This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
A quick and easy weeknight-friendly black pepper chicken stir fry made with crisp peppers, sauteed onions, and crunchy celery! Serve this over brown rice or on its own!
Quick weeknight dinner alert!
Pepper chicken stir fry is a back pocket kind of recipe that you can pull out when you need something healthy and quick to make on weeknights.
We’re talking about crisp green bell peppers, sauteed red onions, crunchy slices of celery and tender chicken in every single bite. It doesn’t hurt that the ingredient list is pretty straight forward and most, if not all, of these ingredients, are pantry and refrigerator staples.
Today’s recipe is inspired by a tofu version that I made some time back. Black pepper tofu stir fry is made with a mix of tricorn peppers and crisp tofu squares. It’s delicious, albeit not something I can regularly make around here because the hubby isn’t the biggest fan of tofu. So I came up with a version that works well with chicken. Pepper chicken stir fry has a few more veggies, and I’ve cut back on the cornstarch just a hint to give you a little more sauce to drizzle all over a warm bed of pasta, rice, or cauliflower.
Ingredients for pepper chicken stir fry
- Chicken: You’ll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes. You could also use boneless chicken thighs or tenders for this recipe.
- red onions: You can use a shallot or a small red onion. I know not everyone keeps shallots at home, so I’ve tested the recipe with both!
- bell pepper: I like to slice the peppers extra thin so that they cook super fast but still maintain their brightness! Feel free to use peppers of different colors too!
- celery: Thinly sliced on the biased is what I like to do so that it looks all fancy but really, all I did was turn the knife and cut at a 45º angle!
- ginger + garlic: Essential ingredients for making a delicious stir fry!
- sauces: low sodium soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and oyster sauce (or vegan oyster flavored sauce for those with allergies) is what we’ll need. These ingredients add umami, a touch of sweetness, and a bit of tang to the stir fry.
- seasonings: We’re using coarse ground pepper to season the stir fry. I like to use a peppercorn medley, however this is entirely optional. Black pepper that is coarsely ground works just fine!
- cornstarch: The cornstarch plays a two-part role. A bit of it is used on the chicken. I find this helps create a bit of a crust on the chicken. The rest is used to thicken the sauce just a touch.
How to make the easiest pepper chicken stir fry
- chicken: start by seasoning the chicken. In a bowl, combine the chicken with a bit of the cornstarch and some salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Then, add the chicken to the skillet in a single layers and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- veggies: In a small glass jar or bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, ground pepper, honey, vinegar, and the remaining cornstarch. Cover with a lid and shake until combined. Then, add the remaining oil to the skillet and sauté the onions, peppers, and celery for about 3-5 minutes or until the veggies brighten in color. Add the ginger and garlic at this point and give it all a quick toss.
- finish: Once the veggies are done, you’ll add the chicken back to the skillet and then just drizzle in the prepared sauce. Because we used cornstarch, the sauce should sizzle and thicken immediately. Serve over warm rice, caulirice, or even egg noodles!
Black pepper chicken stir fry is a clean-the-fridge recipe, so don’t be afraid to swap out the veggies for things you’ve got in the fridge that need to be used up!
To meal prep:
This one works great for meal prep! I use these glass containers that stack beautifully in the refrigerator. Just scoop out a half cup of brown rice, add one-fourth of the prepared black pepper chicken and veggies on top, a handful of almonds or walnuts in one of the compartments, and a medley of berries in the other.
Unlike a lot of meal prep recipes, pepper chicken stir fry tastes better as it sits!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
- Lomo Saltado (Peruvian steak stir fry)
- Sesame Ginger Tofu Stir Fry
- Easy Thai Cashew Chicken
- 10- Minute Ginger Shrimp Snow Pea Stir Fry
- Spicy Peanut Tofu Stir Fry
- Garlic Lovers Pepper Steak Stir Fry
- 20-Minute Teriyaki Chicken
- Garlic Lovers Thai Basil Chicken
Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons oil divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 small shallots or 1 small red onion, sliced
- 1 bell pepper sliced (any color)
- 2 stalks celery sliced into ½-inch pieces
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or GF tamari
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch divided
Instructions
- CHICKEN: In a small bowl, combine the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch and a small pinch of salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet when it’s hot along with the chicken. Allow the chicken to cook all the way through, about 4-6 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- VEGGIES: In a small measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, ground pepper, honey, rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water; stir until the cornstarch dissolves, set aside. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the skillet. Add the onions, pepper, and celery. Saute everything for 3-5 minutes or until the veggies brighten in color and start to cook down a little. Add the ginger and garlic during the last minute of cooking.
- FINISH: Add the chicken back to the skillet and drizzle in the prepared sauce, and stir to combine. The sauce will thicken fairly quickly, about 20 seconds or so. Serve on a bed of white or brown rice. Enjoy!
Notes
- This is a good recipe for meal-prep as the flavors actually taste better as it sits.
- Feel free to swap out the peppers or celery for other veggies you’ve got on hand that need to be used up. Depending on the veggies you use, you may need to double the sauce ingredients to make sure there is enough!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
I had to sub hoisin sauce for oyster and sweet onion for purple, but this is a delicious chicken dish! Pinned to make again!
This turned out so good!
Quick and easy recipe to follow.
Though, a little too much pepper for my liking.
Next time I will use 1tsp of pepper.
But other than that, I will love to make this again.
I made this last night, it was so delicious. I did not have everything on hand but it still came out very delicious. I used white wine vinegar instead of the rice vinegar. I used a regular onion instead of a shallot and I did not have any ginger. I also only put one of the teaspoons of black pepper because I had already seasoned the chicken with black pepper and salt. It was so delicious that I went out to my grocery store today and made sure I had ginger and rice vinegar because I will be making it again in the next few days.
I don’t have any oyster sauce, but would like to make this for dinner. Any suggestions for a substitute? (I don’t have any hoisin sauce at the moment either) Thanks!
Why would you not make soy sauce and oyster
Can I freeze this??
Hi Melanie! I haven’t tried freezing it before but I do think it would be okay as long as you don’t mind the peppers softening up a bit! Hope that helps 🙂
Why would you not make soy sauce and oyster sauce different line items
This was delicious! I made it with asparagus over fried rice.
Delicious. Family loves it.
Very good! I doubled the sauce recipe and also used broccoli. The entire family really enjoyed it.