If daring, peppery flavours are your factor, this Black Pepper Chicken will hit all the proper notes. It’s spicy, saucy, and loaded with crunchy veggies, identical to your favorite takeaway, solely higher.
You understand how typically you simply need hen that’s not boring? That’s once I make black pepper hen. It’s received that garlicky kick, a great deal of pepper, and a shiny little sauce that makes you retain going again for an additional chew. Trust me, it’s means simpler than it appears to be like.
And actually, the perfect half is you don’t want a ton of fancy stuff. A fast marinade, toss it on excessive warmth, throw in some veggies, and increase, you’ve received this spicy, saucy hen that tastes like your favorite takeaway however brisker. You’ll most likely wish to eat it straight from the pan.
Jump to Section: Air Fryer Black Pepper CHicken
Air Fryer Black Pepper Chicken Ingredients
For the marinade
- Boneless hen thighs, cubed – Thighs keep juicy and tender, however in case you’ve solely received breast, that works too.
- Soy sauce – A splash for flavour and color.
- Salt + baking powder – Just slightly, helps tenderize the hen.
- Crushed black pepper – The star of the present proper from the beginning.
- Garlic, grated – Lots of it, as a result of pepper and garlic are finest buddies.
- Cornflour + all-purpose flour – For that gentle, crisp coating while you fry.
For the pepper sauce
- Ground black pepper + Sichuan pepper powder – Double pepper for that daring kick.
- Honey – Just sufficient to steadiness the spice.
- Soy sauce – A second spherical, this time for the sauce.
- Chicken inventory – Brings every little thing collectively and makes it saucy.
For the slurry
- Cornflour combined with water – A fast thickener so the sauce clings to the hen.
For the stir-fry
- Oil – Any impartial cooking oil you want.
- Garlic + ginger, finely chopped – Because the aroma once they hit sizzling oil is unbeatable.
- Green chillies, slit – A bit further warmth.
- Celery, onions, and purple bell pepper – Crunchy veggies to steadiness the hen.
- Spring onion greens – To end with freshness.
Our our model new Indo-Chinese Ebook is formally dwell! 🎉 It’s full of 105+ tasty, tried and examined recipes that deliver the daring, and savory flavors you like! And right here’s the perfect half — we’ve launched the eBook in each English and Hindi, so you may select the language that feels simply best for you!
Richa’s Top Tips
- Cook on excessive flame – Quick stir-frying retains the hen tender and offers that smoky flavour.
- Crush recent pepper – Freshly floor pepper actually makes the sauce shine.
- Don’t overcook veggies – Toss simply sufficient so onions, celery, and peppers hold their crunch.
- Add slurry final – Mix within the cornflour slurry on the finish so the sauce thickens and coats evenly.
- Use hen thighs – They keep juicier than breast meat, particularly on excessive warmth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just don’t overcook it, breast meat dries out a lot quicker than thighs.
Skip it and keep on with common black pepper. The dish will nonetheless style wonderful, simply with much less of that numbing spice.
Of course. Reduce the inexperienced chillies and in the reduction of slightly on the pepper. You’ll nonetheless get all of the flavour with out the warmth overload.
The cornflour slurry is the key, add it on the finish and let it simmer for a minute to thicken and coat the hen.
It’s finest eaten recent, however in case you’ve received leftovers, heat them up rapidly in a pan on excessive warmth to deliver again the feel.
Storage Tips
- Fridge: Leftovers will hold within the fridge for as much as 2 days. Store in an hermetic container and reheat rapidly in a pan on excessive warmth so the hen doesn’t flip soggy.
- Freezer: Not the perfect recipe for freezing because the veggies lose their crunch and the sauce can separate. Fresh is finest right here.
- Meal prep hack: You can marinate the hen a day upfront and hold it within the fridge. That means, when it’s cooking time, you simply toss and stir-fry.
Serving Ideas
Black pepper hen is daring and saucy, which makes it excellent to pair with a few of your favorite Indo-Chinese sides from the weblog:
- Veg Fried Rice – A traditional pairing. The peppery hen and fluffy fried rice are made for one another.
- Hakka Noodles – Toss the hen alongside garlicky noodles for the last word consolation meal.
- Veg Manchurian – Double up on flavour with this combo.
- Chilli Garlic Fried Rice – The garlicky notes play superbly with the pepper sauce.
- Egg Fried Rice – Simple, fast, and ideal while you wish to hold issues fuss-free.
- Veg Spring Rolls – Use the hen as a predominant with crispy spring rolls on the facet.
- Chilli Paneer – For a celebration unfold, pair black pepper hen with one other crowd favorite.
Customisation Ideas
- Make it saucier – Double the inventory and slurry in case you like extra gravy to spoon over rice.
- Tone down the warmth – Skip the inexperienced chillies and in the reduction of on the pepper for a milder model.
- Go veggie – Swap hen with mushrooms, paneer, or tofu for a vegetarian take.
- Crunch improve – Add child corn, broccoli, or snap peas to bulk it up with extra veggies.
- Sticky glaze model – Reduce the sauce slightly longer for a thicker, sticky coating on the hen.
- Swap the sweetener – Use brown sugar or maple syrup as a substitute of honey if that’s what you will have at dwelling.
- Egg fried model – Toss in a scrambled egg or two proper earlier than serving for further protein.
Did You Know?
Black pepper has been one of the crucial traded spices on the planet for hundreds of years. At one level, it was even referred to as “black gold.” In India, particularly alongside the Malabar Coast, pepper has been grown for 1000’s of years and was so prized it drove a lot of the spice commerce. In Indo-Chinese cooking, like this black pepper hen, pepper steps in because the star spice as a substitute of chilli, supplying you with that daring, barely smoky kick with out overwhelming warmth.
Black pepper hen isn’t sophisticated, and that’s precisely why you’ll find yourself making it many times. A fast marinade, a quick toss on excessive warmth, and abruptly you’ve received hen that’s tender, shiny, and loaded with that peppery kick.Pair it with rice, noodles, or simply eat it straight from the pan (no judgment right here).
Tried it out? Tag me on Instagram @my_foodstory, I’d like to see the way it turned out in your desk!
Watch Air Fryer Black Pepper Chicken Recipe Video
Prevent your display from going darkish
Chicken marination
-
Take all of the components underneath marinade in a bowl, combine nicely and put aside for 15-Half-hour.
500 gms boneless hen thighs / lower into ¾ inch cubes, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon gentle soy sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon crushed pepper, 8 garlic cloves grated, 2 teaspoons cornflour, 2 teaspoons all objective flour
Pepper sauce combine
-
Add all components for pepper sauce to a bowl, combine to mix them nicely and put aside to be used later,
2 teaspoons floor pepper, 1 teaspoon sichuan pepper powder, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, ¼ cup hen inventory
Making pepper hen
-
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan, add marinated hen & toss on excessive warmth for 2-3 minutes until they get golden brown and crisp on all sides.
3 tablespoons sunflower oil or any impartial flavoured oil
-
Push the hen to the sides of the pan and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan.
-
Add garlic, ginger and saute on excessive for a minute until they get aromatic. Add inexperienced chillies and saute on excessive for a minute. Add celery, onion petals, purple bell pepper and saute together with the hen on excessive warmth for an additional minute.
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic, 2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger, 4 inexperienced chillies, ½ cup celery stalks, 2 small onions, ½ cup purple bell pepper lower into 1 inch squares
-
Pour the pepper sauce combine, give a superb combine and prepare dinner for a minute. Add cornflour slurry, combine nicely and prepare dinner for 1-2 minutes until the hen will get coated with the sauce. Garnish with spring onion greens and serve.
½ teaspoon cornflour combined in 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons spring onion greens
- Ginger, garlic, onions have to be sauteed on excessive warmth to get the perfect flavour.
- I’ve used hen thigh boneless as they’re juicy & tender, boneless hen breast additionally works.
- Any cooking oil of your selection works within the recipe, i’ve used solar flower oil.
Calories: 360kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 119mg, Sodium: 1182mg, Potassium: 580mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 719IU, Vitamin C: 39mg, Calcium: 88mg, Iron: 2mg
This article was researched and written by Harita Odedra.
