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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.
This meal was so easy to prepare and had so much flavor. My husband loved it too! It is the perfect weeknight dinner!
Hi Shawna,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!!☀️ xTieghan
This was very good. We don’t eat meat so I admittedly had to make some ingredient and instruction changes, but it worked out great! I used 4 cups of dried, then reconstituted in chickenless broth, soy curls (a fantastic chicken replacement!) that I broke up in to bite sizes pieces beforehand. I mixed in the seasonings and 2 TBSP of corn starch then browned the soy curls in 2 TBSP sesame oil and set aside. Then I cooked the peppers and shallot before adding the soy curls back in t the pan. Then I poured the sauce in and let it simmer for a few min as I turned everything in the pan.
As for the sauce, I doubled it because the soy curls soak up liquid easily. However, I only needed to use about 3/4 of what I made. I also used less honey, to taste, and added a couple good pinches of red chili pepper flakes instead of leaving the seeds in the jalapeno. Lastly, I added 1 TBSP of corn starch to the sauce to thicken it just a bit so it would cling nicely to the soy curls and peppers. I served the stir fry over steamed brown jasmine rice, and I sprinkled chopped peanuts over the top of the stir fry along with additional basil to add a bit of crunch to the texture. I served mini spring rolls on the side.
This was delicious and my family enjoyed it!
Hi Lisa,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Thanks for sharing your feedback and what worked well for you! xxT
What about adding chard broccoli and using hot honey instead of regular honey?
Hey Molly,
Sure, those would work for you:) Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
Be sure to make the rice as recommended too. The two together are delicious!
Hi Sharon,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
I’ve rated this before. It is one of our favorite dinners. I make it every other week!
Love to hear this Pam!!
This was so tasty! My husband had his with some cut up mango and loved it that way too. 🙂 Was very happy with how quick it all came together!
Hi Kaley,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out!! xx
My local grocery stores never have enough basil so I can’t attest to that but I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe and have made it a couple of times. I LOVE your Asian food.
Hey Courtney,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
Delicious as always! I didn’t make a single change to this recipe 🙂 The spice from the chicken was well complimented by the sweetness of the coconut rice. I’ve made this twice already!
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ? xx
This recipe is in my top 5 favorites of yours! SO SO SO good. I ended up adding 3 Jalapeños (my husband and I love spicy) and it was perfect. We also made it with the coconut rice- didn’t have lemon grass so added freshly grated ginger and lemon. Already can’t wait to make this again.
Hey Brynn,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Hi!! This is one of me and my husband’s favorites, so I was wanting to make it for my in-laws coming into town, but it seems like we’re out of chicken. I have some ribeye and sirloin steaks, do you think either of those would work? Thank you!!!
Hey Jill,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! I would do sirloin and thinly slice strips for this dish. xx
Ohmygoodness, you did it again ?? My boyfriend and I loved it. This dish was full of flavor, tasted similar to curry with the coconut rice, it was like I went to a restaurant! Incredibly delicious and I’m happy I have leftovers ? thank you for your creativity!
Hey Sereena,
I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xxT
Made this for dinner tonight! We added some Thai chilis to make it extra spicy. It was delicious!!
Hey Ivana,
Happy Wednesday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Delectable and super easy! We love the tangy sauce mixed with the basil – what a great combo. Will definitely make this again and again.
Hey Liv,
Happy Wednesday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Next level recipe. The entire family raved on it. Couldn’t find lemongrass paste…substituted grated ginger and lemon zest. Came out great. Can’t get enough of your recipes, Tieghan!
Hey Randy,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xxT
I LOVE this dish. Have probably made it 3 or 4 times so far! So so yummy….
Hey Tara,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT