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 stir fry is packed with tender cubes of chicken and lots of veggies including bell peppers, onion and celery which are all coated in a deliciously spicy pepper sauce. This Black Pepper Chicken is Paleo, Whole30, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal.
This Black Pepper Chicken 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:
- The simple peppery sauce is packed with flavor! It’s the perfect combination of spicy, sweet, salty and umami and is what takes this from an average stir fry to a flavor packed dish.
- It is such a quick and easy dish to make and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare start to finish, so quick!
- It’s the perfect dish to add to your weeknight dinner rotation that the whole family will love. Enjoy it on its own or with a side of cauliflower rice (or white rice) to absorb any excess sauce.
- Marinating the chicken in baking soda for just a few minutes is one of my favourite tricks to really elevate the flavor and texture of the meat. It becomes incredibly tender and flavourful.
CAN I ADD MORE VEGGIES?
This Paleo Black Pepper Chicken is a super adaptable recipe and you can really add any other vegetables that you like! I like adding in asparagus spears, green beans, broccoli florets, bok choy or mushrooms. I recommend avoiding any type of root vegetable (such as carrot) unless it is sliced very thinly as the cooking time will be longer versus the other vegetables.
COULD I USE A DIFFERENT PROTEIN?
If you aren’t a fan of chicken, you could substitute the cubed chicken for shrimp or cubed pork. I recommend only marinating the shrimp in the baking soda sauce for a few minutes to ensure that the it doesn’t begin to cook in it. If using pork the cuts I would suggest using are either pork tenderloin, neck or loin.
CAN I MAKE THIS IN ADVANCE?
If you would like to make this Black Pepper Chicken in advance the following steps can be done a day ahead. Marinate the chicken in the baking soda mixture and cook the chicken until golden in colour then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. The sauce can also be blended together and the vegetables chopped (but not cooked) the day before. Doing all of the above in advance would cut the cooking time to less than 6 minutes, simply cook the veggies before adding in the sauce and chicken and dinner is ready!
WHAT ABOUT LEFTOVERS?
This Paleo Black Pepper Chicken is so tasty that you will actually be excited about eating leftovers, so make extra. Leftovers will last for up to 3 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container and can be reheated in the microwave or warmed in a pan on the stove on medium heat. When reheating if the vegetables look too dry feel free to add a splash of coconut aminos.
Love healthy versions of takeout dishes? Here are a few more that you might enjoy:
- Sweet & Sour Pork
- Moo Shu Pork
- Chicken Chop Suey
- Sesame Chicken
- 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 (or tamari/soy sauce)
- 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 yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 green onions/scallions
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp honey/maple syrup (or 2 medjool dates for Whole30)
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
- 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 honey (or 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
Made your Black Pepper Chicken last night and it was a hit with everyone 😊
OMG! So delicious!!!! Served it over 1/2 rice and 1/2 cauliflower rice.
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.
Sauce didn’t thicken – any ideas?
Just keep reducing it on high heat, it will start to thicken as it reduces. If it’s still not thick enough you can add in 1 tsp of arrowroot powder or corn starch.
Delicious!! I made an asian cauliflower fried rice to go with it and my husband and I devoured it!
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. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
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!!!
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!
Can I substitute the beef broth with chicken broth?
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)
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.
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
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!!
Hello, can I substitute rice vinegar for the ACV?
Yes you can!
This recipe is a winner! It’s become a family favorite.
Soooo good!! I have to make double otherwise there is nothing left for my weekly meal prep. It’s super simple and full of flavor. My husband says it tastes just like the restaurant stuff.
I will apply your recipe tonight, hope it goes well, enjoy with octordle in the evening