Black Pepper Chicken
Serves: 3 to 4
Hot and spicy Black Pepper Chicken! Make this Chinese restaurant classic in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon sweet dark soy sauce, (kecap manis)
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- 300 g (11 oz) chicken breast fillets, sliced thickly
For the Black Pepper Sauce
- 125 ml (½ cup) chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornflour, (US: cornstarch)
- 2-3 teaspoons black pepper, freshly cracked, or to taste
For the Black Pepper Chicken
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 brown onion, diced large
- ½ green capsicum, bell pepper, diced large
- ½ red capsicum, bell pepper, diced large
- 1 celery stalk, sliced thickly on the diagonal
To serve
- red chillies, finely chopped
- coriander, (cilantro) for garnish
- Steamed Jasmine Rice
Instructions
For the marinade
- Mix together the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken and mix to coat the chicken in the marinade.
- Set the chicken aside to marinate for about 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
For the Black Pepper Sauce
- Mix together all of the ingredients for the Black Pepper Sauce in a small bowl or jug.
For the Black Pepper Chicken
- Heat some oil in a large wok or frying pan over high heat.
- Cook the chicken in batches until they are lightly golden all over. They do not need to be cooked all the way through because you will cook them some more later.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to a large plate.
- Add the garlic and onion to the pan, and cook for about 1 minute until the garlic starts to release its aroma.
- Add the remaining vegetables to the pan, and toss everything together.
- Cook for several minutes until the vegetables start to soften slightly. I like my vegetables to retain some crispness, so I only cook them for several minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pan, together with any juices which have collected on the plate.
- Pour the Black Pepper Sauce into the pan.
- Give everything a good stir and let the sauce simmer gently for a few minutes until it has thickened nicely, and the chicken has warmed through.
- Taste the sauce for seasoning. If the sauce is too thick or strongly flavoured, add a dash of hot water.
- Garnish with red chillies and coriander (cilantro) before serving.
Kitchen Notes
- FRESHLY CRACKED PEPPER
Make sure you grind the pepper just before using. Freshly cracked pepper is much more potent than pepper which is purchased already ground, or even ground the day before. For this recipe, make sure you use a very coarse grind, or you can even crush the peppercorns using a mortar and pestle. - MAKE IT WITH BEEF
This recipe works equally well with thinly sliced beef. I like to use rump steak or beef fillet. - MAKE IT VEGETARIAN
I often replace the meat with large chunks of firm tofu. Marinate and cook the tofu as per the recipe. For an extra special version, I love Ottolenghi's recipe for Black Pepper Tofu. - WHICH VEGETABLES TO USE
This is a great recipe to use up leftover vegetables in your fridge. Other veges I like to use here include:
* carrots, sliced thinly on the diagonal
* green beans, topped and tailed
* asparagus, cut into large lengths
* courgette (zucchini), sliced thickly
* Chinese cabbage, cut into large pieces
* bok choy or pak choi, cut into large pieces
* baby corn, halved lengthwise - OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.