Black Pepper Chicken
بلیک پیپر چکن
Black pepper chicken is the grown-up dish on a Chinese menu: savoury rather than sweet, with a warm, lingering heat from a generous amount of freshly crushed black pepper. The chicken isn't battered and fried; it's velveted in a little egg white and cornflour so it stays silky, then stir-fried quickly with onion and capsicum.
- ⏱ Total: 32 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 12 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the chicken with the egg white, 1 tablespoon of cornflour and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Leave for 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a karahi on high heat. Spread out the chicken and cook for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until just cooked and lightly golden. Lift it out.
Add the remaining oil, the black pepper and garlic, and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the onion and capsicum and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the remaining soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and water. When it bubbles, stir in 1 teaspoon of cornflour mixed with a little water and cook until glossy.
Return the chicken and toss for 1 minute to coat. Taste, add more pepper if you like, and scatter over spring onions.
Serve hot with steamed or fried rice.
Kitchen notes
Crush the pepper just before cooking, in a mortar or with the bottom of a heavy pan. Ready-ground pepper has lost most of its aroma.
Frying the pepper briefly in oil releases its flavour, but don't let it burn; 30 seconds is enough.
Pepper as the main flavour
Most desi Chinese dishes rely on chili and ketchup. Black pepper chicken is different: it’s built around one spice, used generously and freshly crushed, with soy sauce and garlic in support. The result is savoury, aromatic and warming, and it has become one of the most popular dishes at Pakistani Chinese restaurants for diners who find Manchurian too sweet.
Velveting, not frying
Instead of a thick batter, the chicken gets a thin coating of egg white and cornflour. This old Chinese technique keeps lean meat silky in a very hot pan. Cook the chicken in a single layer so it sears rather than steams, and take it out while it’s still just tender; it goes back in at the end.
Use real, fresh pepper
The dish is only as good as the pepper. Crush whole black peppercorns coarsely just before cooking, so there are visible flecks in the sauce. Fry them for a few seconds in hot oil with the garlic, which releases their aroma.
Serving
Serve with plain steamed rice or chicken fried rice. On a Chinese dinner table, it balances well with a sweeter dish like sweet and sour chicken.
Questions people ask
What does velveting do?
The egg white and cornflour coating protects the chicken in the hot pan, so it stays soft and juicy instead of drying out.
Can I make it with beef?
Yes. Use thinly sliced beef undercut, velvet it the same way and stir-fry for just 2 minutes so it stays tender.
Is it very spicy?
It's warm rather than fiery. Pepper heat builds slowly; start with 1½ teaspoons if you're unsure.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 300
- Protein
- 30 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
