Black Pepper Chicken
This Paleo Black Pepper Chicken is a healthy spin on one of my favourite Chinese dishes and it takes just 30 minutes to make! This one pan Whole30 and Paleo dish is packed with tender cubes of chicken and lots of veggies which are all coated in a deliciously spicy pepper sauce.
This is the perfect weeknight dish. It takes less than 30 minutes to make, is packed with veggies, incredibly tasty and is just as good the next day reheated for lunch or dinner. The sauce has a bit of a kick from the black pepper, which you can adjust by adding another teaspoon if you want it to be really fiery.
While a lot Paleo and Whole30 use arrowroot starch to thicken stir fry sauce, it’s not allowed on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet so for this recipe I used the good old fashioned method of reducing it in a separate pan until it’s begun to thicken. I recommend serving this with a side of cauliflower rice to soak up all of the excess yummy sauce, you won’t want any of that to go to waste.
Why you are going to love this Paleo Black Pepper Chicken:
- It takes less than 30 minutes to make
- By marinating the chicken for just a few minutes in the baking soda mixture it becomes incredibly tender and flavourful
- These are leftovers you will actually be excited about eating, so make extra. They will last for a few days in the fridge and are great for a quick meal.
- You can easily adapt this recipe depending on what you have in your fridge. Swap the chicken for shrimp or cubed pork, and add in other veggies like asparagus, green beans or mushrooms.
Love healthy versions of takeout dishes? Here are a few others you might enjoy:
- Sweet & Sour Pork
- Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein
- Spicy Orange Chicken
- Pork Fried Rice
- Thai Basil Beef
- Pork Fried Rice
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Black Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut amino
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 ribs celery
- 1 medium onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 green onions
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 medjool dates soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes to soften
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl whisk together the coconut aminos, baking soda and apple cider vinegar and then add in the chunks of chicken and stir to ensure that they are all well coated in the liquid. Leave to rest for a few minutes while you prep the veggies
- In a blender or nutribullet container combine the medjool dates, beef stock, coconut aminos, fish sauce and vinegar and blend until completely smooth. Pour the sauce into a small sauce pan and leave to reduce on medium heat for 5 minutes until it has thickened and reduced by half and then set aside.
- Cut the green pepper, onion, green onions and celery into thin strips.
- Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a skillet on high heat. Once hot add in the chicken and cook for approximately 5 minutes until the chicken becomes golden in colour. Once cooked transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add in 1 tbsp sesame oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium and sauté the garlic and ginger for 1 minute until fragrant and then add in the sliced peppers, onions and celery. Saute for 4 minutes until the peppers begin to soften and then add in the green onions, chicken, black pepper and sauce and leave to simmer for another 3 minutes. Serve garnish with additional black pepper if desired.
Nutrition
Hi, where am I going wrong on the nutrition calculator with this one?
I’m planning on making this recipe but using 4 servings instead of 2. When I plug the ingredients into the Lifesum app, I get 515 calories a serving. When I plug it into the happyforks calculator, I get 487 calories a serving. If I take your value (588 x 2 = 1,176) divided by 4 servings, I get 294 calories. Which is way off from the 487 or 515 values I came up with using the other two calculators. I’d appreciate insight into this. Thanks!!
Can I omit the dates? Or what can I subbed it for?
Yes you can! Use 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup in place of the dates
Made this last night for dinner. First time making it and it does take more than 30 mins to prep and cook. The date sauce was really good. Will be making again. Used red bell pepper and purple onion instead but which were really good.
Delicious! I changed the veggies up a bit because we don’t eat peppers but we love mushrooms and I thought leeks would be fun!
The sauce was excellent and I was a little nervous about how all the flavors would come together but they really did!
We aren’t currently on Whole30 so we put it over basmati rice.
Even the kids enjoyed it!
I will say one thing, this took me a lot longer than 30 mins. Probably closer to an hour. But next time I make it, I’ll be faster! (I’m usually slow the first time I follow a recipe haha)
Can I substitute the beef broth with chicken broth?
this is my FAVOURITE quick weeknight meal recipe! Tastes JUST like take-out and comes together quicker than picking up the phone & waiting for take-out… Seriously! It is the right amount of salty, the perfect amount of sweet, and absolutely packed with flavour. It’s a family favourite around here!
This was soooooo delicious! The only changes I made were substituting 1 tbsp of brown rice syrup for the dates and added snow peas. It’s got some heat but I still would have drank the sauce!!!
I love everything I’ve made. From the chicken teriyaki to the spaghetti squash marinara… but this one is my favorite at the moment. It turned out so well and so easy. I made it over the coconut lime cauliflower rice recipe below. Thank you so much. Eating healthy and yummy makes everything so much easier and rewarding. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Delicious!! I made an asian cauliflower fried rice to go with it and my husband and I devoured it!
Love it! Made this tonight it was a unanimous hit with my family. I did go easy on the pepper as my youngest isn’t good with much heat. I will definitely make this again.
OMG! So delicious!!!! Served it over 1/2 rice and 1/2 cauliflower rice.
Made your Black Pepper Chicken last night and it was a hit with everyone 😊