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Lemon Chicken- easy and crispy chicken with tangy, sticky and sweet lemon sauce. This Chinese lemon chicken recipe is much better than takeouts and takes 20 minutes to make.
Lemon Chicken Recipe
Chinese lemon chicken is my favorite chicken recipes and I make it at home frequently.
I love the taste of the dish, with chicken pieces deep fried to golden brown in a light, refreshing, and addictive lemon sauce. It’s delicious!
In my cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes,” there is a similar recipe, but that version is mostly found in Chinese restaurants here in the US.
This is an easy and healthy recipe takes 20 minutes from start to finish and I will teach you how to make it.
The Lemon Chicken Batter
To make crispy chicken, use a basic combination of all-purpose flour and corn starch.
This will ensure that the chicken remains crispy even when the lemon sauce is added to the chicken.
Ingredients
- Chicken breast
- Corn starch
- All-purpose flour
- Oil
- Soy sauce
- Shaoxing wine
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
- Water
- Salt
- White sesame
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1. Marinate the chicken with the Marinade for 30 minutes. Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce and set aside.
Step 2. Coat the marinated chicken with the corn starch and all-purpose flour mixture. Heat a wok with about two inches of oil. Once the oil is fully heated, deep-fry the chicken until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a dish lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Step 3. Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small saucepan and bring it to a quick boil. Transfer the fried chicken to the sauce and stir to coat it well.
Step 4. Dish out, top with white sesame, and serve immediately.
Cooking Tips For Home Cooks
The lemon sauce for chicken should just lightly coat the chicken pieces so that every bite of is complete with a crunchy texture, perfected with a sweet, aromatic, and tart flavor from the lemony sauce.
I also like topping the chicken with some white sesame seeds, as they immediately dress up the chicken with a nice presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 280 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
As with most Chinese food recipes, this chicken is just perfect with some warm and fluffy steamed white rice.
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 10 oz (280g) skinless, boneless chicken breast, or thigh, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup cornstarch, sifted and combine well
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- oil, for deep-frying
- 1/2 teaspoon white sesame
Marinade:
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, optional
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar , or more to taste
- 5 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt , or to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the Marinade for 30 minutes. Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce and set aside.
- Coat the marinated chicken with the corn starch and all-purpose flour mixture. Heat a wok with about two inches of oil. Once the oil is fully heated, deep-fry the chicken until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a dish lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
- Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small saucepan and bring it to a quick boil. Transfer the fried chicken to the sauce and stir to coat it well..
- Dish out, top with white sesame, and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- To make crispy chicken, use a basic combination of all-purpose flour and corn starch.
- The lemon sauce for chicken should just lightly coat the chicken pieces so that every bite of is complete with a crunchy texture, perfected with a sweet, aromatic, and tart flavor from the lemony sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was so easy and came out very well. Thank you. I have made your rendang recipes over and over and they are a favourite every time.
Hi Jil. Thanks for trying my lemon chicken and rendang recipes and giving me 5 stars rating!
First time making this and the sauce was a perfect combination. I cooked a side of linguine with olive oil and garlic salt and put the chicken on top, amazing.
Nice!??
Still a favourite with even the picky not-so-small-now ones. So easy to do and any extra chicken bits are great to pick on for lunches/snackes the next day.
It was FANTASTIC!!!! Even the picky eaters in my family were grabbing seconds! I substituted all the parts where it mentioned cornstarch or flour for cornflour, and I got perfect results. Definitely gonna make this again.
Thanks!
Does it freeze?
Yes you can but not recommended.
I didn’t have the shaoxing wine and sesame seeds but it still turned out so tasty! I also used an air fryer at first. Great recipe