Black Pepper Chicken

Black Pepper Chicken is a savory stir-fry dish with tender chicken pieces, vibrant veggies, and a bold, peppery sauce. Perfectly balanced with umami-rich oyster and soy sauces, it’s a quick, flavorful meal that’s great over rice or noodles.

Ingredients

• For the Chicken:12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• For the Sauce and Vegetables:1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 bell pepper (any color), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
• 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced on an angle
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 tablespoons water (to create a cornstarch slurry)

Directions

1. Start by marinating your chicken. In a bowl, add the sliced chicken, water, cornstarch, oil, oyster sauce, and black pepper. Rub the marinade ingredients into the chicken with your hands until the chicken has absorbed all the liquid. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Next, prepare the sauce mixture. In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the chicken stock, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil. Stir everything together until well-combined, and set aside.
3. Place your wok over high heat until smoking. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, and then add the chicken all in a single layer. Sear the chicken until opaque on all sides (this should only take a couple minutes). Turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the wok, and set aside. The chicken will be 80-90% done, but you’ll cook it again at the end.
4. Without washing the wok, turn on the heat to medium. Add another tablespoon of oil, along with the garlic and onion. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, then add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok.
5. Add the peppers and celery, along with the 1 teaspoon black pepper. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
6. Pour in the sauce mixture. Use your wok spatula to stir the sauce around the sides of the wok to deglaze, and let it come to a simmer.
7. Stir up the cornstarch and water slurry, and drizzle the mixture into sauce while stirring constantly. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10 to 15 seconds until thick and gravy-like. Toss in the chicken and its juices. Stir-fry until the chicken is coated in the sauce and the sauce is thickened to your liking.
8. At this point, you can make adjustments. If you like your brown sauce darker, add a dash more of dark soy sauce. Add more cornstarch slurry if your sauce is too thin, or more chicken stock or water if the sauce is too thick. Serve with steamed rice.