A thick black pepper glaze sticks to every piece of chicken and green bean and gives just the right amount of heat for this easy Asian-style dinner. Done in 30 minutes or less, this includes your protein, veggie and carb. The unique heat and flavor of the sauce utilizes one of the unsung ingredient heroes: simple black pepper. The lovely color of the sauce elevates your weeknight dinner. This Gluten Free Black Pepper Chicken & Green Beans is free of these allergens: gluten/wheat, dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut and has a soy free option too!
Post contains affiliate links.
Why I love this Black Pepper Chicken & Green Beans Dinner:
Words fail me when it comes to describing this sauce. The bite of the black pepper and ginger, the subtle sweet under tones of the brown sugar and saltiness of the soy sauce (gluten free if needed!) make for a unique sauce. I have a lot of Asian dishes on my site, but this blew me away the first time I made it. I feel like there is nothing else that I make that has this unique sauce. I love the thickness of the sauce, I love the way it clings to all of the chicken and veggies drowning it in in glorious Asian inspired flavors. The fact that you can make it in one pan (minus the rice) and make it under 30 minutes makes for a super impressive weeknight meal. Easy recipe, lots of flavor…I know you’ll love it!
Some Asian dishes call for marinated chicken and this can be made on the spot–no marinating or prep time ahead of schedule which is lovely.
Plus, if you can’t attend a Chinese restaurant like us, because of food allergies and gluten issues, then this gives you the opportunity to have a restaurant copycat right in your own home.
I am now going to go over all of the frequently asked questions to make sure you can nail this dish. If you don’t have any, feel free to jump to the recipe.
How can I make this Black Pepper Chicken & Green Beans vegan?
The sauce itself is vegan, the only hiccup is the chicken. If you can swap it out for cubed tofu, then you are golden!
How is this Black Pepper Chicken & Green Beans gluten free?
All of the ingredients are simple and basic, which means no hidden gluten anywhere. The only place where there can be gluten is regular soy sauce. Make sure to use a tamari soy sauce that is certified gluten free if you need it to be. If not, use whatever brand soy sauce you prefer.
What do I serve with this Gluten Free Black Pepper Chicken?
I love to serve it with rice. Brown or white are both great. If you do brown, this is my favorite way to make brown rice, but any rice would do. A popular rice is jasmine rice. Use whatever you have on hand. But, if you want a low carb option, you can use cauliflower rice. Otherwise, you really don’t need any other sides since this dish provides the vegetables and protein in and of itself. Keep is simple!
Can I use chicken thighs in this Black Pepper Chicken instead?
I use boneless skinless chicken breast, but feel free to use whatever cut of chicken fits your personal preference (or use tofu!). Pork would even be great. Just make sure that it’s thawed, and chopped into bite sized, small pieces so that it can finish cooking along with the green beans. You don’t want the green beans getting mushy while waiting for the chicken to cook. I like my green beans al dente with still a little bit of snap left to them (also known as crisp tender). Remember, chicken needs to be cooked to 165 degrees F to be safe. Much higher than that, and it won’t be tender chicken. I also wouldn’t recommend cuts of chicken with the skin on or bone in (so if you’re using thighs, use boneless skinless chicken thighs.)
What Other Vegetable Can I Use Other Than Green Beans?
If you don’t have access to fresh green beans (canned just wouldn’t be the same) or if you don’t like them green bell peppers or red bell peppers would be delicious. Actually, I can’t think of a vegetable that wouldn’t be great drenched in this flavorful black pepper sauce. (Bok choy or snow peas would be even more authentic.) Feel free to clean out that fridge and use different veggies. Depending on which vegetable you use and if you like crisp vegetables or soft will affect your cooking time, so keep an eye on the pan for your optimal tenderness.
What can you use if you can’t use cornstarch in the Black Pepper Chicken?
If you have a corn allergy, you can simply omit the cornstarch (also known as corn flour). You can try to simmer it for a bit longer to see if it will reduce down to your liking. Or, it will just be a tad bit runnier since it won’t have the cornstarch to thicken it.
You can also try using something like arrowroot powder in its place at the same amount.
What if I Can’t Have Soy?
If you have a soy allergy, coconut aminos is a great substitute that you can use 1:1.
Do I need a wok to make this recipe?
No. A wok is great, but a large sauce pan works just fine too.
What If This Is Too Spicy?
Black pepper chicken tastes spicy. I’m a pretty big wimp when it comes to spice, and my kids are worse, so I often cut the black pepper in half so it’s more palatable. I’d start with half if you’re unsure and then add more once you’ve tasted it.
Do you have other Asian inspired dinners that are gluten free?
Of course I do! Asian inspired food is BOMB, but it can be so hard to find Asian cuisine that is gluten free (and we also need nut free at our house too due to my son’s multiple food allergies.) Other than this family favorite, all 200+ recipes on my site are gluten, dairy, egg, peanut and tree nut free. Check out the recipe index to see more.
- Gluten Free Instant Pot Bacon Ramen Noodles
- Gluten & Dairy Free Thai Coconut Noodle Soup
- 30 Minute Gluten Free Moo Goo Gai Pan
- Gluten Free Teriyaki Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry
- Gluten Free 30 Minute Korean Chicken & Broccoli
- Gluten, Dairy & Egg Free Asian Quinoa Meatballs
- Gluten Free Lo Mein (Meat Free!)
- Gluten Free Ham Fried Rice
- Asian Spinach Pasta Salad
Don’t forget I also have an instant pot cookbook that has 60 dinner, side, soup and dessert recipes that are all allergy friendly!
What Ingredients are in Gluten Free Black Pepper Chicken?
This great recipe will require these ingredients, which I bet you already have on hand because it’s so simple.
Main ingredients:
- Sesame oil (or vegetable if you have sesame allergies)
- Chicken breasts
- Fresh green beans (or other vegetable or choice)
- Yellow or white onion
- Cooked rice, for serving
Sauce mixture:
-
- Gluten free soy sauce
- Water
- Brown sugar
- Black pepper
- Cornstarch
- Ground ginger
Do I have a video showing how to make Black Pepper Chicken?
Yes I do! I used TikTok because I like how short and succinct their videos are. By watching this video, it should give you a nice, general overview before you start to see how easy Black Pepper Chicken recipe is to make. Enjoy!
@allergyawesomenessA black pepper ##chickenrecipe that takes ##30minutesorless. Naturally ##glutenfree & ##dairyfree. ##allergyfriendly too!♬ original sound – Megan Lavin
Gluten Free Black Pepper Chicken & Green Beans
A thick black pepper glaze sticks to every piece of chicken and green bean and gives just the right amount of heat for this easy Asian-style dinner. Done in 30 minutes or less, this includes your protein, veggie and carb. The unique heat and flavor of the sauce utilizes one of the unsung ingredient heros: simple black pepper.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil or canola oil
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 and 1/2 cups chopped fresh green beans
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 10 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- 1/8 cup cold water
- 2 and 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp black pepper (or more to taste, this was plenty for us)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Brown or white rice for serving
Instructions
If you'd like to see a video of how to make it, you can see the video above the recipe card before starting.
1. Place oil in medium sauce pan over medium heat. Once heated add onion, cut green beans and chicken pieces.
2. While this cooks, make your sauce in a small mixing bowl by combining the: soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, black pepper, corn starch and water. Whisk until combined.
3. Cook the chicken until it is done (165 degrees F) and green beans are tender.
4. Pour the mixed sauce on top. Cook for several more minutes to thicken the sauce.
5. Serve the sauced veggies and chicken over rice.
Notes
You can sub in other veggies if you prefer.
You can sub out tofu for chicken to make it vegan.
*Our allergies, while severe and that get re-tested frequently, are such that we can go strictly by what's on the label. I do not call companies to see what things are derived from, or call manufacturers to see about potential cross contact. If your allergies require you to do so, please do your own homework. I cannot assure you of any ingredient's safety, only you can do that. I simply share what works for our family
**If you are going to feed this to someone with food allergies, and you yourself do not have food allergies, I HIGHLY recommend having them check every single brand and ingredient you are using, to ensure they're OK with each part of the recipe. And, to make sure you've talked to them about how to avoid cross contamination in your kitchen.
Adapted from: Short Girl Tall Order's Black Pepper Tofu Green Beans
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 2203mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 6g
Jenn P
This was good! I will be adjusting it and making again in the future. I’ve got a pretty decent spice tolerance and kids eat this, so I was not expecting it to be sweating on my neck and face level hot. Maybe my black pepper is more potent or something. I’m going to cut the pepper in half for the next one and hopefully have located soy sauce (our usual gluten free La Choy has been out of stock for a couple months). I used 1/2 Tbs onion powder instead of a chopped onion, because my kid doesn’t like onions yet. I used broth to help make up for the lack of soy sauce (has a little left in my jar of tamari). I cut the chicken into flat thin slices to be more like they do in Thai and Chinese restaurants, which my kid approved of.
Megan Lavin
I’m sorry it was too hot for you! I’m glad that you were able to find other work arounds like the onion powder and slicing the chicken thin so it had your own signature on it.
Tracy
Megan, we’re trying not to eat sugar, I wonder if we could use swerve brown sugar. What do you think?
Megan Lavin
Tracy, I’ve never had to avoid sugar so I have 0 experience using sugar substitutes. If you try it, I would love to hear how it goes. Thanks!
Megan
SO good! I used chicken thighs instead of breasts and also added asparagus too! This will be on our regular rotation now! Thanks for such a great and easy recipe!
Megan Lavin
So glad you love it too. Nothing like being able to add a new recipe into the rotation. Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Whitney
I double the recipe and add way more green beans. I use coco aminos and 2 1/2 tbs of agave. Ground ginger always has more spice than fresh in my opinion so I use ground. I simmer it on for 20 minutes on low covered. My kids always get 3rds. Thank you for a great recipe I can always tweak for food allergies
Megan Lavin
I’m glad to hear agave works well too. Thanks for letting us know about what tweaks worked for you. Happy to know it works for your kiddos too. Take care!
Chelle Thompson
Your recipe are very easy to make. Tasty. It is delicious and nutritious. I followed your instructions and I had a delicious meal. Its taste is amazing. May I ask if adding more pepper will it affect the flavor of the food? Do you have any advice for me?
Megan Lavin
Hi Chelle. Thank you for trying my recipe and giving me kind feedback. If you add more pepper, it will make it hotter/spicier. I can’t handle too much spice, so that’s why I stop at the amount I called for, but I recognize some people can handle more heat.
Karens
Hi Megan! Your black pepper chicken and green bean make me remember my childhood. When I was a child, my mother always used to cook Asian food for us. Asian often heats oil then add onion, makes onion flavor, then add chicken as you do. My mother has a cooking tip, she usually cut lime leaves in every chicken dish. Lime leaves highlight the chicken dish. Green bean is fried separately also delicious. I will try your recipe!
Megan Lavin
So cool. Sounds like your mother was a great chef!