Description
A flavorful and easy-to-make Black Pepper Chicken stir fry featuring tender chicken pieces cooked with bell peppers, onions, and a savory Asian-inspired sauce. This dish is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner and pairs beautifully with steamed rice.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Marinade
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Vegetables & Aromatics
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 green onions, sliced (for garnish)
Instructions
- Marinate the Chicken: In a medium bowl, toss the chicken pieces with cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Let it marinate for 10–15 minutes to absorb the flavors and achieve a slight coating.
- Prepare the Sauce: In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and freshly ground black pepper until well combined.
- Cook the Chicken: Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Sauté the Vegetables: In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed. Add diced green and red bell peppers along with sliced onion, sautéing for 2–3 minutes until they soften slightly but remain crisp.
- Add Aromatics: Stir in minced garlic and grated ginger, cooking for about 30 seconds until fragrant to deepen the flavor.
- Combine and Finish: Return the cooked chicken to the pan and pour in the prepared sauce. Toss to coat all the ingredients evenly and cook for another 1–2 minutes until everything is heated through and the sauce thickens slightly.
- Serve: Garnish with sliced green onions and serve hot, preferably over steamed rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- For a spicier version, add crushed red pepper flakes or a dash of chili oil to the sauce or while cooking.
- To make this dish vegetarian, substitute the chicken with firm tofu, pressing and cubing it before marinating and cooking.
- If you prefer, you can use chicken breasts or thighs depending on your texture preference; thighs offer more juiciness.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stir Fry
- Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (without rice)
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 680mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
