Easy Vietnamese Chicken Stir-Fry with Japanese Green Peppers (Piman)

This chicken and vegetable stir-fry is an easy family dinner made with ingredients readily available at Japanese supermarkets. For this version, I used boneless skin-on chicken thighs, Japanese piman, onion, and carrot.

The chicken is seasoned mainly with fish sauce for a Vietnamese-style flavor, while the natural sweetness of the onion and carrot balances the mild bitterness of the piman. The result is savory and well balanced, with vegetables that retain a pleasant crispness. Serve it hot with steamed rice.

Quick Info

• Marinating time: about 15 minutes
• Stir-frying time: about 8–10 minutes
• Total time: about 25–30 minutes
• Servings: 2–3
• Difficulty: Easy

Measurement note: 1 tablespoon = 15 ml; 1 teaspoon = 5 ml. I recommend using standard measuring spoons, since ordinary household spoons can vary in size.

Ingredients

Main ingredients

• 350–400 g boneless skin-on chicken thighs
• 3 Japanese piman (ピーマン)
• 1/2 onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

These are the amounts of vegetables I used when testing this recipe. You can increase or reduce the carrot, onion, and piman depending on your family’s preference. Just avoid overcrowding a small frying pan, as too many ingredients can release excess moisture and make the stir-fry watery.

Seasonings

For marinating the chicken:

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (15 ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• A little black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil

For final seasoning:

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (5 ml)

How to Cook

Step 1: Marinate the chicken

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, about 2–3 cm.

Place the chicken in a bowl with 15 ml fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, a little black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil. Mix well and marinate for about 15 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables:

• Remove the seeds from the piman and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Slice the onion into wedges.
• Thinly slice the carrot.
• Finely chop the garlic.

Step 2: Stir-fry the chicken

Heat a nonstick frying pan, then add the marinated chicken.

There is no need to add extra oil to the pan.

Stir-fry over medium-high to high heat for about 4–5 minutes, turning the pieces so all sides sear evenly. When the chicken has firmed up and lightly browned, and the skin has started releasing its own fat, move on to the next step.

Step 3: Add the vegetables

Add the carrot first and stir-fry for about 1–2 minutes, as it takes slightly longer to cook.

Add the onion and piman, then continue stir-frying for another 2–3 minutes.

Do not cook the vegetables for too long. I prefer the onion and piman just tender while still retaining a little crispness.

For this amount of chicken and vegetables, I used a large frying pan so everything had enough contact with the hot surface. If you are using a smaller pan, you can cook the chicken in two batches so it browns more easily and the vegetables do not soften from excess moisture.

Step 4: Final seasoning

Once the chicken and vegetables are cooked, add 1 teaspoon fish sauce (5 ml).

Stir for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, then taste.

Before turning off the heat, check one of the thickest pieces of chicken to make sure the inside is fully cooked and no longer pink.

When I tested this recipe, the final 5 ml of fish sauce gave the dish the right level of seasoning, so I did not add anything else.

Turn off the heat and finish with a little extra black pepper if you like.

🇯🇵 Ingredient Tips for Cooking in Japan

Chicken thighs

Chicken thighs in Japan are commonly sold as 鶏もも肉（とりももにく）. Boneless skin-on thighs are easy to find at supermarkets and work very well for this dish.

The skin releases a noticeable amount of fat during cooking. Because of this, when using a nonstick pan like I did, the 1/2 teaspoon of oil in the marinade is enough and there is no need to add extra oil to the pan.

If you use skinless chicken thighs or a particularly lean cut, you may need a small amount of oil to prevent sticking. This is an optional adjustment; I used skin-on chicken thighs when testing the recipe.

Japanese green peppers (piman)

Piman (ピーマン) is a common type of green sweet pepper sold in Japanese supermarkets. The peppers are generally smaller than standard green bell peppers. They are not spicy, but they have a characteristic mild bitterness.

When stir-fried with onion and carrot, the natural sweetness of the vegetables balances the mild bitterness of the piman.

I avoid cooking the piman for too long so it keeps its green color and a little crispness.

How It Turned Out

The chicken is tender and well seasoned, with a balanced fish sauce flavor. The skin adds richness without requiring much additional cooking oil.

The carrot brings natural sweetness, the onion becomes tender, and the piman keeps a little crispness along with its characteristic mild bitterness.

Overall, this simple stir-fry combines meat and vegetables in one dish and is especially good served hot with steamed rice.

📝 My Notes After Cooking

When I tested the recipe, I initially added some oil to the frying pan. However, the skin-on chicken quickly released plenty of its own fat, so the revised instructions above omit that extra oil. When using a nonstick pan, the 1/2 teaspoon of oil in the marinade is enough.

For 350–400 g of chicken and the amount of vegetables used here, a total of 20 ml of fish sauce gave the dish a well-seasoned, balanced flavor. If your family prefers lighter seasoning, use only the 15 ml in the marinade first, taste the dish near the end, and then decide whether to add the final 5 ml.