Black Pepper Hen | Diethood

This black pepper hen is one in every of my favourite takeout dishes reimagined at residence! Juicy sliced hen thighs are marinated after which cooked in a mouthwatering stir-fry sauce with black pepper, ginger, and garlic.

In the event you’re on the lookout for one other simple Chinese language takeout-inspired recipe, I like my candy and spicy salt and pepper hen. This do-it-yourself Common Tso’s hen is a agency favourite in our home!

I’m coming at you with one other simple do-it-yourself takeout fakeout. This time, it’s black pepper hen. What’s that? Glad you requested ‘trigger this would possibly simply be among the best issues to hit my kitchen currently, and it’s a favourite, particularly with my little ones! They completely love the mixture of juicy marinated hen thighs, crisp bell peppers, and garlic, all tossed in a sweet-savory black pepper stir-fry sauce.

I normally marinate the hen only for about half an hour, however it’s sufficient to infuse unimaginable taste that even my little ones rave about. They all the time ask for seconds, which is the last word praise. Give it a strive—I’m positive it’ll be successful at your own home, too!

Why I Love This Black Pepper Hen Recipe

Household-friendly. Some Chinese language takeout recipes might be heavy on the chili, however not this one. Black pepper hen is a light and savory stir fry with a contact of sweetness and spice from the honey and ginger. Even my youngsters find it irresistible served over rice.

Prepared in an hour (or much less). The hen is fast to prep and cook dinner, and it takes about half-hour to marinate within the fridge. Belief me, the additional marinating time is price it.

Genuine flavors. The marinated hen will get slightly crisp because it sears within the pan, the veggies get tender, and the black pepper sauce wraps up each inch of this stir-fry like an umami-filled hug. The style and texture are simply nearly as good, if not higher than once I ordered this dish as takeout.

Components You’ll Want

These are the elements in my black pepper hen recipe, together with what you’ll want for the do-it-yourself sauce. Scroll to the printable recipe card beneath for precise quantities and full instructions.

For the Stir Fry 

• Oil – Select a very good high quality vegetable oil that holds up within the warmth, like canola oil.
• Shallot – In the event you like, the shallot might be substituted with yellow onion. 
• Scallions – I wish to separate the white ends from the inexperienced tops of the scallions, and I take advantage of the whites within the sauce and the greens for garnish.
• Bell Peppers – Purple, inexperienced, yellow, or any colour of bell pepper you’d like. Chop the peppers up into 1” items, or slice them.
• Garlic – I all the time say measure garlic together with your coronary heart. Be happy to adapt the variety of cloves to style.

For the Sauce

• Hen Inventory – I like to make use of low-sodium hen broth or inventory.
• Soy Sauce – You possibly can exchange soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari if you happen to’d like.
• Dry Sherry – If in case you have conventional Chinese language rice wine (or Japanese mirin or sake), use it! I take advantage of dry sherry vinegar because it’s simple to search out. You may as well substitute sherry with a dry white wine, or, for an alcohol-free different, use white wine vinegar.
• Sesame Oil – A bit sesame oil goes a good distance by way of genuine Asian taste. There’s actually no substitute! I like toasted sesame oil, however the common form works, too.
• Honey – Or use one other sweetener, like maple syrup, agave, or plain ol’ sugar.
• Ginger – Floor ginger, or I’ll generally substitute 1 tablespoon of contemporary grated ginger for each ¼ teaspoon of floor.
• Black Pepper – It’s onerous to make black pepper hen with out black pepper! Freshly cracked is finest, however any floor pepper will work right here.
• Hen – I like sliced boneless hen thighs on this recipe as a result of they’re tremendous tender and tougher to overcook. You should utilize hen breast, simply needless to say it cooks a lot sooner than thigh meat.
• Cornstarch – You’ll make a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken the stir-fry sauce.

Tips on how to Make Black Pepper Hen

Most stir-fry recipes comply with a easy system: whisk the sauce, saute the elements, and fry the whole lot collectively in a skillet. This Chinese language black pepper hen isn’t any totally different. Observe the steps beneath:

1. Marinate the hen. First, whisk collectively the sauce elements. Add about ¼ cup of the marinade to a Ziploc bag together with your hen, and let the hen marinate within the fridge for half-hour. 
2. Thicken the sauce. Subsequent, you’ll make a fast slurry of cornstarch and water and stir this into what’s left of the sauce. 
3. Prepare dinner the hen. Brown the marinated hen strips in a scorching skillet with oil till they’re browned throughout. Transfer the seared hen to a plate.
4. Saute the veggies. In the identical pan, fry up your shallot, scallions, and bell peppers. Stir within the garlic.
5. Put all of it collectively. Lastly, toss the hen again into the pan with the veggies and stir within the black pepper sauce. Give the whole lot a fast stir-fry to thicken the sauce and warmth by way of the hen.
6. Serve. I dished up my black pepper hen over rice, garnished with inexperienced scallions, and it was good. See beneath for extra tasty serving ideas!

Serving Options

Black pepper hen is one in every of my favourite weeknight dinners when everybody’s busy schedules name for one thing tasty and quick (with out dashing to our native takeout spot!). I’ll spoon this saucy stir-fry over a mattress of fluffy jasmine rice or noodles, and voila. I additionally love these stir-fry zoodles as a low-carb possibility. 

On nights after we’re not as pressed for time, we’ll make it an actual Chinese language takeout fakeout meal with a aspect of air fryer spring rolls or do-it-yourself crab rangoon and shrimp fried rice.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Preserve any leftover hen stir-fry in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, heat the leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop or within the microwave till the hen is scorching all through. Sprinkling the hen with slightly water helps loosen the sauce.

Extra Hen Take Out Recipes