Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry (Panda Express Copycat Recipe) – This easy and delicious copycat recipe brings together tender chicken, crispy veggies, and a rich, peppery sauce. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or meal prep, this stir-fry is packed with bold flavors!
Why We Love Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken
If you are gluten–free, you probably already know that the Panda Express restaurant chain states on their website that they offer no gluten-free food items. What a bummer! This always baffles me, because swapping gluten-free soy sauce for regular soy sauce is all it would take, in some of their dishes.
Regardless, we still love Panda Express with great passion, I just can’t take my daughter Ava there. Instead, we make gluten-free versions of her favorite Panda Express dishes at home. They taste just as (if not more) amazing at home, and we have full quality control on ingredients and portions.
Black Pepper Chicken is my go-to Panda Express order, because it’s bold and zesty, yet is one of their lighter menu options. It’s essentially made of chicken thighs, onions, celery, and a rich full-bodied spicy black pepper sauce. Fortunately, this recipe is easy to replicate at home, using organic ingredients (if desired) and of course gluten-free soy sauce. It takes just a few minutes to prep and cook, and would even be considered low carb, if you skip the side of rice or noodles!
Ingredients You Need
- Chicken thighs – boneless, skinless or chicken breasts
- Onion – peeled and chopped
- Celery – sliced, 1/3-inch cut on a bias
- Soy sauce – low sodium, gluten-free
- Rice vinegar
- Cornstarch
- Spices – ginger, garlic powder, red pepper
- Liquid smoke
- Peanut oil – or coconut oil
- Black pepper – coarse ground
How To Make Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken
- Make the sauce. Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and liquid smoke. The liquid smoke gives the sauce that unique Panda Express can’t-quite-put-your-finger-on-it flavor, so don’t skip it! Also, you will marinate the chicken in the sauce for a few minutes, then thicken the sauce in the pan.
Pro Tip: Don’t skip the marination time. Even though the chicken only soaks in the sauce for a few minutes, it does impact the overall flavor and helps make the meat more tender.
- Chop, chop. Cut the chicken thighs and vegetables (onions, and celery) into small pieces. Place the chicken in the sauce.
- Crack that pepper. Grind the pepper on the largest setting. If you use fine pre-ground pepper the pepper taste will be too powerful. The pieces need to be mostly large.
- Sizzle it. In a wok, stir fry the onions and celery for about 1 minute. Then add the chicken to the hot wok. Stir fry for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Sauce it up. Add the sauce and the black pepper. Stir as the sauce thickens. Stir in the onions and celery. Simmer another 1-2 minutes.
Get the Full (Printable) Black Pepper Chicken Recipe Below
Serving Suggestions
You can’t go wrong with the classic choice of steamed white or brown rice. For something heartier, serve the stir-fry alongside homemade fried rice or even stir-fried noodles like chow mein or lo mein.
If you’re looking for a lighter, healthier alternative, quinoa or cauliflower rice makes a great low-carb option. You can also try wrapping the stir-fry in crisp lettuce leaves for a refreshing, low-carb meal. Vegetables like broccoli, snap peas, or green beans are great on the side.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can keep this recipe’s leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
This recipe will store nicely in the freezer when in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Other great stir-fry veggies that you can add are broccoli or bell pepper.
Looking for More Asian Stir Fry Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Keto Thai Larb Rolls
- Instant Pot Sesame Chicken
- Sheet Pan Mongolian Beef
- Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles
- Paleo Lemon Chicken
- Paleo Cashew Chicken
- Korean Bulgogi
Get the Full (Printable) Black Pepper Chicken Recipe Below
Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups sliced celery, 1/3-inch cut on a bias
- 1/2 cup low sodium gluten free soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or coconut oil)
- 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper (use a pepper mill)
- 1/4-3/4 cup water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and liquid smoke.
- Chop the chicken thighs into small bite-size pieces, no more than 3/4 inch. (Panda express uses very small pieces.) Place the chicken pieces in the marinade.
- Allow the chicken to marinate at least 10 minutes, but longer is better. Meanwhile, chop the onions and celery. Grind the pepper on the largest setting. If you use pre-ground fine pepper the taste will be too powerful.
- Place a wok (or large skillet) over high heat. Add the oil. Once it’s hot, stir fry the onions and celery for about 1 minute. It should be just starting to cook, and still firm. Quickly remove from the wok.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade with a skimmer, reserving the marinade for later use. Place the chicken in the hot wok. Stir fry for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Whisk the marinade and pour it in the wok. Add the black pepper. Stir as the sauce thickens. If it thickens too much, add 1/4 cup water at a time to loosen the sauce until it’s the right consistency. It should be thick enough to coat the chicken, but not gummy. Stir in the onions and celery. Simmer another 1-2 minutes. Serve warm.
I haven’t tried this yet. What could I use instead of liquid smoke? Thanks!
Hi B,
There’s not really anything to replicate the flavor of liquid smoke. If you can’t find it, just omit. :)
This is such a perfect dinner for weeknights! Everyone enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Very easy and very tasty thanks!
I used 500g thigh fillets, and a couple of subs…
Soy sauce only used half as I ran out.
Rice vinegar… I used apple cider vinegar
Added 2 bell peppers sliced into squares.
Served with rice
My family loved this recipe so much. No more takeout for us!
I love black pepper chicken but I’ve also enjoyed black pepper shrimp on buffets. Do you have a suggestion of cooking time for shrimp?
Hi PJ,
You can make black pepper shrimp using this recipe! Just be sure not to overcook the shrimp. 3-5 minutes should be enough time.
Bravo. This is absolutely amazing.
It came out delicious!
The only thing I changed, only because I didn’t have it, was the celery. I used Italian hot peppers and it gave it a nice spiciness. 5 out of 5 recommend!
Is the liquid smoke used in this recipe Mesquite, Hickory or another flavor?
Hi Denise,
You can pick your favorite… I usually go with hickory. :)
Made this tonight, used bok choy instead of celery, it was fantastic! I didn’t pay close attention to the recipe and put the pepper in the marinade, it was still one of the best recipes I’ve tried this year. I will absolutely make this again (and again)! I made an additional 1/2 recipe of the marinade to add at the end, (you can never have too much sauce right?) it was perfect. Great black pepper flavor, warms your lips up without being a painful hot. If you don’t have a wok, but love this kind of dish, get one! It makes it alot easier to get the even heat (and room) you need to do a stir fry right. Loved it!!!