Salt and Pepper Chicken

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Salt and Pepper Chicken is a Chinese Takeaway classic. This homemade version is made up of simple flavours, but is absolutely delicious and a big hit with the family.

Salt and pepper chicken wings or crispy chicken are perhaps more popular, but I prefer this easy version of a classic Chinese takeaway favourite. 

I use chopped chicken thighs, stir-fried veg and potatoes, with mild flavours, and a little tiny bit of heat for a gorgeous family fakeaway. 

It’s easy and fairly budget-friendly, and my kids absolutely love it. 

They wouldn’t be as keen on wings, and crispy chicken is more complicated, which no one wants for an easy midweek dinner. 

I try to keep things as simple as possible in all of my recipes, and nothing shows that off more than this easy dinner. 

Disclaimer: While I aim to be as accurate as possible, any advice in this post, including but not limited to, cooking times, quantities, nutritional information and storage and freezing guidance is based on my own experience. Please use your own skills, knowledge and judgement, and get up to date food safety information. 

Ingredients for Salt and Pepper Chicken?

As I said, easy as possible! There are no fancy spices, and it’s easy to make changes for a stronger, or spicier flavour if you prefer. When I make my recipe for salt and pepper chicken thighs, I use:

Chicken Thighs – I’ve said 6 in the recipe. But packs often come in weight, so don’t worry if this isn’t exact. Anywhere between 5 and 8 is fine. 

Salt

Ground Black Pepper

Chinese Five Spice – I use 2 Tablespoons of five spice. It is a unique flavour, and I know it’s not for everyone. If you aren’t as keen, you can reduce this, and if you love the flavour, you can add a little more. 

Cooking Oil – Olive oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil, or any other cooking oil are all fine.

Cooking Spray – I use oil to marinate my chicken, but spray to mist my trays and pan, you can use oil if you prefer.

Potatoes – You want large potatoes that bake well, something like Maris Pipers.

Red Onion

Garlic

Bell Peppers – I’ve used red and yellow, but green and orange are fine too.

Finely Chopped Spring Onions

Honey

Chilli Puree – I keep chilli puree, or a jar of chopped chilli in because they are easy to work with. You can use a fresh, finely diced, red chilli if you prefer. 

Soy Sauce

Water

Is This Salt and Pepper Chicken Recipe Spicy?

No, I wouldn’t say that this is a spicy salt and pepper chicken dish. There’s a little heat from the chilli puree and pepper, but not too much. 

You can reduce this heat with less, or even no, chilli puree, or increase it with the addition of chilli flakes, or a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. 

Can I Use Chicken Breasts?

Yes. Any skinless chicken is fine really. 

I love chicken thighs. They are often cheaper than breasts, and while they don’t chop up neatly, they are soft and flavourful. 

But you can make salt and pepper chicken breasts if you want to. 

Can You Use Crispy Chicken?

Again, yes. 

This recipe is perfect for crispy salt and pepper chicken. I’d coat your chicken pieces in a panko breadcrumb/egg/flour mix and bake, and instead of marinating the meat in salt, pepper and 5 spice, add them with the honey, soy, and chilli later on. 

Can You Use This Recipe for Chicken Wings?

Chicken wings are fun, and kids often love them. 

For salt and pepper wings, bake your wings in salt, pepper and five spice, just like the thighs in this recipe, to packet instructions, making sure they are thoroughly cooked, and follow the rest of this recipe as it is. 

Serve salt and pepper chicken wings on the plate with the potatoes and vegetables, without tossing them in with everything else in the pan. 

How to Make Salt and Pepper Chicken with Chicken Thighs

This recipe is quick and easy. 

You bake the potatoes and chicken in the oven, stir fry everything else, add a few ingredients and toss it all together. 

You can get the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

To Make the Salt and Pepper Spice Mix

So, the key here is, I don’t really use a salt and pepper spice mix. 

It’s just salt and pepper, and Chinese five spice on the chicken, and then a few bits, like soy sauce, poured in once everything is in the pan. 

What to Serve with Salt and Pepper Chicken

I used to serve my salt and pepper chicken with noodles or rice. 

Then I tried a Spice n Tice (affiliate link) salt and pepper chicken, which had potatoes as part of the meal. 

I loved it!

I love baked potato wedges and adding them to the pan with the chicken and veg, means that they get coated in a salt and pepper sauce too. Gorgeous. 

Including potatoes in the recipe like this means that you don’t need to serve it with anything, it’s a filling meal straight from the pan. 

Can I Freeze Salt and Pepper Chicken

Yes, as long as your chicken was fresh, and hadn’t been frozen in the past, and it’s in date when you cook it, you can freeze salt and pepper chicken. 

Remove leftovers from the cooking pan to cool quickly in a clean tub or dish. Once cool, seal with a lid, or cover, and place in the freezer for up to two months. 

Reheating Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken

To thaw leave it in the fridge overnight. 

When reheating, I find that if you try to stir fry again, the potatoes fall apart. So I place it all in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle it liberally with water, and bake it in the oven for 35-30 minutes until the chicken is piping hot.

Other Fabulous Family Fakeaways

I love a takeaway. But they can be expensive and unhealthy, and they aren’t always very family-friendly. Fakeaways are fantastic alternatives.

Recreating and adapting your takeaway favourites at home is a fantastic way to save money and create healthier alternatives. Another massive benefit is that at home, you can adapt recipes to make them more suitable for your family, your tastes, and your dietary needs.

Some of my favourite family fakeaways include:

• Leftover Beef Curry
• Honey Chilli Chicken
• Pork Fried Rice
• Chow Mein
• Butter Chicken
• Leftover Lamb Curry

Salt and Pepper Chicken

Author NameAuthor: Donna

Salt and Pepper Chicken is a Chinese Takeaway classic. This homemade version is made up of simple flavours, but it’s absolutely delicious and a big hit with the family.

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine British, Chinese

Servings 4

Calories 761 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (Chopped into 2cm chunks)
• 2 Tablespoons Chinese Five Spice
• 2 Tablespoons Salt
• 2 Tablespoons of Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
• Cooking Spray
• 3 Large Potatoes (Something like Maris Piper, chopped into wedges)
• 1 Red Onion (Finely Sliced)
• 3 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
• Red Pepper (Deseeded and Sliced)
• Yellow Pepper (Deseeded and Sliced)
• 6 Spring Onions (or a similar bunch, finely sliced)
• 1 Teaspoon Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Red Chilli Puree
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 100 ml Water

Instructions

 

• Place the chopped chicken in a large bowl with the Chinese 5 spice, cooking oil and half of the salt and pepper.
• Stir, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted).
• Mist 2 baking trays with cooking spray.
• Place the potato wedges onto one tray, spray liberally with cooking spray, and season with the other half of the salt and pepper.
• Place the chopped chicken on the other tray, and use a spatula to spread it out evenly.
• Bake for 30 minutes, until the chicken, is cooked through, and the potatoes are soft on the inside, and golden on the outside (bake for a little longer if needed).
• Towards the end of the bake time, mist a large frying pan with cooking spray and warm over a medium heat.
• Add the onions and fry for 5 minutes until soft, stirring often.
• Add the garlic and stir in well, fry for 2 minutes.
• Tip in the peppers, and fry for 3 more minutes, stirring often.
• Remove the chicken and potatoes from the oven, and add to the frying pan.
• Stir in well.
• Add the honey, chilli puree, soy sauce, water, and spring onions.
• Bring to a simmer.
• Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
• Serve straight from the pan.

Notes

• Add chilli flakes for a spicier dish, and reduce the chilli puree for a milder flavour.
• Use fresh red chilli – finely diced – if you prefer.
• Use less five spices if you don’t love the flavour.

Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.

Keyword chicken thighs, chicken with salt and pepper, healthy salt and pepper chicken

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