Black Pepper-Garlic Chicken

Here's one on my favorite Stir-fry recipes, inspired by Black Pepper Chicken served at Panda Express Restaurants.  The savory sauce took a bit of tinkering, but I think this copycat version is really close... and it's delicious, too!

Please...  don't forget to start this recipe with Velveted Chicken.  It's a very simple technique that'll turn any Chicken Stir-fry into a mouth-watering Asian masterpiece!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Velveted Chicken (recipe link above)
• 2 cups thinly sliced Celery
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced Onion- red or yellow
• 1/2 cup sliced Green onions
• 1-2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Canola or Peanut Oil for frying
• Sesame Seeds for garnish- optional

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper (to taste)
• 2-3 teaspoons mild Molasses or honey (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Rice Vinegar or Rice Wine (Sake)
• 1/2 teaspoon Sesame Oil

Tools:

• Large stainless steel skillet or wok. Teflon-coated pans are not suitable and can be damaged by high heat.
• Wooden spoon

Preparation:

Stir all of the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, allowing about 10-15 minutes for the flavors to mingle/mature while you slice the vegetables. Before stir-frying, taste the sauce and adjust the heat and sweetness as desired.

Stir-fry:

Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until almost smoking.

Add the sliced red/yellow onions to the skillet, stirring constantly for about one minute. At this point, your skillet has cooled down significantly.  Crank the heat up to high if neccessary.

Add the sliced celery, green onions and chopped garlic to the skillet. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes until the celery is tender-crisp.

Add the stir-fry sauce. Heat and stir until the sauce is bubbling hot.

Add the velveted chicken, reduce the heat to medium and stir to coat. Let the chicken heat through, about 1-2 minutes longer.

Serve overprepared Basmati or Jasmine Rice.  Garnish with sesame seeds and additional sliced green onions as desired.

Enjoy!