Fry

Chinese Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce

by:
December 19, 2015
4
3 Ratings
Chinese Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 5 minutes
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

This is an old favorite of mine that I first created about 14 years ago after sampling something like it at a Chinese restaurant. —Palatable Pastime

Test Kitchen Notes

This is a weeknight dinner that I'll look forward to all day. The ingredients came straight from the pantry and didn't require several stops at specialty stores. The entire meal came together in the time it takes to cook a pot of rice. I liked the technique of frying the chicken separately since it made the end product less mushy and oily. The black pepper gave the dish a more sophisticated edge. My family loved it—easier, healthier, and tastier than ordering in! —TaraP

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Stir-Fry
  • 10 ounces boneless chicken thigh
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup chopped white onion
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
  • 10 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 cup hot steamed rice, more to taste
  • Black Pepper Sauce
  • 1/4 cup oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dark sweet soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry
  • 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
Directions
  1. Mix sauce ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
  2. Dice chicken into 1/2-inch pieces.
  3. Toss chicken with cornstarch and shake off excess.
  4. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a wok or deep skillet.
  5. Fry coated chicken pieces in hot oil until golden and cooked through; drain on paper towels.
  6. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in skillet and add onion, cooking until translucent; add peas and carrots and cook one minute more.
  7. Stir in fried chicken pieces with sauce, and cook until everything is hot.
  8. Serve with hot steamed rice.
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  • Dru Patterson
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9 Reviews

Dru P.
Dru P. August 20, 2018
Made this and it turned out great! Delicious, easy and looked like the photo!!
 
stevemr
stevemr September 9, 2016
This dish was easy to make and looked great, but it was VERY salty. Considering that a tbsp of oyster sauce has 850 mgs of sodium, the dish is loaded with salt. Any suggestions for reducing the sodium content, since the oyster sauce is the primary ingredient in the sauce?
 
Palatable P.
Palatable P. September 10, 2016
You could try looking for a brand with less sodium. I've seen brands with much less. Also, if you find it to be salty to your tastes, maybe you could cut the sweet soy and add honey instead. Less soy flavor, but soy is salty as well.
 
Ellen D.
Ellen D. July 21, 2016
Great recipe! I was a little concerned about the amount of pepper stated, I need not have worried, it was perfect. I will make this again.
 
JR
JR July 19, 2016
What us dark, sweet soy? Hoisin? If not, can you provide a brand name?
 
Connie B.
Connie B. July 19, 2016
I have the same question.....dark sweet soy? Sounds like a trip to an Asian Market is required.
 
Palatable P.
Palatable P. July 19, 2016
Dark sweet soy sauce is a sweetened version of soy sauce. You can find it in Asian markets and is similar to ketjap manis.
 
stevemr
stevemr September 9, 2016
A substitute for dark sweet soy sauce is a 50/50 mix of regular soy sauce and molasses.
 
Jo
Jo March 14, 2016
This is delicious. I made this for my family four times in the last 5 weeks. I've used thigh and breast pieces. Adding mushrooms stretches the recipe, although I double or triple almost every dinner recipe out there. It's terrific cold the next day.