Copycat Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken
I can’t wait for you to try my copycat Panda Express Black Pepper chicken! I am a HUGE fan of Panda Express – there was a Panda Express on the ground level of the company I worked at in Chicago. If I forgot my lunch, or couldn’t decide what to get – Panda always sounded great. Although wanting to keep to my healthy eating plan, I needed a way to make a version of my favorite black pepper chicken myself. This recipe hits the spot!
This recipe is inspired by @iheartumami.ny. I definitely recommend you checking out her Instagram page – she has tons of delicious recipes. This is a super quick weeknight dinner, ready in under an hour.
Tip for making chicken tender!
Tips for cooking with chicken breast – which if you over cook it can be super tough. This chicken is marinated in a Large Ziploc bag with soy sauce, garlic powder, salt, baking soda and I added 2 tablespoons of flour.
Seal the bag and shake to make sure the chicken is coated well.
Cook on HIGH heat!
The other tip is when the chicken is cut into cubes, it doesn’t take that long to sear the outside – just a couple of minutes. Using a large non stick skillet, add 1 tablespoon of your favorite oil – I used avocado oil – heat the pan for a couple of minutes with the oil.
Then add your chicken and let it sit for 90 seconds. Shake the pan to let it cook on all sides- remove from pan – we’ll add this later to finish cooking.
CopyCat Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast Cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce* divided (2 TB. goes into the black pepper sauce)
- 1/4 tsp course sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 stalks celery cut on the diagonal
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1/2 white onion sliced
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons Kettle and Fire Brand chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Add the cubed chicken to a Ziploc bag. Add one tablespoon soy sauce, the salt, baking soda, garlic powder, 2 tablespoons flour. Mix to coat the chicken.
- While the chicken is marinating, cut the vegetables.
- The black pepper sauce is next. Add to a bowl, 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of chicken broth.
- In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and heat for several minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 90 seconds without touching. This creates an incredible sear on the outside. After 90 seconds, stir the chicken around to brown the chicken. Remove from pan.
- Add the vegetables and cook for 4-5 minutes. I like them to still be kind of crisp.
- Add the chicken back into the pan and add the marinade. Cook for several more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve over rice.
Notes
Need more Chicken ideas?