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 (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 (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
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:
📋 Recipe card
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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
- 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.
I’ve done this with both chicken and beef (velvet before you stir fry, each meat requires different delving techniques, too much for chicken will taste rubbery) and it’s delish!
Used garlic paste and ginger paste for the meat marinade.
Love that you’ve tried it with both chicken and beef—great tips on velveting too. So glad you enjoyed it!
Xhdjx
This has become one of our absolute favorite recipes! I first printed it to try in Jan ’24. We’ve made it at least once every two-three weeks since then. I do add garlic to the meat mixture, because: garlic. We also generally add a lot more peppers, usually a mixed variety because we really love peppers. It’s also great with pork or beef, this recipe is so versatile. I’ve shared with several friends as well, who also love it. Thanks for such a great recipe!
So wonderful to hear your feedback, Stephanie! Thank you for sharing your cooking experiences and recipe twists. Hope you’ll find more dishes to cook on my blog.
Really good! I put way more pepper and skipped the celery.
That’s wonderful to hear!
Didn’t have celery so substituted snap peas. Uped the pepper a bit and used kampot pepper which is from Cambodia and is fantastic.
This dish is very easy to make and is so flavorful. We loved it
Love how you improvised with different vegetables!
I’ve tried this tonight. I’m surprised there is so little feedback, such a tasty recipe and so easy to make. I had not planned for it in advance, so there was no celery handy. I used wood ears instead, it turned out beautifully.
Thank you, Wei!
You’re welcome Eddie! Yes, wood ear is a great alternative. Glad you liked the dish.
Easy prep and delicious! One of my favorites to make from this site.
Thanks for the feedback Anna!