Black Pepper Chicken (Copycat Panda Express Recipe)

Black Pepper Chicken is tasty and a famous Chinese inspired dish. Not only is this homemade alternative healthier, but it can be cooked and eaten within 30 minutes. It has been popularized in Panda Express. This has a blend of flavors with black pepper sauce, celery, and love. It gives the chicken a distinct taste of being glazed in a sticky and slightly hot sauce. This chili chicken recipe is deliciously pilfered from panda express. That apart it also makes for an excellent health food recipe that can be prepared and served within thirty minutes.

These are well-known and commonly used ways of making copycat panda express at home. You can make other Chinese food using it. Like personally I love vegan tofu kung pao or try this delicious chicken stir fry, it tastes a little sweet, a little spicy and a little savory. And one of them which people prefer most as indicated by their popularity rates.

So now you too can prepare these chili chicken in your own cozy kitchen! That’s why you will fall so much in love with this chicken; cooking is very appetizing that I am sure you will try to do even right now! It can also be served with rice. And it’s the perfect weeknight meal that can be prepared and served on the dinner table in just 30 minutes!

Reasons to adore black pepper chicken

Fast: This Chinese Pepper Chicken is super easy and time saving. You just need half an hour of your precious time for preparing the chicken by cutting, coating and frying. And within that thirty minutes a delicious meal will be ready!

Better than takeout: One can easily go to Panda Express in his car. Alternatively, he may as well order this through Door Dash. However, it is even better when prepared at home. This dish tastes much better when made at home and you can control the ingredients you add to it as per your taste. Also, it is very beneficial for health.

Diet-friendly: By diet friendly I mean if you want something healthier on their menu over at Panda Express then there’s everything that is really good for your health. These are low carb but still flavorful because they aren’t deep fried.

What’s the Taste of Chicken with Black Pepper?

Like I mean diet friendly, I mean if you’re looking for something better for your health, the menu at Panda Express has all the things that are very beneficial for your health. Because they are not heavily fried, they are low carb, but packed with flavor.

Black Pepper Chicken Recipe Ingredients

A complete list of all the ingredients needed to make Black Pepper Chicken and their quantities is on the recipe card below. Scroll down to see the recipe card and recipe.

Chicken broth: You can use low-sodium chicken broth if you like, or you can adjust the amount to your liking.

Chicken breasts: It is a lean protein, providing a hearty base. This helps absorb the flavor of the chili sauce.

Oyster sauce: on the other, provides a sweet and tangy mix of flavors with just enough saltiness.

Rice wine vinegar: These add a gently tangy, umami flavor to the chutney which enhances its taste.

Salt and pepper: they flavor the dish by providing flavors, spices.

Dark brown sugar: Dark brown adds a bit of caramel to the sweetness.

Garlic, Ginger, and Shallot: Next is our fresh ingredient that will already take its respective position as the garlic, ginger and shallot which are Ummmaaammmmmy. These are the times that Rey contrasts with soy sauce fun.

Seasoning: Of course you’ll need black pepper, but I like ground chili powder for a little kick and ginger garlic for a hot spice.

Cornstarch Slurry: We will prepare a mixture of cornstarch and water, which will be used to thicken the sauce. Which will make sure that it coats our chicken perfectly.

Regarding the Chicken

Concerning chicken thighs: It is recommended for this recipe to employ boneless, skinless meat, as it is considerably preferable.

As for a green bell pepper: The inclusion of a green bell pepper imparts a subtle spiciness that enhances the dish’s flavor complexity.

Pertaining to Celery and Onion: Both yellow and white onions are acceptable options; selection may vary without substantial consequence.

Chicken

Thighs of chicken: In this recipe I would suggest you go with skinless and boneless meat which is more preferable.

A green pepper: It is characterized by a little bit of a bite which makes the tastes of this food intricate.

Onion and celery: Yellow or white onions would also be good; you may use any.

How to Make Black Pepper Chicken Panda Express 

Here we will learn the complete method of building Panda Express. Scroll down the post to know the complete method.

Prepare the chicken by: Cut up the chicken into very small pieces and mix with cornstarch, soy sauce, pepper salt, and garlic ginger powder that tenderizes the chicken and adds flavor.

Deep-fry the chicken: Take a pan and heat oil in it and deep fry the chicken pieces in it for 4 to 5 minutes. Place the fried chicken pieces on a wire rack and then place them in a hot oven.

Prepare the sauce: In a clean bowl, stir together all the ingredients garlic, ginger, pepper, salt and shallot.

Mix the chicken with the sauce: Pour the pureed mixture into the wok, and then add the sauce and spices and bring to a boil. 

Add the slurry of cornstarch: Stir cornstarch and slurry into mixture, roll it up. Add chopped celery, onion, chicken and cook for 5 minutes and serve on the dining table with rice Chili Chicken Panda Express Copycat. Then enjoy this meal.

Advice for Success:

I have some recipes below for you to make the best Chili Chicken Panda Express.

Choice of chicken: Choosing the best chicken is very important to make a successful and better black pepper chicken. Use fresh and boneless chicken so that the chicken is tender and delicious. 

The right marinating: Marinate the chicken well. It should be marinated for at least 30 minutes to enable the spices to go in properly. Keeping it too long marinating will make it even tastier.

Using veggies in Panda Express Black Chicken: Different vegetables such as onion, capsicum and carrot are used in this meal. Overcooking them will lead to loss of their flavor.

For crispy chicken: Fry the chicken about an inch apart so that it becomes crispy and flavorful. When the temperature is very high, chicken gets burned up fast, yet remains raw inside.

The amount of black paper matters: Be careful with the amount of black paper you use. Taste before adding more so that it does not become too spicy. Adjust black pepper accordingly.

Cook on low flame: Cook the chicken on low heat so as not to burn it but cook through until it is tender and juicy inside.

Chicken Sauce: To have a good sauce for chicken keep soy sauce hot sauce and oyster sauce ratio correct. The volume of sauce should correspond to that of chicken so that it is moderate neither less nor excessive.

Serve immediately: As soon as the black pepper chicken is ready, serve it immediately. Because this dish tastes better hot.

Presentation: For presentation, serve the chicken in a pretty dish and sprinkle green onions, finely chopped coriander or sesame seeds over it to make it look pretty too.

Experiment: Finally, don’t be afraid to try different flavors. Experiment according to your taste and make the dish of your choice delicious.

Substitutes and Recipe Ingredients

1. Substitute Chicken Apply Chicken If you’d like a variation, you can use boneless chicken thighs instead of only boneless skinless breasts.

2. Different Wood Products Leek can be replaced with other vegetables, such as pepper. For instance, one can use different tasting broccoli or even include carrots and mushrooms.

3.Soy sauce If you want low salt, use plain soy sauce that is plain. The baby can be used for the non-nuclear option too.

4.Black Pepper Add less black pepper if you wish to prepare a dish that is not so hot. For a mild taste, try white pepper.

5.Wine To make the mixture more sour for example, little rice wine or apple wine will suffice.

 Recipe Serving Suggestions

1. Boiled rice  Serve black pepper chicken with steamed rice. The rice absorbs the chicken gravy well and the taste becomes double.

2.Fried rice Another good choice for a change is fried rice. It is really attractive when served with chicken, which enhances the taste of the meal.

3.Noodles Serve the chicken with shallowly fried noodles. This is a delicious and colorful option that will appeal even to children.

4.Vegetable salad Serve the chicken with fresh vegetable salad; this helps in balancing diets and is also good for health.

5. Green onions Sprinkle the green onions on top when serving the chicken. It not only looks beautiful but also enhances the taste.

6. Sauce Serve green chutney or sweet and savory chutney with the chicken. Chutney adds to the flavor of food. 

7. Cucumber slices Serve chicken with cucumber slices. They are refreshing and make food feel lighter.

Storing black pepper chicken

Would you like your chicken and peppers to last longer? Don’t worry! I will present the most effective technique to you.

Put it in the fridge: Once cooked, cool down the poultry thoroughly then seal it in an airtight container and put in the refrigerator. This can be kept for three or four days.

To warm up: The leftover chicken can be reheated by putting them in a microwave on high heat for 50 seconds or on a medium inch skillet on the stove.
Freezing: As such, it is impossible to freeze chicken because of its flavor due to black pepper which may change both taste and tenderness of the meat. So, freezing chicken without adding chili sauce for about 3 months is more preferable.

Black Pepper Chicken FAQs

What does Panda Express black pepper chicken taste like?

Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken has a savory, spicy and slightly sweet taste. It has the sharp aroma of black pepper, the saltiness of soy sauce and the mild sweetness of oyster sauce. The addition of onion and capsicum makes this dish crunchy and flavorful. This dish is light but delicious to eat, which goes well with rice or noodles.

What is Panda Express chicken made of? 

The ingredients of Panda Express are as follows:

Chicken breasts or chicken thighs (boneless) 

Soy sauce 

Oyster sauce

Black paper 

Garlic 

Ginger 

Chinese 

cornstarch (for marinating and drizzling)

Oil (for frying)

All these ingredients together make the chicken crispy, delicious and aromatic.

Why does Panda orange chicken have spice?

Panda Express’s: Orange Chicken has spice due to the addition of red chili flakes and chutney. The sauce contains vinegar, soy sauce and various spices that make it sweet as well as a little hot. Combining sweet and spicy flavors makes this dish special because it balances them.

What are the benefits of black pepper for chickens?

improves digestion: Black pepper betters the digestive system. It enhances production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach that improves food digestion.

Therefore, Black pepper can help to increase the rate of metabolism in a person’s body hence aids in weight loss.

The same nutritiousness is found in black pepper as it has some vitamins and minerals that nourish the whole human body.

Properties of Antioxidants: The existence of antioxidants in black pepper protects the body against free radicals thus preventing diseases.

Increasing Immunity: Those who consume black pepper regularly are less likely to get ill because it has antibacterial and antiviral elements which enhance immunity.

Diminishes inflammation: Internal pain is relieved while the inflammatory action is reduced by using black peppers, which have anti-inflammatory qualities.