15-Minute Thai Garlic Pepper Chicken

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A workhorse Thai street-and-neighborhood-restaurant stir-fry that runs on three things: a genuinely reckless amount of chopped garlic, coarsely cracked white pepper, and fish sauce loosened with a splash of stock so the garlic turns into a glossy pan sauce instead of burnt bits. Chicken thigh gets seared hard, the garlic goes in off the heat blast, and dinner is on rice in about fifteen minutes. Swap in pork shoulder or pressed tofu with no other changes.

Ingredients

• 1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced 1/4-inch thick against the grain
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp coarsely ground white pepper

• 12 cloves garlic (about 1/4 cup chopped), roughly chopped
• 2 tsp whole white peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 cilantro stems or roots, chopped

• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp granulated sugar

• 3 tbsp neutral oil, such as canola or rice bran
• 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 jalapeño or 2 Thai chiles, sliced (optional)
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 4 cups hot jasmine rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Toss the sliced chicken with 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon coarse white pepper. Leave it at room temperature while you prep everything else — 10 minutes is plenty.
2. Make the garlic pepper paste: crush the 2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns in a mortar or under the flat of a heavy knife until coarsely cracked (you want visible flecks, not powder). Add the chopped garlic, kosher salt and cilantro stems and pound or chop together into a rough, chunky paste. Do not purée it — texture is the point.
3. Stir the sauce together in a small bowl: chicken stock, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Set it next to the stove along with the scallions, chiles and cilantro leaves.
4. Heat a 12-inch carbon steel or stainless skillet (or a wok) over high heat for 2 minutes, until a drop of water skitters and vanishes instantly. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl.
5. Add the chicken in one layer and leave it alone for 90 seconds to brown, then stir and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until just cooked through and lightly caramelized at the edges. Scrape it onto a plate, juices and all.
6. Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the garlic pepper paste. Stir constantly for 45 to 60 seconds — the garlic should smell sweet and toasty and turn pale gold. The moment you see any brown edges, move to the next step; burnt garlic is bitter and unfixable.
7. Pour in the sauce mixture and raise the heat to high. Let it bubble hard for 30 to 45 seconds, scraping the pan, until slightly syrupy.
8. Return the chicken and its juices to the pan along with the scallions and chiles. Toss over high heat for 60 to 90 seconds, until the sauce clings to the chicken in a glossy coat and there's just a little pooling at the bottom of the pan.
9. Taste and adjust: another splash of fish sauce for salt, a pinch of sugar for balance, or more cracked white pepper if you want it hotter in that dusty, peppery way. Slide onto a platter over or beside hot jasmine rice, scatter with cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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