Chinese Lemon Chicken
Easy Chinese Lemon Chicken with a sticky honey, lemon and garlic sauce. Better than takeout in less than 30 minutes!
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
CHICKEN:
- ▢ 21 oz chicken tenderloins cut into 1-inch pieces
- ▢ 1 large egg
- ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ▢ 2 tablespoons Chinese shaoxing wine or white vinegar
- ▢ 1/2 cup corn starch
- ▢ 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
LEMON SAUCE:
- ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
- ▢ 3 teaspoons garlic minced
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger ginger or finely grated
- ▢ 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
- ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ▢ 4 tablespoons lemon juice of one lemon, about 3-4 tablespoons
- ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
- ▢ 2 tablespoons honey
- ▢ 1 pinch salt to taste
- ▢ 2 teaspoons corn starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
- ▢ 1 teaspoon sesame seeds to garnish
- ▢ 1 tablespoon green onions thinly sliced to garnish
- ▢ 5 lemon slices to serve – optional
Instructions
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- In a large shallow bowl whisk egg, soy sauce and wine. Add in chicken, mix well and allow to marinate for 20 minutes, covered.
- Place corn starch into a large baking tray. Pour chicken and marinade into the corn starch and coat chicken pieces evenly, lightly pressing the corn starch around the chicken.
- Heat oil in a large wok, pan or skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot (325°F or 165°C), shake off excess corn starch and fry chicken in batches in a single layer for about 5-6 minutes, turning half way during cooking, until golden and cooked through.
- Drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Discard oil and wipe wok/pan over with paper towel.
FOR THE SAUCE:
- Heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add stock, soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, honey, and a pinch of salt. Whisk, bring to a simmer until the sugar dissolves.
- Whisk corn starch mixture into the simmering sauce and stir until thickened. Toss chicken in the sauce until evenly coated (about 2 minutes).
- Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions and lemon slices. Serve.
Notes
Tip: Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 660kcal |
Carbohydrates: 47g |
Protein: 38g |
Fat: 37g |
Saturated Fat: 6g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g |
Monounsaturated Fat: 10g |
Trans Fat: 0.2g |
Cholesterol: 143mg |
Sodium: 1.254mg |
Potassium: 865mg |
Fiber: 4g |
Sugar: 19g |
Vitamin A: 159IU |
Vitamin C: 80mg |
Calcium: 66mg
Iron: 2mg |