This Garlic Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry is sweet, savoury and peppery. It has a little bit of bite and there is lots of sticky sauce perfectly coating the chicken. Make it in under 30 minutes, this dish is perfect for easy weeknight dinners.
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The star of this dish is the black pepper and its best to use freshly ground whole black peppercorns rather than pre-ground pepper.
The pepper brings an aromatic, earthiness and has a lingering heat and spiciness. The other ingredients like soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, and onions, are important for depth and balance, but taking a moment to grind your own pepper when making this dish makes all the difference.
I'm a big fan chicken stir frys in general and this one is no exception. Not only is it quick, it makes for great leftovers! Perfect for lunch the next day or even dinner again! Some of my other favourites are this Chinese Orange Chicken, Garlic Chicken and Noodles, and Peanut Sauce Chicken Noodles.
Recipe Highlights
- Loads of thick, sticky, peppery, aromatic sauce and no sugar!
- Perfect balance of savoury, spicy, sweet and salty
- Lower and calories, and great with cauliflower rice
- 10 minutes of prep and on the table in under 30 mins
- Medium level of spice, but easy to adjust up or down
- A great dish for meal prepping and making ahead
Ingredients
Quite often recipes for Black Pepper Chicken will have sugar or honey in them to balance out the flavours. But in this recipe I have used monkfruit sweetener instead to keep it sugar free. I love using Monkfruit when making stirfry's and sauces because it dissolves easily in and doesn’t add extra calories. I also use monkfruit when I created this Sugar Free General Tso Sauce that is lower in calories than the typical version.
When I make this dish I always taste the sauce as I go to make sure it has the right balance of sweet, salty, savory and peppery. Sometimes I want it with a little more heat and sometimes I'm in the mood for a mild pepper chicken! With this dish you can make it as peppery as you like!
If you find yourself thinking about ordering takeout, you could probably make this in the time it would take to phone up and have it delivered!
How To Make
- Cook Chicken: Heat a little avocado oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sear for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the saute pan and set aside.
- Saute vegetables: To the saute pan add the capsicums/peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, and avocado oil. Stir everything for 5 minutes
- Add chicken: Add the chicken back into the saute pan to coat the chicken and saute for 2-3 more minutes to heat through.
- Garnish and Serve: Top with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with cauliflower rice, steamed white rice or brown rice.
Top Tip
The number one tip for making healthier black pepper chicken is to use lean cuts of chicken, like chicken breast, and opt for minimal oil, using healthier options like avocado oil or olive oil.
I like to serve my black pepper chicken with cauliflower rice, steamed veggies like broccoli or green beans, or zucchini noodles for a lighter, low-calorie meal.
Check out my low calorie Cashew Nut Chicken and Thai Basil Chicken for more quick and easy meal prepping ideas!
Garlic Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 tablespoon Avocado oil
- 1 pound Skinless chicken, breast or tenderloin, cut into 3-inch pieces
- ⅛ teaspoon Sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Black pepper
For the Stir Fry
- 1 tablespoon Avocado oil
- 1 Red capsicum/bell pepper - sliced
- 1 Green capsicum/bell pepper - sliced
- ½ cup White or yellow onion - sliced
- 3 Garlic cloves - minced
- 1 tablespoon Ginger - minced
- ½ cup Chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons Soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Monkfruit sweetener
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour/cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons Ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Chili powder
For garnishing
- 2 Green onions - chopped
- 2 teaspoons Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook Chicken: Add 1 tablespoon avocado oil to the saute pan. Over medium heat allow the oil to get hot. Add the chicken to the saute pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Allow the chicken to sear for 3-4 minutes. Flip the chicken over to sear the other side of the chicken for 3-4 minutes.1 pound Skinless chicken, breast or tenderloin, cut into 3-inch pieces, ⅛ teaspoon Sea salt, ⅛ teaspoon Black pepper, 1 tablespoon Avocado oil
- Remove the chicken from the saute pan and set aside.
- Saute vegetables: To the saute pan add the capsicums/peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon avocado oil. Stir everything for 5 minutes.1 Red capsicum/bell pepper, 1 Green capsicum/bell pepper, ½ cup White or yellow onion, 3 Garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon Ginger, 1 tablespoon Avocado oil
- Make sauce in pan: To the saute pan add the broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, monkfruit, cornstarch, black pepper, and chili powder. Mix for 2-3 minutes or until the broth is thick.½ cup Chicken broth, 3 tablespoons Soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon Monkfruit sweetener, 2 teaspoons Ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon Chili powder, 1 tablespoon Cornflour/cornstarch
- Add chicken: Add the chicken back into the saute pan to coat the chicken and saute for 2-3 more minutes to heat through.
- Garnish and Serve: Top with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with cauliflower rice, steamed white rice or brown rice.2 Green onions, 2 teaspoons Sesame seeds
Notes
- Serving: approx 3 cups of cauliflower rice, steamed jasmine rice or brown rice would be enough for 4 people
- Calories: Calories are calculated for the Black Pepper Chicken only, not rice. A great way to keep this meal low calorie is to serve it with cauliflower rice which you can buy from the supermarket (frozen section) and cook in the microwave for a couple of minutes.
- Leftovers: To store leftovers of black pepper chicken, let it cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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Pat @ Wholesome Kitchen says
This looks absolutely delicious. Pinned and ready to make at home!