Salt and Pepper Chicken Stir Fry

If you enjoy Chinese takeaway-style salt and pepper dishes, this salt and pepper chicken stir fry is an easy one to make at home. Pieces of chicken are lightly coated in cornflour and seasoning, then cooked until golden before being tossed with peppers, onion, garlic, chilli and spring onions.

There is no heavy sauce in this stir fry. Instead, the flavour comes from Chinese five-spice, white and black pepper, fresh aromatics and a little toasted sesame oil added near the end. Serve it with rice or noodles for a quick and filling dinner.

This recipe makes four generous servings, using 200g of raw chicken per person, reduce accordingly for smaller portions, or save the leftovers for another meal.

What You Need

Below is a quick overview of the ingredients and why they are included. Scroll down to the recipe card for the exact quantities and full instructions.

Chicken

You can use either boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts. Chicken thighs are a little more forgiving and remain juicy during stir-frying, while chicken breast is leaner and cooks quickly. Cut the chicken into similar-sized bite-sized pieces so that they cook evenly.

Cornflour

Cornflour creates a light coating around the chicken and helps the outside become golden and slightly crisp. It is much lighter than using batter, so the finished dish still feels like a stir fry.

Salt and Pepper Seasoning

The seasoning is a mixture of Chinese five-spice, fine salt and ground white pepper.

Sunflower Oil

Sunflower oil has a neutral flavour and is suitable for stir-frying. You can substitute vegetable or rapeseed oil if that is what you have available.

Vegetables and Aromatics

I use sliced onion, red pepper and green pepper, garlic and spring onions. They add plenty of colour, freshness and texture without turning this into a saucy stir fry.

You can use one or two chillies, or dried chilli flakes, depending on how hot you want the finished dish.

Toasted Sesame Oil

Two teaspoons of toasted sesame oil are added near the end of cooking. It gives the stir fry a subtle nutty aroma without overwhelming the salt, pepper and five-spice seasoning.

Equipment

You will need a large frying pan or wok and a spatula or wooden spoon.

I used a large Ninja frying pan and it worked well, but you can use any roomy frying pan or flat-bottomed wok. The important thing is to leave enough space around the chicken so that it fries rather than steams. If your pan is smaller, cook the chicken in three batches instead of two.

How to Make Salt and Pepper Chicken Stir Fry

Start by mixing the Chinese five-spice, salt and white pepper in a small bowl.

Add the chicken pieces to a larger bowl, followed by the cornflour and half of the seasoning mixture. Toss everything together until the chicken is evenly coated.

Heat half of the sunflower oil (2 tbsp, depending on how much chicken you are using), in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add half of the chicken in a single layer and cook it for 5 to 7 minutes, turning the pieces as they cook. Once the chicken is golden and cooked through, transfer it to a plate.

Add the remaining sunflower oil and repeat with the second batch of chicken. If you are using a smaller pan, divide the chicken into three batches instead.

Once all the chicken is cooked, turn the heat down a little and add the sliced onion and peppers to the pan. Stir-fry them for 3 to 4 minutes. They should begin to soften but retain a little bite.

Add the chillies, garlic and most of the spring onions, reserving a few spring onions for serving. Stir-fry for another minute, taking care not to let the garlic burn.

Return the chicken to the pan and sprinkle over the remaining seasoning. Toss everything together, then add the toasted sesame oil. Continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, until the chicken is piping hot and everything is evenly combined.

Taste before serving and add a little more salt or pepper if required. Scatter over the reserved spring onions and serve straight away. We had ours with rice but it works well with noodles too.

Tips for Golden, Lightly Crisp Chicken

• Pat particularly wet chicken dry with kitchen paper before coating it. Excess moisture can prevent it from browning.
• Cut the chicken into evenly sized pieces so that they finish cooking at roughly the same time.
• Let the pan heat up before adding the chicken, but do not leave an empty non-stick pan over a high heat for a prolonged period.
• Cook the chicken in batches. Adding all 800g at once will lower the temperature of the pan and cause the chicken to release more moisture.
• Allow the chicken to cook briefly before moving it around the pan. This gives the coating time to turn golden.
• Serve the stir fry immediately, as the coating will gradually soften once it is mixed with the vegetables.

How Spicy Is It?

The Chinese five-spice is aromatic rather than hot. Most of the heat comes from the white pepper and chillies if you are using them.

For a mild version, leave out ay chillies. For a hotter stir fry, use two chillies with their seeds or half a tsp of dried chilli flakes with the garlic.

Ingredient Swaps and Variations

• Chicken: Use either chicken thighs or chicken breast. Turkey breast would also work, although it may cook a little more quickly.
• Peppers: Use any combination of red, green, yellow or orange peppers.
• Extra vegetables: Add a handful of sliced mangetout or baby corn. Avoid adding too many vegetables at once, as overcrowding can make the stir fry watery.
• No sesame oil: You can leave it out if necessary. The dish will still work, although it will lose some of its nutty aroma.
• Milder version: Leave out the fresh chillies and reduce the white pepper slightly.

What to Serve With Salt and Pepper Chicken

Serve the chicken with plain boiled rice, noodles or my egg fried rice.

It can also be served on its own for a lower-carbohydrate meal, or with some extra stir-fried vegetables on the side.

Storing and Reheating

Salt and pepper chicken is best eaten immediately while the coating is still lightly crisp. If you have leftovers, allow them to cool before transferring them to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheat the chicken and vegetables in a hot frying pan until piping hot throughout. You can also use a microwave, although the chicken coating will be softer.

I would not choose this as a freezer meal because the peppers and onions will soften and the cornflour coating will lose its texture.

Can I Prepare It Ahead?

You can slice the vegetables, cut up the chicken and mix the seasoning in advance. Keep the raw chicken covered in the fridge and store the vegetables separately.

For the best texture, wait until just before cooking to toss the chicken with the cornflour and seasoning.

Why Is There No Stir-Fry Sauce?

Salt and pepper chicken is intended to be a relatively dry dish rather than a chicken stir fry coated in sauce. The seasoning, garlic, chillies, spring onions and sesame oil provide plenty of flavour while allowing the golden chicken coating to remain the focus.

More Easy Stir Fry Recipes

I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you are looking for more easy stir fry recipes check out these for ideas;

• Egg Fried Rice
• Chicken Stir Fry
• Pork Mince Stir Fry
• Beef Noodle Stir Fry
• Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
• Honey Garlic Chicken Noodles