Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken (Copycat)

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on Last updated

209 Comments

4.91 from 63 votes
4
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

bowl of chicken and black pepperPanda Express Black Pepper Chicken is marinated ginger soy chicken, in a peppery black pepper sauce with celery and onions that tastes exactly like the Panda Express version you love! And really low in fat and WW points!

This is my first post of the new year and it seems only fitting that it is a Panda Express recipe copycat. Why is that you ask? You guys LOVE them. Every one of the recipes that have been posted here have been among the most popular recipes on the blog. I don’t blame you all, I love them too. In fact while you only see a recipe posted on here once there are recipes I make for us at home and for clients more than once a week. Among those are most of the Panda Express recipes, my Crisp and Juicy Slow Cooker Chicken which we make at home every Sunday night (without exception) and the One Pan Baked Chicken and Rice. Sounds like a lot of chicken right? We have young kids, so plain chicken and baked brown rice are staples in our diets around here.

So back to the task at hand, today’s newest Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken recipe! Let’s add it to the arsenal shall we? And if you would like to take a trip down Chinese food memory lane, here are all the other recipes we have so far so you can build your two or three item plates at home.

I have to say it has been a little while since I had a new recipe on the blog, and in fact the last one was the accompaniment to this meal (the fried rice). While I’ve been gone I have been working on a project for later this year. So while I thought I would use the last week to decompress and relax, I was writing up a storm! Oh and the best part of the holiday? I didn’t cook a single thing for Christmas since we flew home for the occasion and then I took the rest of the weekend off from cooking for good measure ;). The most important thing I realized in the down time? I look forward to these posts and actually felt sort of odd not waking up to all the interaction I have with you guys each day! What I am trying to say is I missed you all!

Its a fresh slate this year, there are a lot of things on the horizon for the blog. Lot’s of new recipes, a few projects I am working on related to blogging and if all goes well I will be launching a hugely innovative feature on this blog at the end of the month. <—I really hope I did not jinx myself here.

So sit back and eat some delicious Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken because it fits into your New Year’s resolution! bowl of chicken and black pepper and veggies

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe
Dinner, then Dessert

Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken (Copycat)

Marinated ginger soy chicken, in a peppery black pepper sauce with celery and onions that tastes exactly like the Panda Express version you love! And really low in fat and WW points!
Yield 4
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Chinese
Author Sabrina Snyder
Black Pepper Chicken marinated in ginger soy in white bowl
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound chicken breast
  • 2 stalks celery , thinly sliced on a bias
  • 1/2 medium white onion , chopped into ¾ - 1 inch squares (look at the photo for reference)
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1 tablespoon chili vinegar*
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper (grind fresh, you want the punch of the large, coarse black pepper here. If you use plain black pepper it will completely overpower the dish and ruin it.)
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 4 tablespoons canola oil , divided

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken into one inch bites, and marinade with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, ½ tablespoon of the chili vinegar, cornstarch and the ground ginger for 30 minutes.
  • Using two tablespoons of canola oil, heat a wok on high.
  • When oil is hot and ripples as you move the pan, add the chicken.
  • Cook on high heat until browned.
  • Remove from the pan and add in the celery and onions with the remaining two tablespoons of canola oil.
  • Cook the veggies on high for 30-45 seconds.
  • You aren't looking to soften them, just to slightly cook them.
  • Add in the remaining two tablespoons of soy sauce, the remaining ½ tablespoon of chili vinegar, the cooked chicken and the black pepper.
  • Cook for 15 seconds to combine everything and and serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Mye's Kitchen
*I bought this to stay authentic to Mye's recipe on the first pass, after this I just made my own, ½ cup vinegar with one jalapeno soaked for 30 minutes, then remove the jalapeno and use 1 tablespoon for this recipe. I go through the vinegar quickly as we make this recipe quite frequently.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 665mg | Potassium: 498mg | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes

bowl of chicken and black pepper and onions and celery

Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken is marinated ginger soy chicken, in a peppery black pepper sauce with celery and onions that tastes exactly like the Panda Express version you love! And really low in fat and WW points!
Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken is marinated ginger soy chicken, in a peppery black pepper sauce with celery and onions that tastes exactly like the Panda Express version you love! And really low in fat and WW points!

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. This recipe is so simple and lends itself to variation. I’ve used different veggies at various times, and since going vegan, have done it with tofu instead of chicken with great results as well! Thank you for a quick and delicious meal!

    Reply

  2. This recipe is delicious! I’ve tried a few black pepper chicken recipes and this one is easy and provides all the tips to make it come out right. It is on my regular rotation. Thank you so much.

    Reply