Chinese Lemon Chicken
Master a classic Chinese dish with this quick and easy recipe for lemon chicken.
From the book
Chicken: Over two hundred recipes devoted to one glorious bird
Inspiring chicken recipes to expand your repertoire
Delicious recipes for family occasions
Simple, classic dishes for every level of cooking expertise
Introduction
Most of my memories of this are of breadcrumbed chicken breasts drowning in neon yellow sauce so, when I tried this version, I couldn’t believe it was based on the same dish. It’s truly wonderful.
Ingredients
| For the chicken: | |
| 2 tsp | cornflour, plus 1 tsp, mixed to a paste with some water (optional) |
| 1 | egg white |
| 2 | skinless chicken breasts, sliced |
| 2 | skinless boneless chicken thighs, sliced |
| 2 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 1 | onion, cut into wedges |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 tsp | sesame oil |
| 2 tsp | sesame seeds, lightly toasted |
| 2 | spring onions, shredded |
| For the sauce: | |
| 150ml | chicken stock |
| juice of 3 lemons | |
| 2 tsp | caster sugar |
| 2 tsp | caster sugar |
| 2 tbsp | light soy sauce |
| 2 tbsp | rice wine or mirin |
| 4 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| ½ tsp | chilli flakes |
Method
Put the cornflour and egg white into a large bowl. Whisk together until it is lump free, then add the chicken. Mix thoroughly so all of the chicken is coated, then leave in the fridge for around 30 minutes, or until you are ready to cook.
Mix all the sauce ingredients together and have them ready by your wok. Heat the oil in the wok. When it starts to shimmer, add the onion and chicken. Stir-fry quickly until the chicken has browned on all sides – no more than a minute or two – some of the breast will cook completely in this time. Pour over the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for a minute.
If you want to thicken this slightly, add the cornflour paste and continue to cook until thickened. Sprinkle over a few drops of sesame oil, the sesame seeds and the shredded spring onions. Serve with some Chinese greens and steamed rice.
