Black Pepper Chicken

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts sliced against the grain into 1/4” thick pieces

For the Marinade:

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)

For the Sauce:

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Stir Fry:

2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)

1 tablespoon minced ginger

2 cloves garlic , minced

1 white onion , sliced

2 bell peppers , sliced (I used mixed colors)

Directions

Marinade the Chicken:

Combine chicken, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine in a medium-sized bowl. Gently mix until the chicken is coated with a thin layer of the mixture. Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Make the sauce:

Combine all the sauce ingredients In a small saucepan

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Add additional corn starch if not thick enough.

Cook the chicken:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.

Add the chicken. Immediately spread the chicken into a single layer using a spatula, with as little overlap as possible. Sear for 1 minute or so, until the bottom is lightly browned. Flip the chicken. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir occasionally, until both sides are browned.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the ginger and garlic. Give it a quick stir until fragrant.

Add the onion and peppers. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add back the cooked chicken.

Add the sauce.

Quickly stir a few times to coat everything with the sauce.

Turn off heat and remove the skillet from the stove.

Immediately transfer everything to a big plate so the ingredients won’t keep cooking in the hot skillet.

Serve hot as a main dish.

Notes

Cooking notes

1. The key for tender juicy chicken

No matter whether you use chicken breasts or thighs, if you follow this procedure you will get super tender chicken just like you’d get at a Chinese restaurant:

Always cut the meat against the grain. Try to maintain the same thickness and size for each slice.

Always marinate the chicken. The whole process will help soften the chicken and create a rich flavor.

Let the chicken sear for 30 seconds before stirring it. If you try to stir the chicken immediately, you’ll find it stuck to the pan. If you let the chicken cook for a bit before moving it, the meat will come out well-seared without being torn apart.

2. Why you need to remove the chicken once

Transferring the half-cooked chicken to a plate before adding the rest of the ingredients is crucial for two reasons.

When you add the sauce and veggies, the pan temperature will drop significantly. If you don’t take the chicken out beforehand, the veggies won’t be seared properly, and the sauce will reduce very slowly. Both result in a soupy dish with steamed ingredients.

The chicken is slightly underdone when you remove it, and is just cooked through once added back. If you leave the chicken in the skillet the whole time, by the time that the veggies are cooked, the chicken will be way overdone – dry and chewy

Nutrition

• Calories: 269 kcal
• Total Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
• Cholesterol: 73 mg
• Sodium: 674 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 17.8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g
• Total Sugars: 9.4 g
• Protein: 26.1 g