Why We Love This Recipe
Low carb – this pepper chicken recipe has only 2g net carbs per serve.
Simple ingredients – Only a handful of fresh ingredients and standard keto pantry staples are used.
Fast and easy – There is very little active preparation and cooking time involved, and the steps are quick and simple!
Thermal-cooker friendly – This is an easy recipe and I have included instructions for making the chicken pepper fry with a Thermomix and a Magimix as well.
Keep reading for more details on the ingredients, substitutes and step by step instructions on how to make them.
Simple Ingredients
To get the full amounts of each ingredient for the chicken fry simply scroll to the full recipe card.
Ginger Garlic Paste – both of these are available in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets. However, you can make your own garlic paste or ginger paste. Alternatively, finely mince or grate fresh ginger and garlic.
Onion – I use brown onions. You can substitute golden shallots, green onions, red onions or leave it out completely. The carbs in onions do add up if you are following a keto diet. The average large onion contains 14g carbs.
Lemon juice – adding in the lemon zest and juice add so much flavour to the pepper chicken recipe. The carbs in lemon juice are on average 3-4g per lemon. The carbs in lemon zest is only 1g per tablespoon. So, for me, the lemon is my friend for all my pepper fry recipes.
Chicken pieces – I used chicken breast for this pepper fry but you can other cuts. This chicken pepper can be made with thigh (fillets or on the bone) or a full chicken cut into pieces.
Black Pepper – you can’t make black pepper chicken without pepper. You can reduce the pepper to taste if you don’t like your food too spicy. You can swap all the spices for our amazing Chicken Smoker Rub.
How to Make Pepper Chicken
It is so easy to make pepper chicken masala at home. It is quick and easy and doesn’t take any cheffy skills at all.
Step 1. Slice the chicken and onion into strips. Add all the ingredients (except lemon and fresh coriander leaves) to a large bowl. Coat the chicken well with the marinade. Leave to marinate for 1 hour or longer.
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Step 2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and set aside. Fry the onions until they begin to soften.
Step 3. Add the marinated chicken and cook stirring occasionally. Add a little water, if needed, to keep the chicken moist and stop the spices from burning.
Step 4. Stir through the lemon zest and juice. Serve with fresh coriander leaves and a wedge of lemon.
Hot Tips and FAQs
You can use any cut of chicken you prefer. Larger cuts or bone-in pieces may take a little more time to cook than the breast strips.
Yes, there are quite a few other ways to cook it.
1. Barbecued pepper chicken would be perfect when using bone-in or thigh cutlets. I would marinate first and grill directly to get a nice char on the chicken then cook off the direct heat.
2. For an air fryer lemon pepper chicken, I would cook for 15-30 minutes (depending on the cut and thickness) in a preheated air fryer at 170°C.
3. Sauté in batches the lemon chicken in a Thermomix using the sizzle function. Cook in 2-3 batches.
Yes, you can. Freeze it in a ziplock bag cooked or uncooked. Defrost before reheating or cooking. If you use a vacuum sealer this would also be a great sous vide chicken recipe.
You sure can. Marinate or cook ahead of time. This dish is also a great low carb lunch box meal that can be eaten hot or cold.
I love to serve this with some extra lemon, fresh coriander and leaves from my garden. It also goes great with Greek yoghurt, or a Keto Wrap or keto rice (including Palmini Rice).
Related Recipes
Here are some of my favourite dinner recipes and keto chicken recipes you might like to try too.
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Chicken Pepper Fry
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Ingredients
- 1/2 (1/2) onion sliced into strips
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) pepper
- 3 teaspoons (3 teaspoons) ginger paste see notes
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) garlic paste see notes
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 600 g (21 oz) chicken breast sliced into strips, see notes
- Juice and zest of half a lemon
- Fresh coriander leaves and Greek yoghurt to serve
Instructions
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
- Place all the ingredients except the lemon and coriander leaves into a bowl. Mix to coat the chicken and the marinade. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Heat a large griddle plate over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and set it aside. Fry the onions until they start to soften. Add the chicken and fry (add a little water if needed to keep moist and avoid burning the spices) until lightly golden and cooked through.
- When the chicken is cooked add the zest and juice and stir to combine. Serve with your favourite “rice,” yoghurt and coriander leaves.
THERMAL METHOD
- Place all the ingredients except the lemon and coriander leaves into the mixer. Mix 15 sec/reverse/speed 3 to coat the chicken and the marinade. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Use the sizzle or high heat function to sauté the chicken in 3 batches or heat a large griddle plate over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken adding a little water as needed to keep moist and avoid burning the spices.
- When the chicken is cooked through add the zest and juice and stir to combine. Serve with your favourite “rice,” yoghurt and coriander leaves.
Notes
Garlic and ginger paste can be found in the refrigerated section of the fresh produce. Alternative finely mince garlic and fresh ginger.
Fresh green or red chilli are also perfect in this dish. Simply slice and fry with the chicken. PREPARING Marinate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours beforehand. TO SERVE
Serve with cauliflower rice or Palmini rice for a low carb keto pepper chicken.
Your Own Notes
Nutrition
35 responses to “Easy Pepper Chicken”
Great cheap midweek meal. Will be on high rotation in our household. I didn’t have a lemon so skipped that but will definitely try adding next time.
Low carb and ready in minutes! This will become a go-to chicken recipe for my family. Thanks for sharing.Awesome Melinda. Thanks for trying the recipe.
Wow, this marinade was delicious, love the flavors on this one. Great in a wrap.So glad you enjoyed it Julia!
Made it for dinner last night and it was soooo good. Fabulous recipe!I am so happy you enjoyed it Agnieszka
Fantastic recipe! I made it for supper last night and everyone loved it! It had great flavor, and it was so easy to make! I will be adding this recipe to my monthly dinner rotation! Thank you!Yay! So glad you enjoyed it Jeri!
The flavours in this chicken were out of this world. Loved the blend of spices. Great recipe.That is so awesome to hear Oscar. Glad you enjoyed it.
This looks so good! I’m so happy to have found your site. I’m very interested in learning more about keto.I hope you find loads of recipes to enjoy Seanna.
Wowza! This looks restaurant quality! I can’t wait to try it out! Pinned so I can make it for dinner next week.Katie xoxo
I hope you enjoy it Katie.
Such an amazing and easy dish. Perfect for a weeknight treat. ThanksThanks for giving it a go Sunrita.
I love all the spices you have here and it really looks good, for sure it smells so good too!Glad to hear you enjoyed its spices Jean.
Yum! This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it out!I hope you love it Nora.
Lovely diner idea. It looks delicious and quite easy to make. I’m saving this on my list to try. Thanks!I hope you enjoy it Natalie.
This chicken pepper fry was absolutely amazing and so full of flavor! Made it for dinner and the whole fam loved it. I’ll definitely have to make a bigger batch next time because there were no leftovers!So glad to hear the whole family enjoyed it Anaiah
I love how simple this recipe is but has so much flavour! This will be a regular in our house!Awesome news Marcellina. I am so happy you enjoyed it.
Love the delicious flavours of this chicken pepper fry – so tasty and simple to prepare.It sure is Alexandra.
Looks so yummy!:) love it. I can’t wait to try this mouth-watering fast and easy to prepare low-carb chicken pepper. Thanks for this recipe!:)I hope you enjoy it Jerika.
The chicken pepper fry is a very easy and delicious meal. The flavours leave a party in your mouth.
This will be a regular on our meal plan.I am so glad you enjoyed it Lynda x
It looks so good I can’t wait to try it.I hope you love it Racq
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