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Home Blog Course Main Course

Black Pepper Chicken

Sam Guarnieri
Sam Guarnieri Posted: 08/12/21 Updated: 12/13/21
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DF Dairy Free GF Gluten Free LC Low Carb P Paleo

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Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken
Pin graphic for black pepper chicken

This black pepper chicken is easy, flavorful, and comes together in under 20 minutes! Tender chicken and crisp veggies are tossed in a savory, perfectly spicy sauce. Make this restaurant-quality black pepper chicken recipe the next time you’re looking for something quick, delicious, and satisfying!

black pepper chicken in a skillet with rice on the side

What Makes This Recipe So Good

  • It requires just one skillet and comes together in under 20 minutes! The only thing faster than making this recipe will be cleaning it up afterwards. One skillet means quick, easy, convenient cooking and even easier cleanup!
  • The flavors in this black pepper chicken are incredibly well-balanced! The sauce is perfectly tangy, has just the right amount of black pepper, and a touch of sweetness. It also doesn’t skimp on the sauce, making enough to ensure you’ll have a spoonful of sauce with every bite!
  • It’s a restaurant-quality meal that’s easy enough to make at home! Therefore, even the most inexperienced home chefs are capable of making this flavorful recipe. Simply cook the chicken, sauté the veggies, then simmer everything in a homemade black pepper sauce – yum!

Key Ingredients

Chicken Breasts – Start with 1 to 2 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken breasts, then place them on a cutting board and chop the chicken into about 2-inch cubes. However, feel free to play around with the size of the chicken based on your preferences. I also recommend patting the chicken dry with a paper towel before cooking. Dried chicken breast will cook up slightly more crispy and, in my opinion, delicious!

Oyster Sauce – If you plan on making a lot of stir fries at home, I highly recommend you pick up a bottle of oyster sauce. You can find oyster sauce in the ethnic food aisle of most grocery stores, or at specialty Asian markets. Oyster sauce is a thick, slightly sweet sauce that adds a boost of richness to this black pepper chicken. If you don’t have oyster sauce, you can either leave it out of this recipe or replace it with a tablespoon of hoisin sauce.

Black Pepper – Black pepper is the star of this dish! It’s perfectly spicy, subtly nutty, and packs a serious punch in this recipe. Feel free to use more or less black pepper based on your spice tolerance. However, I found two teaspoons to contribute the perfect amount of heat without building up in your mouth and/or making this dish inedible.

Chef’s Tips

  • Serve this black pepper chicken however you’d like. My personal favorite method is over rice. The rice does an incredible job at soaking up any extra sauce, making every bite outrageously delicious!
  • Feel free to add or remove any veggies! The ingredients in the recipe below are what is most traditionally found in black pepper chicken. However, you can customize this dish any way you’d like. A handful of fresh broccoli in addition to some shredded carrots would taste great in this dish!
  • If you’d like even crispier chicken, simply toss it in some corn starch before cooking! Add the cubed chicken along with 1/2 cup corn starch to a bowl and toss to coat. Once coated, proceed with the recipe as instructed. The extra corn starch will help to dry the outside of the chicken making it that much crispier!
black pepper chicken in a bowl over rice

Other Easy One Skillet Recipes

  • Chicken Florentine
  • Chicken Fricassee
  • Creamy Coconut Chicken with Lime
  • Whole30 Chicken Cacciatore
  • Beef Pad Thai

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

black pepper chicken in a skillet with rice on the side

Black Pepper Chicken

Prep:5 minutes minutes
Cook:15 minutes minutes
Total:20 minutes minutes
This black pepper chicken is easy, flavorful, and comes together in under 20 minutes! Tender chicken and crisp veggies are tossed in a savory, perfectly spicy sauce. Make this restaurant-quality black pepper chicken recipe the next time you're looking for something quick, delicious, and satisfying!
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4 servings

Ingredients

For the chicken:

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil see Notes
  • 1-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
  • salt to taste
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 3 celery stalks chopped
  • 1 onion chopped

For the sauce:

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper see Notes
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Small bowl

Instructions 

  • Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add in the chicken and a pinch of salt, cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
    Black pepper chicken step 1
  • Add in the chopped peppers, celery, and onion. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
    Black pepper chicken step 2
  • Mix all sauce ingredients together in a bowl then transfer to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce has thickened. Serve over rice with chopped scallions.

Notes

  • Peanut Oil: You can use vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil in place of the peanut oil in this recipe.
  • Black Pepper: For very little spice, use just one teaspoon of black pepper and for no spice, use half a teaspoon of black pepper.
  • Make it Paleo: Replace the soy sauce and oyster sauce with 1/4 cup of coconut aminos and use coconut sugar in place of the regular sugar in this recipe.
 
Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
 
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving out of 4 using the ingredients listed, not including rice. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
 
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1serving, Calories: 251kcal, Protein: 27g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 1071mg, Potassium: 631mg, Total Carbs: 13g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Net Carbs: 11g, Vitamin A: 1095IU, Vitamin C: 65mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Sam Guarnieri

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Sam Guarnieri

Meet Sam Guarnieri

Sam is a travel, food, and fitness enthusiast from the New York metro area who loves creating new and inventive recipes. Her love of food goes all the way back to her early childhood, cooking alongside her mom and Nonna – the two best cooks she knows! She's a big believer that good-for-you food can still explode with flavor and (most importantly) be easy to make. When she's not in the kitchen, Sam can usually be found planning her next vacation, spending time outdoors, or bingeing the latest Netflix docu-series.

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Passionate foodie, certified health coach, serial entrepreneur, and mom of 3, I've been developing and sharing delicious, approachable recipes on 40 Aprons for more than a decade. My goal is simple: take the chore out of mealtime by creating recipes that anyone can cook and that never skimp on flavor.

 

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