A lighter stir-fry Black Pepper Chicken with crisp veggies and a bold peppery flavor. Just like the takeout favorite from Panda Express!
Among my Panda Express recipes, my Crisp and Juicy Slow Cooker Chicken, is what we like to make at home every Sunday night (without exception), and 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.
Sabrina’s Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken (Copycat) Recipe
This tender chicken is marinated ginger-soy chicken in a peppery black pepper sauce with celery and onions, that tastes exactly like the take out version you love! This recipe is really low in fat and WW points, if you follow the program! So sit back and eat some delicious Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken because it fits into your New Year’s resolution!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 2 stalks celery , thinly sliced on a bias
- 1/2 medium white onion , chopped into 3/4-to-1 inch squares
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon chili vinegar*
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper (grind fresh)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1-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 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 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 serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
Variations
- Spice: Are you making this dish for someone sensitive to pepper? How about someone who likes to kick up the heat? You can adjust the spice level any way you want. Add in some more coarsely ground pepper and you can even try adding chili flakes. I suggest adding it in ¼ teaspoon increments and then taste it before adding more.
- Meat: You can adjust this recipe by substituting beef or pork for the chicken. Any protein will taste delicious with this recipe so try it out using your favorite!
- Veggies: Swap the veggies out if you don’t like celery. Substitute onions, fennel, carrots, radishes, or leaks. You can also add these veggies to the mix, just be careful not to add too much without also increasing seasonings too. Otherwise it will lessen the flavors.
Related Recipes
More Panda Express Copycat Recipes
Images used in previous versions of this post:
Can this be made with cooked rotisserie chicken breasts
There is a lot of seasoning in rotisserie chicken breasts so know that it will no longer be a copy of the Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken. If you try it, let us know what you think!
This was so delicious and seems like the easiest black pepper chicken recipe I’ve seen or tried. I increased the onion and celery to get more veges in.
I love hearing this Nora! Thanks for the five star rating.
Now it’s one of my staples, a really good recipe!
Thank you Fred and thank you for the five star review.
This was beyond FANTASTIC!!…I was SO not happy when Panda Express decided to remove this favorite item of mine!…WHY??!…So glad I tried your recipe…. It’s actually better…lol…. My daughter snubbed her nose when I told her what I made for dinner…she said…’Ugh… I don’t like Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken”……She ate a bowl full with sticky rice and said it was great!
I love to hear comments like yours! Pleasing our children’s pallet can be challenging and I’m so glad she enjoyed dinner! Thanks so much for the 5 star reveiw.
What can used in place of chili vinger
It’s in the notes of the recipe:
½ cup vinegar with one jalapeno soaked for 30 minutes, then remove the jalapeno and use 1 tablespoon for this recipe.
First time making. Do you take the chicken out of the marinate, or use chicken and marinate when you cook the chicken
Hi Sabrina, I made this recipe and I loved it! But I do have a question. What would the shelf life be on the jalapeño vinegar? I hate to throw so much away each time I make this. Thank you ?
Did anyone make this without using the chili vinegar
Can you use apple cider vinegar?
I’ve never tested it, but it should be delicious still.
You can halve it, just use 1/4 cup vinegar, halve a jalapeno!
I’ve made this and it was delicious ? and easy!
Just make half the amount, with 1/4 c. vinegar. Almost no waste.
I halved the recipe and still had enough to use twice. Used it about a week later, it was just fine.
Hi Sabrina, I truly love this recipe. We have had it many times. I have recently decided to try going Whole Food Plant Based.
I was wondering if this recipe would still work using tofu instead of chicken?
Also, what changes would you make for it to work?
Any help would be appreciated because I would really miss having this in my rotation.
Thanks, Dana
Do I have to use jalapeño pepper vinegar?
Very inexpensive to make and easy as well. Maybe even better than Panda which do like.
No answer needed…..I read more comments and found the answer 🙂
Question: To make the chili vinegar is the jalapeno sliced/diced with seeds removed or just dropped whole in the vinegar ?
It would be sliced and deseeded, sorry!
Do I have to have jalapeño vinegar?
In an earlier response you said you left the jalapeño whole… which is it, please?
Panda’s Black Pepper Chicken was always my order when going there, so imagine my disappointment when they took it off the menu (at least here locally).
Was excited to try this recipe and am thrilled with the results !!! 5 stars on every count! Easy! Fast! Authentic Flavor!
The only thing I did different due to lack of having a jalepeno, was I took some juice from a jar of sliced jalapenos along with vinegar to sub for the chilli vinegar. Can’t comment as to how it compares as I have not had it the other way, but it fully met my expectations as a copy recipe for Panda’s dish. So Happy!
This was amazing! The homemade chili vinegar plus some added garlic gave it great heat and flavor! Made the copycat PE mixed veg which helped tone down the heat and the copycat fried rice too, both so good!
I make this recipe CONSTANTLY. I live in Korea, so I use Korean peppers instead of jalapeños for the chili vinegar, and the taste isn’t dramatically different. I also cut up fresh ginger and freeze it in small amounts for this recipe alone. I never get sick of chicken with this recipe!
Thank you Sophia!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. More importantly family loved it too!
Did add 2 teaspoons mince garlic with the veggies, other than that your recipe was spot on perfection! Thank you for sharing this!!
I felt the 2 tablespoons of cracked pepper was exactly like Panda Express!
Thanks Lori!!!
Just bought all the ingredients to make this black pepper chicken of yours, sounds delicious.
Well, I’m gonna start cooking, will let you know what my family says, I’ll keep in touch. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you! Hope you enjoyed it!
I loved your recipe. It’s better than the Panda Express one! The marinated, browned chicken is so yum that it can be a dish all by itself, eaten as it is, or added to an asian salad.
This is perfect! …though I agree 1-1.5 TEAspoon of freshly grated pepper is more the intention. More would be too much. Thank you!
Also, why is everyone commenting they can’t find the jalapeno vinegar?! …it’s NOT SOMETHING TO FIND …the recipe is right here on the page!
Very Delicious. 5 stars
To make the chili vinegar, do you slice the jalapeño or leave it whole?
I left it whole. Enjoy!
Please tell me you meant 1.5 TEASPOON of pepper because goooooodness did 1.5 tablespoons kill us
Is the jalapeño used, fresh or jar?
I didn’t use jalapeños in this recipe.
As mentioned above, Your chili vinegar recipe called for vinegar and jalapeño. I did use jarred jalapeño and it turned out good.
The directions on the Jalepeno Vinegar recipe is conflicted You stated you use whole:seeded and then responded another time sliced. When some asked if you use fresh or canned; you then responded: “I don’t use Jalepenos in this recipe.” Huh??
Also would be helpful to include the vinegar type ?
Thanks for asking.
This Recipe was adapted from Mye’s Kitchen (see link in post)
I bought this to stay authentic to Mye’s recipe on the first pass, after this I just made my own, ½ cup distilled 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.
I double checked Mye’s Kitchen post and she had made posted a comment that states she “finely cuts the serrano or jalapeno pepper” in distilled vinegar. It’s called chili vinegar and can be purchased in asian markets.
Hope this helps clear up any confusion.
My family loved this! We didn’t have the chilli vinegar & did the jalapeno & vinegar & it still came out great. This is one for the books.
Thank you for sharing! ???
Thanks for the 5 stars!
Can I add extra stars??? This is my hubby’s fav at PE. I found your site and decided to try this fantastic PE Black Pepper Chicken. However, unlike the restaurant, I used chicken breasts (healthier). My guy raved about it. Said it was better than Panda Express! He wants to know when we’re having it again. Thanks Sabrina. I’m also going to make many more of your copycat recipes.
Haha, thanks!
Made this again tonight but this time with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and it was equally as good. I use half the pepper (course freshly ground) and half the oil and it’s so good and probably the best copycat recipe I’ve ever made. I’m not sure I could even tell the difference between this and real Panda side-by-side. One of my new favorites and will now be in regular dinner rotation! Thank you!
Wow, thanks for coming back to leave a review! I’m glad you enjoyed it so much, Cynthia.
Very tasty. Like the homemade chili vinegar. Thank you for the recipe. Will be making it again!?
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it’s so easy & delicious
You’re welcome!
With some changes, I found this recipe as yummy as everyone claimed! I do realize different strokes for different folks. This is what worked for us.
I wanted 1 1/2 lbs chicken. I absolutely recommend the seasoned rice vinegar over the jalapeno in vinegar ( I tried it both ways). When I made this the 1 1/2 T ground black pepper was way too much. I would eyeball it and keep it to between 1-2 tsp. Served over Jasmine rice it is delicious!
Do I have to use a wok to make this or will any skillet work?
You can use a skillet if you don’t have a wok. Enjoy!
I’ve made this every other week now! I love it! Thank you so much for sharing.
Yay!! Thanks for letting me know, Morgan.
I just made this and I agree that it’s even better than the original! The only change I made was to add carrots cut on the bias just like the celery. I used regular soy sauce because that’s all I had but next time will use low
sodium as the recipe indicated. Thank you for a clearly written, easy to follow recipe.
So good and easy, just like Panda but better – especially because my Panda doesn’t make the black pepper chicken anymore. Thank you!!!
So stinkin’ good!! Love this more than the original. Definitely going into the recipe box under favorites. Thank you!
Side note: did not have a chance to make my own chili oil, but the rice vinegar was the perfect substitute:)
It is perfect! My boyfriend and I have made it twice this past week. I made my own vinegar as suggested as I could not find it in the store. The first time I tried to substitute flour for the corn starch, but it was more soggy. Finally I found corn starch at the store for the second make and it was perfection! Thank you for this.
This meal had so much flavor. My husband and 7 year old son loved it and had seconds, which rarely happens with my cooking, lol. My 4 year old son was not into it, but he’s especially picky. Maybe next time I will set aside a couple pieces of chicken for him before I add the Freshly ground pepper. I will definitely make this again, I couldn’t believe how juicy and flavorful the chicken was. I followed the recipe exactly, except I couldn’t find chile vinegar anywhere (and during the pandemic, I didn’t want to be hopping from store to store looking for it) so I used rice wine vinegar that I had in my cupboard, still tasted amazing. I served it over rice. I’d like to double the veggies, next time, or add a third vegetable, as it didn’t seem like a lot. I recommend you try this recipe… so delicious.
I love this recipe, the secret jalapeño
chili vinegar is fantastic.
Having with dark meat and chicken breast, I veered towards dark meat so it wouldn’t be dry.
Using a trick from TheWoksOfLife, marinate the sliced white meat in 2-3Tbsp water (massage it in, wait 20 min) then add all the seasonings to the raw chicken from DinnerThenDessert. Cook 60 seconds-2 min in the wok each side then remove chick. Add veggies, soy sauce & more chili vinegar then black pepper & mostly cooked chicken. It’s SO juicy!
It’s one of/the BEST Cantonese recipes I’ve made!
This was delicious. Better than Panda Express!
Thanks. Have made it several times now.
Is it white vinegar?
To make my own chili vinegar, yes, I use white vinegar and jalapeño.
Having this for the 2nd time this week. It tastes amazing. I found Alessi (brand) Italian/Asian fusion sauce. It is balsamic vinegar and chili pepper sauce. I used it for the chili vinegar. Perfect dish for me as on WW.
Thanks for the recommendation, Carol.
This is awesome! Whenever I’m in the mood for Panda Express’s chow mein, I almost always get their black pepper chicken as the entree (something about the chicken’s sauce seems to pair well with the noodles). And what surprised me the most is that you don’t need to add garlic or extra salt on top of all the flavorings. It definitely feels lighter than the original. 🙂
Also, just to add a tiny little extra kick, I sprinkled a little bit of some multicolored peppercorn mix that has Szechuan peppercorns in it.
When I make this for my mom I have to pull her part out before adding the black pepper. (She is allergic to it.) But it still really good.
Love it! Used rice vinegar instead of the chili vinegar.
Does the calories per serving include the rice?
No.
This is really good! I’d recommend halving the pepper, using thighs, and slicing them in strips (as opposed to chunks) to get a bit closer to the restaurant version, but this is great too, just a bit different.
I made this dish last night. I couldn’t find chili vinegar so I ended up using hot sesame oil. I have to say this is one of the best dishes I’ve made! And, it was really easy to make. Thank you for sharing this.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Larry. Thanks for the 5 stars.
For the ‘light soy sauce’, do you mean low sodium or the Chinese light soy sauce?
low sodium, my apologies.
I’m a former chef of Panda express for 4 years. Your version of black pepper was actually better than the ones we make. I guess at least it’s a bit healthier but still super yummy. The right kick is on the spot. I actually recommend this to every food-lover person I talk to.
That’s so sweet of you to say!
I love finding copy cat recipes from my favorite places to eat and this hands down is the best one I have found so far! It’s easy to make and so delicious. The second time, I did adapt it to my WW lifestyle and it still tasted the same and amazing! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Blair! Thanks for the 5 stars!
I have made this 4x now and finally am remembering to leave a comment! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. I had Panda’s black peppered chicken for the first time a couple months ago and needed to find a copycat recipe ASAP so that I could make the same dish without feeling bad about spending a ton of money on take-out. ;D
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for. 🙂 For everyone wondering if the chili vinegar is necessary, I would say it adds a lot of flavor and is very easy to make. I just leave the container of white vinegar + the jalapeno in my fridge and have used it for the last 2 months.
Thanks again for saving me money. 😉 I can’t wait for dinner tonight!
Aw, this makes me so happy!! I’m so glad you love it so much!
Do you slice the jalapeño first or just put it in whole?
I had the same question in my mind but thinking about it, I decided that it would need to be sliced at least in half lengthwise so that the juices can infuse with the vinegar and spice it up. Also, I questioned what size jalapenos they do come in a variety of sizes. I happen to have rather large ones in the fridge right now (3-5″) so I decided 1/2 cup vinegar would probably do well with 1/2 of a large jalapeno or a whole small one. Good luck.