This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Chinese black pepper chicken has juicy, golden chicken bites, crisp bell peppers, and crunchy celery tossed in a savory, peppery sauce. This homemade black pepper chicken recipe is ready in 30 minutes—just add steamed rice for dinner.
“I’ve made this dish almost every other week and make extra. … It’s so flavorful and delicious. … So much better than the restaurants.”
— Jill ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why people love this black pepper chicken
With a 5-star rating from over 100 readers, this Chinese pepper chicken recipe is a reader favorite. Here’s what makes my version special:
- Golden, juicy chicken bites. I cut the chicken into meaty, nugget-like chunks for lightly crisp edges and a tender center.
- Flavorful before the sauce goes on. A quick marinade seasons the chicken itself, so the flavor goes beyond the sauce.
- Peppery sauce that clings. A little fruit jam adds sweetness and body, coating the chicken and vegetables instead of running off onto the plate.
Key ingredient notes
These are the main ingredients to know before you start. I’ll cover the black pepper sauce next; the full ingredient list and measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Chicken breast: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch chunks for those meaty, golden bites.
- Chicken marinade: I use the same approach as my velveting chicken technique. A little baking soda helps tenderize the breast meat, while the seasonings give it flavor throughout.
- Tapioca or potato starch: Toss it with the marinated chicken just before pan-frying for a light, golden coating.
- Vegetables: Red bell pepper, celery, and yellow onion add crunch and sweetness to balance the peppery sauce.
Tips for the best black pepper sauce
My black pepper chicken sauce is savory, a little sweet, and full of fresh peppery flavor.
- Freshly ground black pepper: Grind it fresh for the best aroma and peppery bite. Start with ½ tsp and add more to taste.
- Fruit jam: A little peach, apricot, or orange jam adds sweetness, while its pectin helps the sauce cling to the chicken and vegetables without adding starch directly to the sauce. I also tested brown sugar, but it needed extra starch and more sugar to balance the pepper. That’s why I prefer jam here.
- Sichuan peppercorn powder (optional): This adds a floral, citrusy aroma and a light tingle—a different flavor from black pepper. Leave it out if you don’t have it; there’s no need to increase the black pepper.
- Light soy sauce and stock: Soy sauce adds savory flavor, while stock loosens the jam into a sauce. If using coconut aminos, follow the adjusted amounts in the recipe card, including slightly less stock.
How to make black pepper chicken
Have your vegetables chopped and sauce mixed before you start cooking—everything moves quickly once the chicken hits the pan.
- Season the chicken. Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks for meaty bites that cook evenly. Gently massage in the marinade, then refrigerate while you prep the vegetables and sauce.
- Coat and pan-fry. Heat avocado oil or another high smoke point oil for pan-frying. Toss the chicken with starch just before frying, then cook in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Let the bottom turn golden before flipping.
- Cook the vegetables. Transfer the chicken to a plate, then stir-fry the bell pepper, celery, and onion in the same pan. Keep them crisp—they’ll cook a little more with the sauce.
- Toss together. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the black pepper sauce. Toss until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce coats the chicken and vegetables. Taste, add more freshly ground black pepper if you like, and serve hot.
What to serve with black pepper chicken
Steamed rice is my first choice—it catches all that savory black pepper sauce. With chicken and vegetables already in the pan, that’s an easy dinner right there.
For an extra vegetable side, try my bok choy stir-fry or Chinese broccoli stir-fry.
For a Chinese family-style meal, add a light soup to share. My daikon soup or napa cabbage soup would round out the meal well with the peppery chicken.
Black pepper chicken recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 lb chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tsp light soy sauce or 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- ¼ tsp sugar omit if using coconut aminos
- 1 tsp water
- ¼ tsp coarse sea salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup tapioca starch or potato starch for coating just before cooking
For the vegetables:
- 1 whole red bell pepper cut into 1-inch pieces (medium size)
- 6 oz celery about 3–4 stalks, sliced diagonally
- 3.5 oz yellow onion about 1 small onion, diced
- 2 pinches coarse sea salt
For the black pepper sauce:
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
- ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder optional; see notes
- 1½ tbsp peach jam or apricot, orange jam, such as St. Dalfour
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce or 1½ tbsp coconut aminos
- 2½ tbsp chicken or vegetable stock reduce to 2 tbsp if using coconut aminos
For cooking:
- ¼ cup avocado oil plus 1 tbsp if needed
- Coarse sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Season the chicken: In a bowl, combine the chicken with the soy sauce, sugar, water, salt, baking soda, and garlic powder. Mix and gently massage the seasonings into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the vegetables and sauce.
- Prepare the vegetables and sauce: Place the chopped bell pepper, celery, and onion in one bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together all the black pepper sauce ingredients.
- Heat the oil and coat the chicken: Add the avocado oil to a 10- to 12-inch sauté pan. Heat over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Dip the tip of a dry wooden chopstick into the oil; small bubbles should form around it. If using a thermometer, aim for 350°F (177°C). Meanwhile, toss the chicken with the starch to lightly coat each piece.
- Pan-fry the chicken: Carefully place the chicken pieces in the pan in a single layer. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes, then flip and cook for about 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Work in batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan.
- Stir-fry the vegetables: Leave the remaining oil in the pan. If the pan is dry, add another tablespoon of oil. Add the bell pepper, celery, onion, and 2 pinches of salt. Stir-fry over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
- Add the sauce: Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the black pepper sauce. Toss for 1 minute, until the chicken and vegetables are coated and the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve: Turn off the heat. Taste and add more freshly ground black pepper or salt, if needed. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot.
Notes
- Freshly ground black pepper: Grind the peppercorns just before cooking for the fullest flavor.
- Sichuan peppercorn powder: This is my optional addition for a floral, citrusy flavor and a light tingling sensation. They are whole peppercorns grind into fine powder.
- Fruit jam: The jam balances the peppery flavor with a little sweetness. Its pectin helps thicken the sauce so it clings to the chicken and vegetables, without adding starch directly to the sauce. I use St. Dalfour peach, apricot, or orange jam.
- Cooking a larger batch: Pan-fry the chicken in separate batches so the pieces have room to brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Chinese stir-fry recipes
Love the peppery sauce? Try my black pepper beef next. It’s another way to enjoy that bold black pepper flavor.
For another chicken dinner, my ginger chicken stir-fry brings plenty of fresh ginger flavor, while chicken cabbage stir-fry pairs tender chicken with sweet napa cabbage and a light garlic-ginger sauce.
Made a dish and loved it? Please rate the recipe and leave a comment in the section below! It helps my blog grow organically, allowing me to continue sharing free and awesome content with you. Thank you!
One of my favorites! The taste is perfection. I’d love to see air fryer conversion directions and I’d make this even more often than I already do!
Thank you, Channing!
i don’t understand how a chicken and veggie dish can be so GOOD. i used the date substitution and swapped celery for green onions, but otherwise i didn’t deviate at all. my whole household was shocked how good it is lol.
Thank you, Max! We absolutely love this dish, especially those super juicy and little crisp Asian-style chicken nuggets. 🙂
I absolutely love this dish! It’s the perfect meal when your in a pinch and want something filling! Plus it beats any take out in my opinion! ❤️
The coconut aminos gives it a less heavy taste and feel but still packs tons of flavor! The sauce is SO GOOD, I use it for other dishes as well!
Thank you! So happy to hear!
Thank you for making cooking easy! Made this for the first time last night. Your recipe portions were ideal for two people with some left over for lunch. Super tasty and we think better than Panda Express! Keep the easy, flavor packed recipes coming.
Thank you, Monica!
This has amazing flavor! I ate at Panda Express while in the mall, for the first time in years (both experiences) I got the black pepper chicken and was impressed with the freshness & flavor, but I had puffy feet from the soy sauce. I was craving that fresh, cracked pepper taste and on the first google search “black pepper chicken”, I saw this recipe and a photo, clicked on it and Bam! Coconut aminos instead of soy sauce-Im in! I added a splash of fish sauce to the black pepper sauce to help tone down the sweetness of the aminos. No jam, so I quickly rehydrated some dried apricots, added a squeeze of a blood orange slice that I was eating and a pinch of sugar and cooked up. I had all the veggies and spices on hand. Easy to make, just a few ingredients, easy directions for reading, prepping and cooking, no surprises, like the first 2 ingredients end up in the pot – last. We are hooked on that chicken—-and no soy? Thanks! I was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple weeks ago so soy has been off the list. It’s disappointing because I love Asian foods & flavors, so I just revisited coconut aminos, it’s a bit sweet and it’s no replacement for soy sauce dipping with sushi…but in this context it’s perfect.
Made it for the first time and it is fantastic! Used dates to add sweet. This will definitely be a weeknight favorite as it comes together very quickly.
I enjoy making this dish. It’s so delicious and rich in flavor. The bonus is that it is so simple to make! This is my husbands favorite dish! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. ♥️💯
I’ve been making this recipe over and over!! It’s so very delicious, healthy and easy!! I find Asian recipes really intimidating for some reason (despite being Asian American) and this was fool proof. I didn’t have jam so I used allulose instead (it’s even more keto friendly!)
Also, if you make this, don’t worry about any chicken/arrowroot starch bits getting stuck to your pan during the browning phase (that’s FLAVOR!), it will actually come off super easily at the end when you cook the veggies/add the sauce and it makes the final product even better!
That’s so true! Thanks for the great tip!
I’ve been making this recipe over and over!! It’s so very delicious, healthy and easy!! I find Asian recipes really intimidating for some reason (despite being Asian American) and this was fool proof. I didn’t have jam so I used allulose instead (it’s even more keto friendly!)
Also, if you make this, don’t worry about any chicken/arrowroot starch bits getting stuck to your pan during the browning phase (that’s FLAVOR!), it will actually come off super easily at the end when you cook the veggies/add the sauce and it makes the final product even better!
This is a family favorite! I use whatever vegetables I have on hand and it ALWAYS comes out delicious. Thank you for a wonderful and versatile recipe!
That’s fabulous!