Black Pepper Chicken Recipe That Is Ready in 15 Minutes

Black pepper chicken is one of those weeknight recipes that punches well above its effort level. Chicken mince is cooked in a glossy, deeply savoury sauce built from oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, honey, white wine vinegar and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. The sauce reduces down into something sticky, bold and intensely flavoured that coats the mince beautifully and tastes far more complex than the short ingredient list suggests.

This recipe comes together in about 15 minutes from start to finish which makes it one of the most practical high-protein meals you can add to your weeknight rotation. The sauce is sweet, peppery and slightly tangy from the vinegar with a rich umami depth from the oyster sauce and dark soy. Served over steamed rice with sliced spring onions and fresh chilli, it is a complete meal that is genuinely satisfying.

Black pepper chicken made with Chicken Mince in a glossy dark soy and black pepper sauce served over steamed rice in a blue bowl, garnished with spring onions and fresh red chilli

Black Pepper Chicken Recipe

Serves: 3
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken:

For the black pepper sauce:

  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 5 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 150ml chicken stock

For serving:

  • 200g uncooked rice, cooked as per packet instructions
  • 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 large red chilli, thinly sliced

Steps

  1. Start the rice first so it is ready when the chicken is done. Cook it according to the packet instructions and set aside.
  2. Mix the black pepper sauce. In a small bowl or jug combine the oyster sauce, sesame oil, dark soy sauce, honey, white wine vinegar, black pepper and chicken stock. Stir well until everything is evenly combined. Set aside near the stove.
  3. Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add a small drizzle of oil if needed. Add the chopped onion and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it softens slightly.
  4. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Keep stirring so it does not burn.
  5. Add the chicken mince and break it apart with a spatula or wooden spoon as it hits the pan. Cook over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring and breaking up any lumps, until the mince is fully cooked through and no longer pink.
  6. Pour the black pepper sauce over the cooked chicken mince. Stir well to coat everything evenly. Increase the heat to high and let the sauce bubble and reduce for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until it thickens and turns glossy and sticky. The sauce should cling to the mince rather than pool at the bottom of the pan.
  7. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If you want more pepper heat, add a little more black pepper. If it tastes too sharp, a small extra drizzle of honey will balance it out.
  8. Divide the cooked rice between three bowls. Spoon the black pepper chicken over the rice. Garnish with sliced spring onions and fresh red chilli. Serve immediately.

Tips for Best Results

Mix the sauce before you start cooking and keep it ready next to the stove. Once the mince is cooked the sauce goes in immediately and things move quickly from that point.

Use freshly ground black pepper rather than pre-ground. The flavour and aroma are significantly more pronounced and the whole dish benefits from it. A quick grind of whole peppercorns in a pepper mill or mortar and pestle is all it takes.

Break the mince up continuously as it cooks to keep it fine and crumbly. Large lumps of mince will not coat as evenly with the sauce and the texture will be less consistent.

Let the sauce reduce properly. The glossy, sticky consistency is what makes this dish so good. If you add the sauce and remove the pan from heat too quickly it will be watery rather than coating. Give it a full 2 to 3 minutes over high heat while stirring.

Dark soy sauce is richer, thicker and less salty than regular soy sauce. It gives the sauce its deep colour and rounded flavour. If you only have regular soy sauce use slightly less as it is saltier.

This dish works beautifully for meal prep. Cook a larger batch and store the chicken separately from the rice in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce.

Black pepper chicken is the kind of recipe that earns its place in a regular weeknight rotation. It is fast, high in protein, genuinely flavourful and requires almost no effort. Once you have made it once the sauce becomes second nature and dinner goes from ingredients to table in fifteen minutes flat.

Order Zorabian’s Chicken Mince Keema from shop.zorabian.com and try this recipe at home.

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