The filling is a quick stir-fry: bite-size chicken breast cooked in a hot skillet, then tossed in soy, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and a tablespoon and a half of coarsely cracked black pepper.
The peppers are halved lengthwise and roasted open, cut-side up, for 10 minutes before they are filled. There is no rice, cheese or grain inside.
How to Make It
Pepper halves oiled and roasted 10 minutes
Heat the oven to 425°F. Brush the pepper halves lightly with oil and roast them cut-side up for 10 minutes, until just tender and lightly charred.
Black pepper sauce stirred together
Stir together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, black pepper, cornstarch and water.
Chicken stir-fried to 165°F and glazed
Stir-fry the chicken in a hot skillet until browned and 165°F. Add the sauce and toss until glossy and thickened.
Peppers filled, baked 5 minutes, basil
Spoon the black-pepper chicken into the roasted pepper halves and bake 5 minutes more. Finish with torn basil.
Why This Recipe Works
- Roasting the halves first softens them and adds char at the edges before the filling goes in.
- Cornstarch in the sauce thickens it into a glaze that stays on the chicken inside the peppers.
- Coarsely cracked pepper gives visible flecks and a clear peppery bite.
- A final 5 minutes in the oven brings the filling and peppers together without drying the chicken.
The Black Pepper Glaze
The sauce is stirred in a bowl and finished in the skillet with the chicken.
Salty base
2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp oyster sauce
The dark colour and savoury depth of the glaze.
Sweet-sour
1 tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tbsp brown sugar
Balance for the salt and the pepper heat.
Pepper
1 1/2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
The main flavour and the visible flecks.
Thickener
Tossed with chicken already browned and at 165°F1 tsp cornstarch in 2 tbsp water
Turns the sauce glossy and thick around the chicken.
Then tasteSpoon into the roasted halves, bake 5 minutes, and add torn basil.
Ingredient Notes
- Bell peppers in mixed colours
- Four large peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded, for eight open halves.
- Coarsely cracked black pepper
- One and a half teaspoons. Cracked coarse rather than finely ground, so it shows in the sauce.
- Basil
- Two tablespoons of leaves, torn over the peppers at the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there rice in the filling?
No. The peppers hold only the black-pepper chicken.
When is the chicken done?
When it is browned and reads 165°F, before the sauce goes in.
Success Tips
- Crack the peppercorns in a mortar or under a heavy pan for coarse pieces.
- Get the skillet very hot before the chicken goes in so it browns rather than steams.
- Stir the sauce again right before adding it to the skillet.
Serving Ideas
Arrange the filled halves in red, green and yellow on a platter, with the glossy chicken piled in each and torn basil scattered over.
