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.
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Pin ItI’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 (It’s my favorite cut for Chicken with Black Bean Sauce). 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 (1/2 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
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.
Other stir-fries
This workflow applies to many scrumptious stir-fry dishes. Here are some other examples:
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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
- 1/2 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
Your Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this recipe tonight but in all honesty, I omitted the celery, onion and scallions (my husband doesn’t like them, and I added a tbsp of powdered sugar. This was amazing and will be made again and again.
That’s great to hear Annette!
I made the black pepper beef a few times in the past weeks and absolutely loved it. Tonight ik made the chicken variety and it was great again. Love the addition of celery for the chicken version. Very tasty, so thanks! Just wondering, is there also a black pepper recipe with prawn/shrimp?
That’s great to hear Justin! You can surely use the same sauce to cook prawn/shrimp. You may marinate the prawn/shrimp with a little cornstarch and rice wine beforehand. Make sure you cook it briefly as prolonged cooking makes it chewy (have a look at my recipe for Kung Pao Shrimp). Happy cooking!
About to make this for the third time. I am in love with this recipe!
That’s wonderful to hear! Enjoy!
Just made this for dinner and it is absolutely delicious. Better than restaurant quality. My husband loved it! I cannot wait to make this for friends and family and to make more from your site. Thanks for this recipe!
My pleasure to share Dawn! Very happy to know you enjoyed this recipe. Happy cooking!
Hi!! I love this website, it makes me feel like I’m back home! Can I use anything else instead of oyster sauce?
You could replace it with hoisin sauce (reduce the quantity by 1/3). The flavour will be different but still taste nice.
Thanks!!
Made this tonight and it turned out great, restaurant quality or I should better as I know what went into it. I forgot to add water chestnuts and bamboo shoots which I love. There will always be a next time. I tried adding a photo on Instagram but wasn’t allowed. I did send a photo yesterday of the black pepper beef stir fry I don’t know if you saw that. Thanks for the recipe Emmet
My pleasure Emmet! Enjoy!
Sorry,I’ve just found the answer 😄
looks amazing! do you leave the skin on the chicken(tights)? if not in what way can I use it? thank you!
Made this for dinner tonight and WOW!!!! Big hit. My husband didn’t even eat around the veggies like he does when we get takeout. Thank you!
Hi Alisabeth! Very happy to know you’ve enjoyed the dish. Make it a regular on your dining table!
Thank you so very much for sharing the recipe! It was my first attempt doing Black Pepper Chicken and it was truly top notch authentic and yummy! Thank you very much once again!
My pleasure Joy! I know the great feeling when getting the flavour right. Enjoy!
Thanks for all the great recipes. I tried quite a few and love them all. Can you also teach us how to make orangchicken? Thank you.
Happy to know you’ve enjoyed this dish! I’ve heard of orange chicken but never tasted/cooked it (I’m not very familiar with north American Chinese dishes). Hope you can find a reliable recipe somewhere else.