A quick and easy Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry made with tons of peppers, onions, and celery! Serve this over brown rice or on its own!
Welcome to the first food post of 2018: healthy black pepper chicken!
The last couple days of December were a doozy! Two weddings for two close friends (on the same day) and the start of our vacation with a couple friend of ours all happening within 24 hours. That’s what I call ending the year with a big bang! So after splitting time at the weddings and rushing home to catch a short, but needed, 2-hour nap, we were on our way to the airport and out of town. Unfortunately, within a few hours of landing in LA, I started feeling it. You know the tickle in your throat. The inklings of congestion making space behind your eyeballs and your nose. And oh boy! It didn’t take long after that; it’s a slippery slope. Within two days I was down. The cold chills, the fever, the aches, and pains – it all came crashing down. ON VACATION.
And this flu was no joke. We’ve been back almost ten days, and just now I’m finally feeling well enough to get out of bed and to make something other than soup for a change.
The good thing is, I’ve tested a TON of soup recipes for us while the hubby and I (yes, he went down shortly after I did) have been under the weather. We’ve got tons of good stuff I’ll start rolling out soon that’ll help nurse you back to health if you or a family member is suffering from the same fate.
But enough about all this illness!
Today we’re talking about black pepper chicken stir-fry. This recipe is a revamp of one of the recipes I’ve shared on the blog in the past — black pepper tofu stir fry. This time, we’re adding a few more veggies, swapping the tofu for chicken, cutting back on the cornstarch and the oil a bit, and gobbling it up like it’s our job.
I’ve mentioned in the past that the hubby and I are trying to eat healthier meals recently. You know, cutting back on the refined sugar, consuming more veggies and what not. So this black pepper chicken fits right into that food plan. With that said, I’d like it if you’d reserve judgment if you happen to see my Insta-stories this weekend and know that I’m recipe testing a new gumbo recipe.
In our defense, we shared the huge pot of gumbo with friends; we didn’t eat it all by ourselves!
Most of the ingredients I’ve used in my black pepper chicken stir-fry are easy to find, and you don’t have to make any special trips to the Asian mart for ingredients.
Regarding the veggies, we’ve got onions, peppers, and celery. In the past, I’ve used scallions too, but you can play around with this tons. Use what you have or what you like. Broccoli would work well with the chicken or green beans too. Maybe try a different colored pepper? I love red bell peppers in this, and I’ll usually use a combination of reds and greens if I’ve got them on hand.
Black pepper chicken stir fry is more of 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!
Also, if you’re into the meal prep scene – this is a great recipe to put on the weekly rotation. I like to scoop out 1/2 cup of brown rice, add 1/4 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, this one tastes better as it sits. WIN.
Kick your week off strong with this Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry recipe!
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN STIR FRY
prep time:10 MINS
cook time:15 MINS
total time:25 MINS
A quick and easy Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry made with tons of peppers, onions, and celery! Serve this over brown rice or on its own!
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 1/2 inch pieces
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, grated or minced
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper
1 tablespoon honey (or brown sugar)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, divided
DIRECTIONS:
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!
link recipes from http://littlespicejar.com/black-pepper-chicken-stir-fry/
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