Quick Pepper Chicken Stir Fry (Printable Version)
Tender chicken and crisp bell peppers in a savory sauce, ready in 25 minutes for effortless weeknight meals.
# Ingredient List:
→ Chicken
01 - 1.1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
03 - 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
04 - 1 green bell pepper, sliced
05 - 1 small onion, sliced
06 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 2 spring onions, sliced, for garnish
→ Sauce and Seasonings
08 - 2 tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
09 - 1 tbsp oyster sauce
10 - 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
11 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
12 - 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
13 - 1 tsp corn starch
14 - ¼ cup water
15 - 1 tbsp sesame oil
16 - 1 tbsp vegetable oil, for stir frying
# How to Make:
01 - In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, black pepper, corn starch, and water until smooth. Set aside.
02 - Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat until shimmering.
03 - Add the sliced chicken to the wok in a single layer and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
04 - Return the wok to the heat and add the sesame oil. Toss in the sliced onion and all three bell peppers, stir frying for 2 to 3 minutes until tender-crisp. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant.
05 - Return the chicken to the wok and pour in the prepared sauce. Toss everything together vigorously and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens and evenly coats the chicken and vegetables.
06 - Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with sliced spring onions. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice or noodles.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sauce balances savory, tangy, and slightly sweet notes without needing a long ingredient list or any fancy technique.
- Everything cooks in one pan, which means cleanup is almost as fast as cooking.
02 -
- Crowding the pan with too much chicken at once causes steaming instead of searing, so cook in two batches if your wok is on the smaller side.
- Adding the corn starch sauce before the pan is hot enough will leave you with a gummy texture instead of that silky coating you are aiming for.
03 -
- Mix the sauce right before you start cooking so the corn starch does not settle and create clumps at the bottom of the bowl.
- Let the chicken sit undisturbed for the first minute in the wok before stirring to develop real caramelization.