Moist chicken cubes seasoned with a tasty, tangy sauce, black pepper chicken (黑椒鸡丁) is an easy Chinese stir-fry dish not to miss.
I’ve been publishing quite a few dough-based recipes recently and some of my readers have asked if I can share some Chinese stir-fry dishes for a change. Of course! Today’s recipe Black Pepper Chicken (黑椒鸡丁) is one of the favourites in our Red House. Simple yet delicious, it makes a great dish both for everyday meals and festive occasions.
Which cut of chicken to use
I like using skinless & boneless chicken thighs for this stir-fry dish as they’re moist and flavoursome. Chicken drums are good too if you remove their skin and bones. That said, please feel free to use chicken breast if you prefer.
Cut the chicken into cubes, about 1.5 cm (½ inch) each side. For a prettier finished look, dice the vegetables (bell pepper, onion & celery) into similar size to match the chicken.
How to make the chicken moist
I guess no one likes their chicken dry & tough. To keep it moist & tender, I always briefly marinate chicken pieces before stir-frying (especially when I use chicken breast). This is how I do it:
- Place the chicken, ginger, cornstarch & water in a bowl. Rub and mix until no liquid can be seen.
- Then add sesame oil to help the chicken pieces separate and to add extra aroma.
Also, remember not to overcook the chicken (However, undercooked chicken could pose a health risk). To check the doneness, I often use the spatula to break one piece of chicken. If the meat separates easily without resistance, it’s fully cooked.
How to make a great sauce
A good stir fry sauce should be balanced in flavour, thick enough to evenly coat the main ingredients and have an appetizing shine. To make the sauce for my black pepper chicken, you will need:
- Ground black pepper. This is the soul of the dish so be generous and use freshly ground black pepper for a more pungent taste.
- Oyster sauce. This classic sauce provides nice umami to the dish.
- Light soy sauce & dark soy sauce. The latter enhances the brown colour. If not available, it’s fine to just use light soy sauce.
- Cornstarch & water. This helps to thicken the sauce.
Use vegetables of your choice
The vegetables in my black pepper chicken taste great too! Not only do they balance the dish in terms of nutrition, they also add vibrant colours and a crunchy texture.
My recipe calls for red bell pepper, onion & celery. However, please feel free to choose other vegetables that you like, such as Broccoli, carrot, asparagus, courgette, baby corn, snow peas, etc. Just remember to blanch broccoli or carrot beforehand as they take longer to cook.
A good workflow for stir-fry dishes
Compare to other cooking methods, stir-frying is very fast. The heat is usually set to high. Ingredients are chopped into small sizes. So it only takes a few minutes from start to finish.
This means you need to act fast at each step, otherwise, you might burn your food during the process. This is why I always place emphasis on having a good workflow in mind when it comes to cooking Chinese stir-fry dishes.
- Marinate the meat (if using) first. Leave it to infuse while preparing other ingredients.
- Chop other ingredients. Ideally, you should cut all main ingredients into similar sizes, whether strips, slices or cubes.
- Mince, crush or slice herbs required, such as scallions, garlic, ginger, etc.
- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce before you start stir-frying. This is very important but often neglected. If containing cornstarch, don’t forget to stir the sauce right before you pour it into the wok as starch tends to sink to the bottom over time.
- Use a traditional carbon steel wok if available.
- When you start stir-frying, make sure you have everything within easy reach. Follow the sequence to add ingredients into the wok.
This workflow applies to many scrumptious stir-fry dishes, such as:
Black pepper chicken stir-fry (黑椒鸡丁)
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 350 g chicken, diced - 12oz (see note 1)
- 1 teaspoon ginger, julienned
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce - (see note 2)
- 3 tablespoon water
You also need
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 1 smal onion, diced
- 50 g celery, diced - 2oz
- 1 tablespoon scallions, finely chopped
Instructions
- Place the chicken, ginger, cornstarch & water in a bowl. Rub and mix until no liquid can be seen. Add sesame oil. Mix then set aside.
- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce.
- Heat up the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the chicken. Stir fry until the chicken cubes become pale on the surface.
- Add onion, bell pepper and celery. Fry for 2 minutes or so until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Pour in the sauce (stir well beforehand). Fry until it becomes thick and coats the chicken and vegetables evenly.
- Sprinkle scallions over. Dish out and serve immediately with plain rice.
NOTES
NUTRITION
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
Hello Wei!
Thank you for this wonderful dish. I have made this dish at least 15x-20x, and it has become a family stir-fry comfort food in our home. I cannot wait to try more of your dishes too! Thanks again – you are the best!
That’s wonderful to hear Phil! Great dishes deserve repetition. Happy cooking!
Excellent recipes Thanks
Delicious! I used chicken breast and marinated it for maybe 2 hours just to be sure. It came out to be so soft. Definitely a recipe that I would consider a “regular.”
Yes, when marinated and stir-fried properly, chicken breast can be tender too.
I cannot tell you the amount of times I’ve made this recipe so I just had to leave you a comment!!!!!! Simple and delicious!!!
Also an easy way to get in loads of veg.
THANK YOU!!
My pleasure to share Aishah! I love it with extra veggies too.
I’m seriously allergic to shellfish… and oyster sauce is a no-o. Is there a good substitute for that?
You can replace it with vegetarian stir-fry sauce (素食蚝油), or mushroom vegetarian stir-fry sauce (香菇素食蚝油).
Oh yum. This is just delicious. I made it with chicken breast, baby broccolini, and pak choy . Everyone loved it!
Ijust fiund this recipe and decided to try it as I already had everything on hand it was such a huge it great color and the flavor was amazing and not overwhelming. I had planned on leftovers for lunch the next day however I had none the family ate it all!! Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge.
You’re welcome Regina!
I cooked this last week for my girlfriend and I and it turned out better than any other Chinese recipe I’ve ever tried. I love how simple and approachable you make these recipes. I just made it again tonight for my sister and brother in law and they loved it! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!! So glad I found this site!
That’s wonderful to hear! Have fun cooking Chinese food!
This came out really good. The whole family loved it.
That’s great to hear!