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Weeknight style 25 Minute Black Pepper Jalapeño Basil Chicken Stir Fry. The super fast chicken stir fry that everyone requests. Quick-cooking chicken tossed in a sweet, tangy, and spicy black pepper sauce with plenty of bell peppers, jalapeños, and basil. Serve this chicken over coconut lemongrass rice. Every bite is saucy, sweet, spicy, and perfectly seasoned with basil. It’s delicious and healthy.
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The summer of my freshman year, I remember making chicken stir-fry all the time. This was the summer I really started to get into cooking. It was also the summer I got into the habit of cooking dinner for my family, I loved it. It was always such a release of creative energy for me at the end of the day.
Chicken stir-fry was one of the dinners I had the most fun experimenting with. You don’t need a specific recipe for stir-fry. For me, it’s always a mix of whatever vegetables I have on hand. And my sauce, it’s almost never the same.
Stir-fry is fun because you can do what you want with it. So today I’m sharing a quick stir-fry recipe that was just so good it needed to be written down…and hopefully made on repeat.
This really is fast, here are the details
First up, toss the chicken with a little cornstarch, turmeric, and ginger. Tossing the chicken with cornstarch helps the sauce to thicken nicely around the chicken.
Now make the sauce. It’s simply, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce (if you’d like), and plenty of black pepper.
Then stir fry the peppers and jalapeños until they just begin to soften. Add the chicken and give everything a nice toss. Then pour the sauce over top and let it simmer down and thicken over the chicken and peppers
While the chicken cooks, I always make some coconut rice with a touch of lemongrass. Using coconut milk in the rice adds additional creaminess, and the lemongrass keeps it flavorful. SO GOOD.
Now, put it all together
Spoon the rice into bowls, then add the chicken and peppers. Finish each bowl off with fresh basil.
Then serve it up right off the stove.
This really is that simple and that quick-cooking. Honestly, this will take you no more than thirty minutes to make.
Looking for other quick stir fry recipes? Here are some favorites:
30 Minute Better Than Takeout Thai Drunken Noodles
20 Minute Stir Fried Honey Ginger Sesame Noodles
30 Minute Extra Saucy Thai Summer Noodle Stir Fry with Sesame Peanuts
Lastly, if you make these 25 Minute Black Pepper Jalapeño Basil Chicken Stir Fry, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
25 Minute Black Pepper Jalapeño Basil Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce, (optional)
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1-2 jalapeños, seeded, if desired, and sliced
- 1 medium shallot, sliced
- 1 cup fresh Thai or regular basil chopped
Instructions
- 1. In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken, cornstarch, turmeric, ginger, and black pepper. 2. In a glass jar, combine the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce (if using) and 1/4 cup water.3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, jalapeños, and shallots, cook 2-3 minutes, until the peppers are charring. Stir in the chicken, tossing to combine with the peppers, cook 2 minutes. 4. Pour in the honey/soy sauce mix. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sauce coats the chicken, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.5. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of coconut lemongrass rice (recipe in notes). Top with plenty of fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I’ve commented on this dish before, but I just have to do it again! LOL I have never served this dish that it has not been raved over or requested again. The lemongrass rice is also over the top. And by using thighs, it’s foolproof. You don’t have to worry about the chicken drying out. Always moist and delicious. This dish reheats very well. I don’t have access to Thai basil so I always use regular basil, but if I ever find fresh Thai basil I will grab it. This recipe needs to appear in some of your “what to cook this month” posts. Thank you for this gem, Theigan!
Hey Lisa,
Happy Friday! Thank you so much for making this recipe so often and sharing your thoughts again, so happy it always works for you!
This is very good! So easy, but I had to cook the rice a little longer, but it was excellent! Love your recipes they always work out great😊
Hey Renee,
Perfect! I’m so glad to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it!
Have a great week!
One of my all time favourites
Hey Gordon,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe so often, I’m so glad it is always a winner!
LOVE this! So easy and delicious!
Hi Heather,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your comment!!
delicious!! and bonus that this recipe is easy and comes together quickly. i didn’t have honey, so substituted a loosely filled one-third cup of brown sugar. I also didn’t have basil, so i used parsley. Adding Thai basil would have knocked this out of the park, i think, but it was still amazing without.
(oh and i used chicken thighs which take me too long to prep, but it’s worth it.)
Hi Annie,
Amazing! Thank you for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you. xxT
This looks great! Quick question: if I don’t have cornstarch at home, can I sub white flour? Thank you!
Hi Jacob,
Yes, that should work nicely for you. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This was quick and easy and had so much flavor. Passed the recipe onto my daughter and
a couple friends for a good weeknight meal. Will definitely make again!
Hey Terri,
Awesome! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Xx
Simple and so flavourful! Another winner Tieghan!
Hey Bette,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it! xT
You just outdid yourself with this recipe! This was absolutely scrumptious. So easy and full of flavor. I did not even use all of the ingredients (had to leave out jalapeños and Thai basil as I did not have any at home. Used red onion instead of shallots and green bell peppers) and it came out so so good!! I served it over white rice. This is a keeper! 🩷 will make this again and again!
Hey Isabella,
Fantastic! So glad to hear that this dish turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you making it! xT
This is beautiful! The addition of the turmeric is genius as it makes the chicken a beautiful golden yellow colour (much prettier than pasty white!) Loved it!
Hey there,
Happy Friday! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xT
very tasty stir fry, we will be making this again! Just an fyi it does not serve 6, more like 4
Hi Hilary,
Wonderful! I am so glad this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xT