Description
This Chinese Lemon Chicken recipe features crispy battered chicken pieces tossed in a tangy and sweet lemon sauce. Perfect for a homemade takeout-style meal, it’s easy to prepare and delivers vibrant flavors with a refreshing citrus punch.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Coating
- 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
Lemon Sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for sauce)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- ½ cup chicken broth
- â…“ cup fresh lemon juice
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water (slurry)
Garnish
- Lemon zest (optional)
- Sliced green onions (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the coating: In a medium bowl, combine the cornstarch, all-purpose flour, salt, and black pepper to create the dry mixture for coating the chicken.
- Coat the chicken: Dip each bite-sized chicken piece into the beaten eggs ensuring thorough coverage, then dredge them in the cornstarch-flour mixture, pressing lightly to coat well.
- Fry the chicken: Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken pieces in batches for about 4–5 minutes per batch until they turn golden and are cooked through. Remove and drain cooked chicken on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Make the lemon sauce: In a clean pan, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat. Sauté the minced garlic and grated ginger for about 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
- Simmer the sauce: Add the chicken broth, fresh lemon juice, sugar, honey, and soy sauce to the pan. Stir well and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Thicken the sauce: Gradually add the cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with water) while stirring continuously. Simmer for 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens to a glossy consistency.
- Combine chicken and sauce: Add the fried chicken pieces to the sauce and toss them thoroughly to coat the chicken evenly with the lemon glaze.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with fresh lemon zest and sliced green onions if desired. Serve hot accompanied by steamed rice or your favorite vegetables.
Notes
- For extra crispy chicken, consider double-frying the chicken pieces by frying them once until lightly golden, letting them rest briefly, then frying again until deeply crispy.
- Adjust the balance of sweetness and tartness by modifying the amount of sugar or lemon juice in the sauce to your preference.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute soy sauce with tamari and use a gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour.
