Black Pepper Chicken

Black Pepper Chicken is a popular restaurant-style dish featuring tender, bite-sized chicken and crisp vegetables, all coated in a sauce -- crafted from dark soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, and fermented black beans -- that strikes the perfect balance between sweet, sour, and salty notes.

 

Serves: 3
Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• ¾ lb. any chicken, sliced ¼” thick, into irregular pieces
• 1.5 tsp brown sugar
• 3 tsp Chinese black vinegar
• 3 tsp dark soy sauce
• ½ tsp coarse black pepper
• oil
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• 1 tsp ginger minced
• 2-3 scallions chopped at an angle, white and green parts separated
• ½ cup asparagus chopped at an angle
• ½ cup bell pepper, any color, chopped into triangles
• 2 tbsp. fermented black beans
• Slurry: 2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp water
• Salt to taste

Instructions

Step 1

Make the sauce. Combine brown sugar, Chinese black vinegar, dark soy sauce, and black pepper in a bowl.

Step 2

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger and white parts of green onions and briefly fry until fragrant. Next, spread chicken pieces out and cook on both sides. Remove when cooked through and set aside.

Step 3

Add oil and sauté asparagus and bell pepper until crisp. Clear a space to fry the black beans briefly.

Step 4

Return chicken back to the pan and toss with vegetables and black beans. Stir in the green parts of scallions.

Step 5

Pour in sauce and cornstarch slurry. Stir to thicken the sauce and coat the chicken and vegetables. Season with salt to taste.

Step 6

Serve with rice, bread, noodles, vegetables, or choice of sides.