Black pepper stir fry – chicken and vegetables

black pepper stir fry

Black pepper stir fry with broccoli, mushrooms, baby corn, and thin chicken strips. This one-pot, 30-minute recipe is perfect for winter. Serve it over rice or noodles and you have the perfect luncheon. Want a healthier option? Try it over some crunchy iceberg lettuce and rocket leaves.

Sweet, peppery, umami – this stir fry comes together just under 30 minutes. And even though has a bunch of sauces – everything is used in moderation so that the veggies and chicken really shines through. You can switch the chicken for prawns or even tofu strips for a vegan option. And add as many vegetables as you like. Bell pepper, pokchoy, zucchini, and spinach are great options.

Check out some of my other favourite Asian stir fry meals –
Sesame stir fry
Black bean stir fry
Mangolian chicken
Black pepper paneer bowl

Prepping for the Stir fry

  • Chicken : Start by patting down the chicken breast for any excess water. Use a meat tenderiser to flatter the chicken breast evenly. Cut into thin strips of about 3/4 inch thickness and 3 inch length. Try to make it as even as possible. Season with a pinch salt and pepper and set aside of 10 minutes.
  • Vegetables – Wash the vegetable thoroughly. Halve the mushrooms, cut the broccoli florets and slice the babycorn lengthwise. You can either microwave them individually on high for 2-3 minutes or blanch them. I prefer to cover and microwave for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  • Sauce – The sauce is the easiest bit, just mix all the ingredients together and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Make sure to use room temperature water, cornflour is notoriously known to be lumpy in warm water.

Ingredients for the black pepper stir fry

  • Chicken breast – 200g
  • Mushrooms – 200g
  • Broccoli – 250g
  • Babycorn – 200g
  • Garlic – 2 tbsp, finely chopped
  • Sesame oil – 4 tbsp, divided
  • Salt – to taste
  • Pepper – 3/4 tsp

For the sauce

  • Teriyaki sauce – 3 tbsp
  • Soy sauce – 3 tbsp
  • Sesame oil – 2 tbsp
  • Fish sauce – 1 tsp
  • Chilli sauce – 1 tbsp (You can use this)
  • Honey – 2 tbsp
  • Cornflour – 1 tbsp
  • Water – 1 cup
  • Pepper – 1 tsp

Method for black pepper stir fry

  • Start by slicing the chicken breast – marinate in salt and pepper for 5 minutes and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, cut and blanch the broccoli and babycorn. Strain and keep aside.
  • Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil in a pan and cook the chicken on each side for 2 minutes on medium heat. Do not overcrowd the pan, it might take you 12-15 minutes to get through the whole sliced chicken. But since it is a relatively thin cut, it will cook quickly. Remove the cooked chicken form the pan and set aside.
  • Heat the other 2 tbsp and add the chopped garlic. Add the mushrooms and mix.
  • Add the blached broccoli and babycorn, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove from the pan.
  • In the mean time, mix the Teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, chilli sauce, cornflour and water in a bowl. Whisk well.
  • Add this sauce mix to the pan and bring to a light boil. Transfer the cooked chicken and vegetables back to the pan. Sprinkle with pepper and mix well.
  • Cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice!

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