Garlic Pepper Chicken Recipe & Video Tutorial
This recipe has become a staple of many HTK fans!
- 500 g chicken breast or thigh, cut into 1-cm thick slices
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Golden Mountain sauce (or substitute regular soy sauce)
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- Black soy sauce, as needed for colour, about 1 tsp
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 7-8 cilantro stems, chopped
- Water, as needed
- Mix chicken with oyster sauce, soy sauce, Golden Mountain Sauce, fish sauce, white pepper, and black pepper. Set aside while you fry garlic.
- In a small pot or wok, add the garlic, then add just enough vegetable oil to cover the garlic. Fry garlic over low heat (gentle bubbling) until the garlic turns golden brown and the bubbling has mostly stopped, about 5 minutes. Drain garlic from oil, reserving the oil.
- In a wok, add about 2 Tbsp of the garlic oil and heat over high heat. Pour a tablespoon or so of the remaining garlic oil into the marinated chicken and stir to lubricate. When oil is hot, add the chicken and sugar, then stir until chicken is cooked. You can add a splash of water if the chicken sticks, or if you want more sauce in the final product. You can also add a little bit more black soy sauce if you want a darker colour.
- When the chicken is cooked, stir in half of the fried garlic and chopped cilantro stems, and remove from heat.
- Just before serving, sprinkle over the remaining fried garlic. Serve with jasmine rice, but it can also be wonderful when added to other dishes such as pasta, noodles, salads, wraps, and omelettes!
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It's one of those dishes that looks too simple to be delicious, but trust me, it's going to surprise you in a big way. Gai pad gratiem is a homey, rustic Thai dish that is a staple for many families, especially those with kids.
Watch The Full Video Tutorial! Thank you!
Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. For amounts, check out the full recipe card below.
- Chicken breast or thigh, boneless, skinless, cut into 1-cm thick slices.
- Garlic, chopped
- Oyster sauce, see my post on how to choose good oyster sauce.
- Soy sauce, I am using Thai soy sauce for this recipe, but any kind of soy sauce you have is fine (but not dark soy sauce). Learn more about soy sauce here.
- Golden Mountain sauce, this is another type of soy sauce commonly used in Thai cuisine. It has a flavour similar to Maggi Seasoning, so you can use that instead if you have it, or simply substitute regular soy sauce.
- Fish sauce, see my post on how to choose good fish sauce here.
- Black soy sauce, this is the Thai version of dark soy sauce. This is added mostly for colour, and it is okay to omit it if you don't have it.
- Sugar
- Ground black and white pepper, I like a combination, but on or the other is also fine.
- Cilantro, cut the cilantro sprigs in half, separating parts with leaves from parts without. Chop them and keep the two separate. If you don't like cilantro, green onions will work.
How to Make Thai Garlic Pepper Chicken
Here are all the steps to make this recipe.
If this is your first time, I highly recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success.
- In a small pot or wok, add about ¼-inch of oil and turn the heat on medium-low, adding one test piece of garlic and wait for it to bubble. Once it bubbles, add the rest of the garlic.
- Keeping the bubbling gentle, fry until the garlic turns golden (not brown) and the bubbling has mostly stopped, about 5 minutes.
- Drain garlic from oil, reserving the oil.
- In a wok, add about 2 tablespoon of the garlic oil and heat over high heat. Pour a tablespoon or so of the remaining garlic oil into the marinated chicken and stir to lubricate. (Keep any extra garlic oil in the fridge and you can use it to cook anything else).
- When oil is hot, add the chicken and sugar, then stir until chicken is cooked. You can add a splash of water if the chicken sticks, or if you want more sauce in the final product. You can also add a little bit more black soy sauce if you want a darker colour.
- Just before serving, sprinkle over the remaining fried garlic and chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with jasmine rice, but it can also be wonderful when added to other dishes such as pasta, noodles, salads, wraps, and omelettes!
Description
A simple and rustic chicken dish that delivers a ton of bold garlicky flavour. A snap to put together, perfect for kids and adults alike, there's a reason why this is a staple for many Thai families!
Instructions
Mix chicken with oyster sauce, soy sauce, Golden Mountain Sauce, fish sauce, white pepper, and black pepper. Set aside while you fry garlic.
In a small pot or wok, add the garlic, then add just enough vegetable oil to cover the garlic. Fry garlic over low heat (gentle bubbling) until the garlic turns golden brown and the bubbling has mostly stopped, about 5 minutes. Drain garlic from oil, reserving the oil.
In a wok, add about 2 tablespoon of the garlic oil and heat over high heat. Pour a tablespoon or so of the remaining garlic oil into the marinated chicken and stir to lubricate. When oil is hot, add the chicken and sugar, then stir until chicken is cooked.
You can add a splash of water if the chicken sticks, or if you want more sauce in the final product. You can also add a little bit more black soy sauce if you want a darker colour. When the chicken is cooked, stir in half of the fried garlic and chopped cilantro stems, and remove from heat.
Just before serving, sprinkle over the remaining fried garlic. Serve with jasmine rice, but it can also be wonderful when added to other dishes such as pasta, noodles, salads, wraps, and omelettes!
