Turmeric-Black Pepper Chicken With Asparagus

Updated June 24, 2024

Turmeric-Black Pepper Chicken With Asparagus
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(17,818)
Notes
Read community notes

In this sweet and spicy stir-fry, black pepper, honey and rice vinegar help accentuate turmeric’s delightfully earthy qualities. Thinly sliced asparagus doesn’t need much time to cook, but feel free to swap with any other vegetables that cook in just a few minutes, like thinly sliced green beans, frozen peas or baby spinach. Serve this with rice or rice vermicelli noodles, or tuck it into a lettuce cup or pita with yogurt and fresh herbs. You could also trade the chicken for tofu, shrimp or cubed pork shoulder.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 3tablespoons honey
  • ¾teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 1pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1tablespoon coconut or canola oil
  • 12ounces asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle
  • 1teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar or soy sauce
  • 1lime, cut into wedges (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

257 calories; 8 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 561 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together ¼ cup water with the honey, pepper and ½ teaspoon salt; set honey mixture aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken and toss until coated.

  3. Step 3

    In a medium (10-inch) nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook until the turmeric is fragrant and the chicken is golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

  4. Step 4

    Add the asparagus, season with salt, stir to combine and cook until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Add the honey mixture and cook, stirring, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with lime squeezed over top, if you like.

Ratings

5 out of 5
17,818 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

One of the best flavor to effort ratios of any meal I have made.

The recipe as-is was sort of ho-hum, so I substituted sliced white bread for the chicken, used peanut butter instead of asparagus, and grape jelly instead of turmeric. Served with a glass of milk and it was wonderful - rave reviews from everyone.

We made this with chicken breast instead of thighs, added thinly sliced onion when we added the asparagus and added some crushed red pepper. Served with basmati rice - this is the best dish we've made in a long time!

Good as is, not great. It was too plain and too sweet. I cooked it in a wok, added charred cabbage, peanuts and cilantro. Less honey, more rice vinegar. Added soy sauce and chili crisp. Topped with cilantro and green onions. Now it's delicious!

I used tofu instead of chicken and it was delicious!

I added in chopped garlic and ginger after browning the chicken. I also added the crushed red pepper to the honey mix. Delicious! It got rave reviews from the family.

Cooked as written. Served over quinoa as we had some already cooked. Extremely quick, easy and tasty! Would potentially spice it up next time with some red pepper flakes, but would make again either way.

In a quest to avoid grocery shopping I had to work with what I had. Tofu instead of chicken, broccoli instead of asparagus, lemon instead of lime, served over some old rice vermicelli noodles I found in the pantry. Threw on some chopped peanuts for good measure because I like crunch. Was delicious! One small coronavirus silver lining is learning to become more adaptable.

There is nothing bland or ordinary about this dish. The flavors are both rich and sublime. The only changes I made were adding thinly sliced shallots with the asparagus, a pinch of red pepper flakes in the honey mixture, and a full tablespoon of rice vinegar at the end. I also reduced the honey to 1 TB. It’s a beautiful presentation with the golden chicken and green asparagus slivers. I served it over quinoa with apple arugula salad on the side. Will definitely be making this again!

Can’t remember the last time I made anything without either an onion or garlic! Made this exactly as stated, except for adding a pinch of red pepper. I did add the vinegar at the end- which is perfect! Very tasty and super easy! My family asked for a do over next week. Nice to have recipes with no hard to come by ingredients during the shelter in place!!

I’ve never felt so compelled to comment on a recipe. It was so easy, yet the result was so amazing and satisfying! I added red pepper flakes for an extra kick and served with creamy rice. Will be making again, often.

In the true use-what-you-have spirit of the recipe I made it with thin pork slices that I sliced into strips; romanesco cauliflower; and maple syrup instead of honey. I served it over rice noodles. I thought it was great and. I’ll definitely make it again.

This was really fabulous. Based on comments from other folks, I cut back the honey slightly, using 2 tablespoons. I also used chicken breast because that's what I had; it was plenty juicy and tender so the switch didn't cause any problems. One other thing I did was to add about a teaspoon of chili-garlic sauce (Tuong Ot Toi, from Huy Fong) to the honey mixture; added just a bit of kick, although the black pepper really takes center stage here. Don't be tempted to cut back on the black pepper!

So good and so quickly done! I used curry instead of turmeric which also works well.

My husband made this for dinner tonight and had it with brown rice, pretty quick and easy. We added a little less honey and it tasted great. Would add some chili flakes next time for some spice. Overall a great dish.

This is the recipe I show people when I recommend NYT cooking and they tell me they don’t like complicated recipes. The perfect intersection of tasty, easy, and quick. I make it about twice a month.

I don’t know how mine turned out so salty, but it was otherwise delicious

Add red pepper flakes after browning chicken and onion and/or garlic before. Good with zucchini I just added honey sauce as soon as zucchini in so not too mushy. Zucchini cut same size as chicken.

My partner and I really liked this recipe and thought it was tasty. However we are spice fiends and felt like it could use a little spice. I think we’ll add some kind of chile (maybe birds eye) to add some spice and more crunch to the dish.

This became an instant staple in our home! It is quick, easy, and the result is delightful. We even made it for a family reunion and everyone enjoyed it. It helped that it is very easy to scale up. My fiancé now makes this every week as both a microwaveable lunch option for the office and a quick stovetop reheat dinner. Highly recommended!!!

Made as suggested. Delicious, different and easy! Two slight changes: Sliced the asparagus into inch-size pieces and added roasted cashews with the asparagus for crunch.

We’ve had it as written and it was good. Tonight I read some of the notes and made a few tweaks. I used 1/2 flour and 1/2 cornstarch to get a little crispier crust on the chicken. I added a clove of grated garlic, some chili crunch and a bit of soy to the sauce and I only used 2 tbs of honey. I cooked vermicelli to add in with the sauce at the end. It was delicious and so quick and easy!

Reduce the amount of water, and salt, I added the juice of a lime just before serving and served over brown rice.

Easy and good for a busy weekday but not sure why such rave reviews? Definitely cut the honey by half.

Did not enjoy this at all

Used 2/3 the honey listed, added ginger and garlic before asparagus, and cilantro at the end. Also discarded some of the oil after frying

If using tofu, skip the flour. Double the sauce for any protein.

No water with honey mixture

This is a family favorite, even with my 3 year old. We eat with rice. We love the taste of turmeric, pepper and the honey sauce. We don't put 3T honey though, just 1.5 because we don't like it too sweet. It's part of our weekly rotation

This recipe is pure genius. I have made it as described but also with some minor substitutions. Agave nectar works well in stead of the honey. I’m sensitive to asparagus and made it with green beans cut into 1/4 inch segments. Both excellent. Such a great flavor:effort.

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