Chinese Lemon Chicken

May 17, 2024

Chinese Lemon Chicken is coated in a sweet, savory, and tangy lemon sauce. It's a delicious and refreshing and a nice alternative to the usual sweet and sour chicken. Making Chinese food at home allows you to control the ingredients and adjust the flavors to your taste. It's generally healthier and more economical than takeout.

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients

Sauce

¼ cup chicken broth

¼ cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), optional

4 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon salt

Marinade

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut to 1” pieces (or 2 chicken thighs)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

½ cup cornstarch

Stir-fry

⅓ cup vegetable oil

2 green onions, sliced (white part for cooking and green part for garnishing)

2 teaspoons ginger, minced

Directions

1Combine the sauce ingredients in the bowl and mix well.

2Combine chicken, oil, and salt in a big bowl. Mix well and let marinate for 15 minutes.

3When you’re ready to cook, add the beaten egg to the chicken. Stir to mix well. Add cornstarch. Stir to coat chicken, until it forms an uneven coating with a little dry cornstarch left unattached.

4Heat oil in a large skillet until hot, just starting to smoke. Add chicken all at once and spread into a single layer in the skillet. Separate chicken pieces with a pair of tongs or chopsticks.

5Cook without touching the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottom turns golden. Flip to brown the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a big plate and remove the pan from the stove. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes (very important, so the chicken crisps up further).

6Place the pan back on the stove and turn to medium heat. You should still have 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan. If there’s too much oil, pour out or use paper towels to remove the excess oil. Add green onion and ginger. Cook and stir a few times until it releases fragrance.

7Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely. Pour into the pan. Stir and cook until it thickens.

8Add back the chicken. Stir to coat chicken with sauce. Transfer to a plate and serve hot as a main dish.

Recipe adapted from Omnivore's Cookbook.

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