Jalapeno Chicken Stir Fry

This jalapeno chicken is a Chinese takeout-style stir fry recipe that pairs great with a rice side. Just be sure to cut and prep all the ingredients before you start cooking because it all goes very fast.

It's the perfect dinner for busy weeknights and you get a restaurant-quality meal that's saucy and delicious.

Some of you might be concerned about the spice-level of this dish because it features jalapeno as a main ingredient. But don't be, I don't even remove the seeds here because it's a mild pepper.

I also have other jalapeno centric recipes, like in this soup or this omelet, and never felt like they pack too much of a spicy kick either.

But if you're still concerned, or have a super low spice tolerance, feel free to cut down on the jalapeno quantity.

Read this before you start cooking

• If you want to go by my recommendation, choose chicken thighs over breast, they are juicier, more tender and perfect for this recipe.
• You can leave marinated chicken (covered) in the fridge for a few hours.
• I slice jalapenos in round slices (seeds in), but you can also remove the seeds and cut them in bite size chunks, just like you'll cut bell pepper.
• Feel free to sub green bell pepper with other colored bell peppers, and regular sugar with brown sugar or honey.
• If you want to use broth instead of water, but don't have low-sodium variety, reduce the soy sauce by 0.5 tablespoon (this quantity will change if you scale the recipe up or down).
• If you prefer this dish to be proper spicy, slice a few Thai chilies in half lengthwise and add them in along with the jalapenos.
• I have kept this recipe alcohol-free but if you have some Chinese cooking wine on hand, you can add a tablespoon or two of it in the sauce.

How to make jalapeno chicken

Feel free to jump down to the recipe card if you're looking for just the printable version of the recipe. But if you're a visual person and want to see some of my photos of the cooking action, here are the steps for you:

Add marinade ingredients (cornstarch, water, oil, soy sauce, black pepper, garlic powder) to a bowl. Mix, then add the chicken (thighs cut into bite size pieces). Mix again for a couple of minutes, then set aside for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients (cornstarch, water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, black pepper, sesame oil, sugar). Set aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons cooking oil in a large skillet (non-stick or well-seasoned) on medium high heat. Carefully add the chicken and spread it out. Cook and stir for 4 to 6 minutes or until cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet/wok, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil along with bell pepper, onion, ginger, garlic and cook 2 minutes while stirring continuously. Then add jalapenos and stir 2 more minutes.

Add the cooked chicken back in. Take the sauce you prepared earlier and mix it again, then pour over the chicken and veggies. Cook and stir 2 to 4 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Turn the heat off, serve with a side of rice and enjoy!

What to serve it with

You can serve this jalapeno chicken with steamed/plain rice, jasmine rice, egg-fried rice, mildly seasoned rice. Any rice side works, really.. as long as it isn't overpowering in taste.

You can also pair it with noodles, quinoa or cauliflower rice.