I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to order Lemon Chicken at my favorite Chinese restaurant! It’s one of my all time favorites! So I decided to give making it at home a try. I pulled out my favorite Chinese recipe cookbook and found a recipe for Lemon Chicken. It turned out to be a big fat dud…so disappointing! It didn’t have that crispy crunch with the sticky, tangy lemon sauce I was hoping for, so my search continued.
I stumbled upon this scrumptious recipe at marionskitchen.com and it turned out to be just what I hoped for! Flavorful, tangy and tart, and not too sweet sauce, with a crispy crunch that was absolutely delightful!!! I served this chicken over a bed of steamed white rice and we absolutely devoured every last bite! It was sooooo good!!!
Not only is this recipe easy to get onto the table, but it’s absolutely delicious!
Note to self, double the recipe next time!!!
Start by cutting up chicken breast into 1/2 inch pieces and season with salt.
Make a simple marinade for the chicken. Whisk together egg white, soy sauce and shoaxing wine.
Add seasoned cubed chicken to the marinade. Mix together to coat the chicken pieces.
Allow the chicken to marinate for 20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce and sugar. Set aside.
In another small bowl, combine lemon juice and zest. Set aside.
Combine water with corn starch. Set aside.
Place enough oil in a wok or large saucepan for deep frying the chicken pieces and heat over high heat.
While oil heats on the stove, place flour in a large tray or dish.
Add the marinated chicken pieces, including the marinade to the dish with the flour.
Use your hands to massage the chicken pieces and press the flour into the chicken to coat it. Shake off excess flour.
Once the oil is hot add the flour coated chicken pieces to the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Do not crowd chicken in the pan, cook in 2-3 batches.
Drain cooked chicken pieces on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
In a clean pan over medium high heat, add a tablespoon of oil. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
Add chicken broth/soy sauce/sugar mixture. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved.
Add lemon juice and zest to the pan and simmer for about 30 seconds.
Stir in cornstarch slurry.
Cook until sauce starts to turn glossy and thickens slightly.
Add the fried chicken pieces to the lemon sauce and stir to coat with the lemon sauce.
Serve lemon glazed fried chicken over a bed of steamed white rice and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a sprinkle of sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Recipe compliments of marionskitchen.com. Thank you Marion for this delicious recipe!!! This meal will be making an appearance on our table often! Be sure to check out her website, she has loads of amazing looking recipes just like this one.
Asian Lemon Chicken
Equipment
- Wok or large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into ½ inch cubes
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1½ tsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup flour
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 tsp corn starch, dissolved in 2 tbsp water
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 tsp sesame seeds, for garnish
- 1 stalk green onion, sliced
Marinade:
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese shaoxing wine
- 1 egg white, lightly whisked
Instructions
- Cut chicken breast into ½ inch pieces. Season chicken with salt.
- Place cubed chicken in a bowl and add marinade ingredients. Mix together to coat chicken pieces. Allow chicken to marinate for 20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce and sugar. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, combine lemon juice and zest. Set aside.
- In another bowl mix together corn starch and water. Set aside.
- Place enough oil in a wok or large saucepan for deep frying the chicken pieces and heat over high heat.
- While oil heats on the stove, place flour in a large tray or dish. Add the marinated chicken pieces, including the marinade to the flour.
- Use your hands to massage the chicken pieces and press the flour into the chicken to coat it. Shake off excess flour.
- Once the oil is hot add the flour coated chicken pieces to the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Do not crowd chicken in the pan, cook in 2-3 batches.
- Drain cooked chicken pieces on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- In a clean pan over medium high heat, add a tablespoon of oil. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
- Add chicken broth/soy sauce/sugar mixture. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved.
- Add lemon juice and zest to the pan and simmer for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in cornstarch slurry and cook until sauce starts to turn glossy and thickens slightly.
- Add the fried chicken pieces to the lemon sauce and stir to coat with the lemon sauce.
- Serve lemon glazed fried chicken over a bed of steamed white rice.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
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