Black pepper chicken

When I walk into my dad's kitchen and smell the aroma of fiery black pepper, I know exactly what's cooking. Because of the amount of black pepper added to this chicken, the flavor is heightened and gives off an intense peppery fragrance that could whet any appetite. Dad would make this chicken as cutters (appetizers) while dinner was cooking. My brother and I loved it. We'd each grab a toothpick and eat the chicken out of the same plate, one poke at a time.

This is an easy chicken dish to make using ingredients that are common kitchen staples. The recipe is very forgiving. As long as you have black pepper and onions, you'll still get the perfect flavor.

Multiple ways to make black pepper chicken a meal

Here are some other pairings to serve this chicken with:

• chow mein
• fried rice
• plain white rice (my preference!)
• hot paratha roti
• yellow rice
• thin spaghetti
• appetizer

It's all in the seasoning

The Caribbean way of seasoning meat always starts with green seasoning - and blend of minced garlic, onions, pepper, and fresh herbs. This creates a base flavor for the meat before adding any other ingredients. It's what gives the meat that extra umph! This black pepper chicken starts with 2 tbsps of green seasoning and while cooking, wiri wiri or scotch bonnet peppers and a bit of cassava casareep are added for another layer of piquancy. You can easily use habanero or a dash of soy sauce in place if you don't have those specific Caribbean ingredients on hand. This chicken is just so delicious, you won't be able to stop yourself from seconds!

Black pepper chicken

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Ingredients

• 2lbs boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces

Seasoning

• 1 ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp green seasoning
• 1 tsp browning sauce or 1 tbsp cassareep
• ½ tsp salt

Cooking

• 2 tbsp oil for cooking
• 1 medium white onion, sliced
• 2 wiri wiri or 1 small habanero/scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
• 1 small chicken bouillon
• additional ¼ tsp black pepper while cooking
• 1-2 sprigs scallions

Instructions

1. Prep chicken. Remove any fat from meat. Wash and pat dry. Chop into 2 inch pieces. Add black pepper, green seasoning, browning sauce, and salt. Massage seasoning into meat and leave for 20 minutes minimum.
2. Add oil to skillet and set heat on medium. Add sliced white onions and sauté a few minutes until browned. Add chicken. Cook 10 minutes. Add bouillon and mix in with chicken. Let chicken cook another 6-7 minutes until juices start to reduce and look thick. Add additional black pepper.
3. Remove from heat when liquid is almost dried down. Add scallions and toss.

Notes

Green seasoning is a paste made by grinding 1 onion, 1-2 hot peppers, 1 whole head of garlic, and a handful of any fresh herbs you have on hand such as parsley, scallions, thyme, cilantro. Add a little water to the blender or food processor and pulse/blend until everything is finely minced. Use what you need for the recipe and store remainder in freezer bags or freezer container. Recipe for this is also filed under "Caribbean foods" on my blog.

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