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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.
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 335 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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
Coconut Lemongrass Rice: Combine 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk and 1/2 cup water in a medium pot. Bring to a low boil. Add 1 cup basmati rice, 1-2 tablespoons lemongrass paste, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook 10 minutes on low, then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit, covered, for another 15-20 minutes (don’t take any peeks inside!). Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
Yum!! Took me a bit more than 25 minutes, but it was so worth it! Like another commenter, adding some nuts on top was such a great addition 😊 I would totally make this again- Reminds me a lot of kung pao chicken.
Thank you sooo much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! xT
This recipe was delicious! I recommend slicing the jalapeños and adding as a garnish at this end instead of cooking with the peppers. Serve over basmati rice and it’s amazing!
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
Yum! I added zucchini from my garden and the fam loved it! Wish I could post a pic , it was so pretty .
Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
This is a delicious recipe so full of flavor and quick and simple!!! I didn’t have the lemongrass so just served with brown rice. Definitely will try it next time!!!
Thanks so much Jennifer! So glad this stir fry was a success for you! xT
Made this and loved loved loved it! The depth of flavor was amazing. I added cut up zucchini and broccoli because I had some in my garden. Topped it with crushed cashews for a crunch.
Hi Sarah,
Amazing!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and sharing your feedback! Thanks for making it:) xx
Enjoyed this dish last night! Ended up having to make the Lemongrass Paste for the rice, but it was really good 🙂 The flavors from the spices and sauce and the spice from the Jalapeños made for a full flavored dinner. This will go into the rotation of great meals to make
Hi Gregor,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this dish was enjoyed and thanks a bunch for making it! xx
Super addicting meal! Love it Amazingly easy to prepare! To be honest we did have to take some short cuts due to lack of ingredients available and it still was GREAT. Instead of honey, we used maple syrup. No fish sauce or corn starch either but the dish didn’t suffer at all. Delicious outcome. Great for meal prep.
Hi Celine,
Happy Monday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it:) xT
This looks amazing! But I don’t eat chicken…would pork be a decent substitute? Or just extra veggies?
Hi Amber,
Totally, pork would be great, steak, or extra veggies:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Easy and delicious! Prepping ahead with slicing chicken and veggies and keeping them in the fridge makes this an even quicker meal!
Hey Brianna,
Happy Wednesday! ⛅️🌈 I’m so glad to hear that this recipe worked well for you and I appreciate you giving it a try! xx
Yummy! Made this and it was delicious! I’d add a picture but can’t figure out how!
Hi Tasha,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! Sorry, we don’t allow photos here:) xx
This was fantastic! Tasted like takeout but better – healthy, cleaner and to our taste. I too would dial up the heat with even more jalapeño and black pepper, if you like more spice. Easy to make and delicious….can’t ask for more!
Hey Courtney,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! xx
Delicious! are you sure this is for 6 servings? hahaha we cleared it up between DH and I in one meal.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hey Polly,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I’m thrilled to hear that it turned out well for you:)
Delicious! We are team hot and spicy in this house, so we dialed down the honey, and dialed up the black pepper and added a pinch of red pepper flakes along with a pinch of cayenne pepper! Easy to make!
Hey Liz,
Happy Sunday!!🌸 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xT
After a frustrating chicken prep (because I went with the budget option and got bone-in thighs with the skin on) this came together so easily. Sometimes the time a recipe claims is not what it actually takes. But I think this one would have been if not for my own choice in the cut of chicken I got. I will return to this recipe, when the boneless skinless breasts go on sale.
Hey Carrie,
Happy Monday!!💐 Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
Can this be done in an instant pot? If so, how long would you cook for?
Hey Sarah,
So sorry, I’ve not tested this recipe in the instant pot. It’s super quick and easy on the stove top:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xx