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(17,399)
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
17,399 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.

Everyone of every age in my house loves this one. Easy, delicious and full of good stuff. It’s on our steady weekday rotation.

Way too sweet

A winner

A little sweet to my taste, but I'd simply cut down on the honey/water mixture by half next time. What I loved about this dish was the turmeric dredge and saute for the chicken. I think I'd like it just plain as is, maybe tossed on top of a salad, etc... Love that earthy, turmeric tickle.

Today I made this with pork cubes and add some red pepper flakes. It's all gone!

I haven't cooked much with turmeric, but the combination with honey and pepper was outstanding. I would have a made a bit more sauce and I added some roasted peanuts at the end for a bit of crunch. Made with some jasmine rice and it was a hit with the whole family.

I’ll bet chopped cashews as a garnish would be great. Next time!

This was amazing. Why did I wait for the end of asparagus season to make it? Thanks to comments I added half cup chopped onions and half teaspoon crushed red pepper. Served over saffron rice.

Read the notes - include onion and top with cilantro

Used hot honey. Delicious.

So easy and delicious. We make this about once every few weeks. I add cashews for a little more protein, but otherwise leave it as is.

Easy, light, tasty. I had a lemon, so it stood in for the lime; and I stirred in some plain rice ramen noodles at the end, and that was terrific.

Double pepper

Less honey, more rice vinegar. Season with soy sauce next time, add in garlic, ginger, some kind of spice.

Easy, delicious, spectacular. I used chicken breasts, increased turmeric and black pepper, used one tbsp honey instead of three. After adding rice vinegar and lime juice at the end, it was lacking saltiness, so I added soy sauce per recipe suggestion. Garnished with cilantro. It was amazing! My picky husband raved. You can play with this recipe to your taste, but the turmeric, pepper, and honey are unexpectedly delicious. Orange from turmeric and green asparagus make it beautiful as well.

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