I am a big fan of those typical, quick, easy-to-prepare stir-fry dishes, especially on hot, busy days. And this is my sharing today – chicken and pepper stir-fry. You will only need 20 minutes from preparation to the table.
A simple stir fry with some pot and vegetables is always my first choice on summer days. For most of the Chinese stir-fry dishes, we will have a super tender protein and crunchy vegetables. Although traditional Chinese stir fry doesn’t include lots of sauce, I prepare a bowl of sauce for this one. This savory, dedicated, and full-of-flavor sauce makes this chicken and pepper stir fry the best partner for steamed rice.
Instead of using Sichuan-style chili pepper, we will use bell pepper to add a slight touch of sweetness in this dish. There’s another Sichuan-style chicken and peppers stir fry. In that version, we will use a lot of spicy chilies like Sichuan peppercorns or Thai red pepper. That is a tangy and super-hot version widely loved in the Sichuan area, and I will introduce that version later.
I’ve made this chicken and bell pepper stir fry at least five times in the past two weeks, and my family is obsessed! So once you try this one, you will never want to order stir-fry dishes from Panda Express because freshly made versions are much better than takeout.
Ingredients
The following are the ingredients you will need for this recipe. You can find that all of them are super common.
Main Stir Fry Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- 1/4 red onion, sliced (don’t skip red onion because it adds SO much flavor!)
- 1 Bell peppers, I use green bell peppers and red bell peppers for a better color comparison.
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil
- Ground black pepper for garnishing
Chicken Marinating
To make tender and well flavored chicken stir fry, we will need to marinate the chicken slices firstly. You will need the following marinating ingredients.
- 1/8 tsp. salt – Although we have salty seasonings like oyster sauce and light soy sauce. It is
- Pinch of white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. water or Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
For That Magic Sauce:
As I mentioned before, to better match it with steamed rice or noodles, I match it with a stir-fry sauce.
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. sugar – sugar can add a slight touch of sweetness and combine all the flavors.
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch to thicken the sauce
- 1/4 cup water
How to make this delicious, tender chicken and pepper stir fry
Marinate the chicken
I always recommend marinating protein for any stir-frying dishes for two primary purposes. The first is to give the dish a basic flavor base. And the second is to guarantee your chicken is tender after stir-frying, thanks to the starch layer.
Make the sauce
Combine light soy sauce, ground black pepper, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and water in a small bowl. However, you will need to re-stir it before using.
Stir fry
I always love to stir-fry the protein first and then cook the vegetables with the oil left. With this process, the vegetable can be stir-fried with the infused oil. That’s a secret of Chinese cooking.
In the first stage of stir-frying the chicken, let’s add a little bit more oil.
Heat the wok or pan first, and then add oil. Then spread the chicken slices in. Don’t move and let it stay for around 4-5 seconds, and then quickly fry until the chicken changes color.
Now, move the chicken slices out only and leave the oil in. As I mentioned before, the infused oil will make your chicken taste much better.
Now let’s transfer the extra oil and leave around two tablespoons of cooking oil in the pan. Then, fry garlic and ginger until aromatic.
Add bell pepper and onion, cook for around half a minute until they are almost cooked. But remember, never overcook. Then add the sauce as well as our pre-cooked chicken. Mix everything quickly.
Transfer out and serve hot. I always love to garnish with some freshly ground black pepper.
A Tender Chicken and Bell Pepper Stir Fry over Rice
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 red onion sliced (don’t skip red onion because it adds SO much flavor!)
- 1 mixed Bell peppers I use green bell peppers and red bell peppers for a better color comparison.
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil
- Ground black pepper for garnishing
Chicken Marinating
- 1/8 tsp. salt – Although we have salty seasonings like oyster sauce and light soy sauce. It is
- Pinch of white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
Magic Stir fry Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. Sugar – sugar can add a slight touch of sweetness and combine all the flavors.
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch to thicken the sauce
- 1/4 cup of water
Instructions
Marinating Chicken
- Add salt, white pepper, light soy sauce, water, and oyster sauce. Mix with the chicken until it becomes slightly sticky and all the liquid is well absorbed.
- Then add cornstarch, mix well. This is our layer of protection.
- Finally, pour in oil and mix so each of the chicken pieces is well coated with oil. I will highly recommend this step, especially when you are stir-frying in a wok, as it can help to prevent the chicken slices from sticking to the bottom.
Combine the sauce
- Combine light soy sauce, ground black pepper, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and water in a small bowl. However, you will need to re-stir it before using.
Fry it up
- Heat the wok or pan first, and then add oil. Then spread the chicken slices in. Don’t move and let it stay for around 4-5 seconds, and then quickly fry until the chicken changes color.
- Now, move the chicken slices out only and leave the oil in. As I mentioned before, the infused oil will make your chicken taste much better.
- Now let’s transfer the extra oil and leave around two tablespoons of cooking oil in the pan. Then, fry garlic and ginger until aromatic.
- Add bell pepper and onion, cook for around half a minute until they are almost cooked. But remember, never overcook. Then add the sauce. Mix everything quickly.
- Transfer out and serve hot. I always love to garnish with some freshly ground black pepper.
