for up to 4 days. Microwave until warmed through or reheat in a small non-stick pan before serving.
To freeze: Place leftovers in a shallow air tight container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Helpful tips
- Adjust spiciness: Increase or decrease the amount of black pepper to suit your taste preferences.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Use tamari or gluten free soy sauce.
- Use freshly ground black pepper if possible!
Recipe FAQs
Although the dominant flavor comes from black pepper, it adds a spicy and noticeable flavor. Still, it is not overpowering—the salty soy, umami-rich oyster sauce, and sugar help to balance the heat.
Moreover, you can adjust the amount of black pepper based on your spice level.
You'll want to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs so that they can cook evenly and quickly. Breasts are lean, healthier, and more easy to slice when compared to thighs. Thigh meat cooks juicier and is less prone to drying out, like breast. It's crucial to cut the chicken into uniform, bite-sized pieces. This ensures that the chicken cook evenly and quickly.
Using frozen vegetables can be convenient on a busy weeknight. While it's possible to add frozen vegetables to your hot skillet directly, it is better to thaw them beforehand because they tend to release water during cooking and make the dish overly watery.
The key difference between black and white pepper lies in their processing. Black pepper comes from the dried, unripe berries of the pepper plant, piper nigrum. These green berries are dried, causing the outer skin to turn black. White pepper, on the other hand, is made from fully ripe berries, with the outer layer removed before being dried. It has a milder, slightly earthy flavor and a lighter color, making it more subtle in taste. In contrast, black pepper offers a bolder, more robust flavor that adds complexity to dishes. White pepper is often preferred in light-colored dishes like cream sauces or soups, where you want to avoid visible specks.
More chicken recipes
Black Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Sauce
- ½ cup chicken stock I used 33% reduced sodium
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 ½ tablepsoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 to 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
Additional ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ large red bell pepper, sliced
- ½ large green bell pepper, sliced
- ½ large onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
Instructions
- Toss sliced chicken with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce and set aside for a few minutes, until you prep all remaining ingredients.
- Stir all sauce ingredients in a small bowl, until combined.
- Heat a medium non-stick skillet or a wok, over medium high heat. Add about 2 tablespoons oil when hot. Add the chicken and spread into an even layer. Cook stirring occasioanlly, until almost cooked, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken onto a plate. Pro tip: Allow the chicken to sear undisturbed for 30 seconds after adding into the skillet. If you try to stir immediately, it may cause it to stick to the pan due to the cornstarch in the recipe.
- Add the peppers and onions and stir fry until tender but crisp. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the sauce and the chicken, along with any accumulated juices and cotinue cooking for about 2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and coats the chicken and vegetables.
- Serve hot with cooked rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love your feedback! Please let me know by leaving a comment, a star rating or review below.
All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.
Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for supporting kitchenathoskins.com.
Joyce
Wow there's so much flavour in this! This is definitely my kind of grilled cheese sandwich! Such a creative idea using the naan too!! Mmm I need to make this tonight for dinner haha 🙂
Maria Doss
Thank you Joyce:)
Anna
this sounds amazing!!
Maria Doss
Thank you:)
Mariah
Not sure if it is suppose to be teaspoons rather than tablespoons for the black pepper but I only did 1 tablespoon rather than 2-3 and it was very very spicy! Delicious besides that though 😊
Maria Doss
Hi Mariah, It is tablespoons 😊 Thank you for your feedback! We've reduced the black pepper to 1 to 2 tablespoons as suggested. We truly appreciate your input - Maria ♡