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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.
This post was originally published on August 19, 2021
Delicious! I wish the sauce thickened up a bit more, but I intend to add this to my recipe rotation!
Hey Courtney,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have the best day:) xTieghan
Hi, I was wondering what I could use instead of cornstarch? Any suggestions?
Hey Ashlyn,
You can use arrowroot powder in place of the cornstarch. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
yum. yum. and rather quick!
only issue is need to double recipe for 2 teenagers in the house:)
Hey Julie,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
If I use 1 deseeded jalapeño, do you think my 9 yo could tolerate the spiciness?
Hey Trisha,
I think that would be totally fine to do! I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious and SO easy!
This will for sure become my go-to stir fry sauce.
And that rice…I was convinced it wasn’t going to be cooked (I do not have a good track record with rice!) but it was absolutely perfect. Another great recipe!
Hey Camilia,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I am delighted to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
During the pandemic I started making thai and chinese recipes, I have an entire folder of recipes I made from dumplings to bao buns with crispy duck and on and on. So of course your Asian inspired recipes catch my eye. This one was absolutely delicious! Just enough sweet along with a tiny kick of fire from the jalapenos. I hadn’t made coconut rice yet so the rice was a real treat and went so well with the chicken. Thank you!
Hey Jaclyn,
Fantastic! Love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks bunch for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Just made this and everybody enjoyed it very much. Had a small zucchini that I added and it fit in very wl.
Hey Amy,
Fantastic! Love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks bunch for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Made this last night. This was delicious! Quick and easy for me. I used dried basil because I didn’t have any fresh and it tasted great. Perfect amount of spice and sweet with the honey.
Hey Alysa,
Fantastic! Love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks bunch for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Four thumbs up from my two boys. Definitely going on the rotation. Thank you!
Hey Lesley,
Happy Friday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks a lot for making it. xTieghan
This was outstanding. Made two small modifications.
1) Took the veggies out of the pan to get a better sear on the chicken, then added them back in with the sauce.
2) some roasted peanuts on top added texture.
Hey Paul,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Just wow! The spice, the complexity of the flavors, the ratio of sauciness —all perfect. I certainly plan to make this again.
Hey there,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This is a great recipe! My husband said “this is super good” like 10 times while eating it. Super easy and full of flavor. Thank you!
This has to now be my favorite HBH recipe. It was amazing!! I left the seeds in the jalapeño and it really kicked it up. The basil really brought it all together, will be on a regular rotation. Well done!!
Hey Michelle,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hey Jodi,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was absolutely outstanding. I will make it again. Absolutely loved it.
Hey Jackie,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Oh my gosh. This is incredible. It smells good, looks good and tastes good. It has a decent amount of kick (I used two jalapeños) and it is so simple to make. Will make again and again.
Hey Simone,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Another winner! My “char” takes a wee bit longer than yours…..but I don’t care, your recipes rock!
Hey there,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan
Hi! Love this – if making rice in the instant pot instead of stovetop, what would the instructions be?
Hey there,
Sorry, I’ve never made rice in the instant pot, I only make it on the stove top. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Hi, rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Then add the rice to the IP with the same amount of water. For instance, if you have 1 cup rice you ‘ll add 1 cup water (the IP needs a minimum of 1 cup of liquid to come to pressure so don’t make less than this). Use the rice setting on the IP, once the time is up immediately vent the steam and remove cover. Do not leave on warming. Hope that helps.