Extra Pepper Chicken

Chinese takeout fills a really important niche in my life.

If I’m feeling down, or feeling homebound, ordering Chinese will instantly put me in a good mood. We’ve got a ton of quick Chinese takeout spots around the city, and I usually don’t order from the same one twice. I’ll switch between Singapore noodles (curry spiced noodles with char siu pork), lo mein, and shrimp egg foo young.

But there’s one dish I order more than most: pepper steak. I love pepper steak. The green bell peppers, the thick brown sauce, the thinly sliced steak—that’s my jam. If you want to be put into a good mood, order some pepper steak. It’s instant feel good food.

I went into my cooking this weekend with a thought to make my own pepper steak, but with chicken. I found a great deal on a big batch of chicken thighs so I had to use them up—what better way than to make my favorite takeout dish?!

There was a special Szechuan pepper blend at the grocery store that I picked up thinking would be perfect for this dish. Guess what? It was perfect! Inside the tube were were pink, green, and Szechuan peppercorns that ground up and added this extreme, extra pepper taste to the dish.

You can use regular pepper, but fresh ground is best for this. You want to layer that pepper flavor in every bite, and pre-ground pepper won’t come through as well as those big chunks of pepper you get when you grind it yourself. With the addition of red and green bell peppers, this dish is just about as peppery as it comes.

If your craving some takeout but don’t want to spend the dough, then this recipe is for you.

Enjoy!

Extra Pepper Chicken

• Servings: 4-5
• Time: 45 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Chinese takeout with a peppery spin. Chicken with bell peppers and onions in a extra peppery sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into strips
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 4 TBS. soy sauce
• 3 TBS. white vinegar
• 3 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together half of the soy sauce, half of the vinegar, ginger, garlic and 2 teaspoons pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. In a large skillet or wok, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and discard marinade. Cook chicken until browned and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Remove to a plate.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet and add bell peppers and onion. Saute until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken back to skillet along with remaining soy sauce, vinegar, and freshly ground pepper. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve.

Step-By-Step Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together half of the soy sauce, half of the vinegar, ginger, garlic and 2 teaspoons pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

In a large skillet or wok, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and discard marinade. Cook chicken until browned and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet and add bell peppers and onion.

Saute until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken back to skillet along with remaining soy sauce, vinegar, and freshly ground pepper. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve.