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As one of the popular take-out dishes, crispy lemon chicken is breaded, then fried, and coated with a glossy sauce; it tastes lemony, savory, and tangy. Usually, restaurants will deep fry the chicken. However, cooking it at home, you can try shallow fry with less oil and use my trick to get the same crispy result.
INGREDIENTS
To marinate the chicken
1 lb (450g) of chicken breast or boneless chicken thigh
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1 tsp of ginger
black pepper to taste (Amazon Link – https://geni.us/black-peppercorns)
1.5 tsp of soy sauce (Amazon Link – https://geni.us/light-soy-sauce)
1.5 tsp of Chinese cooking wine
For the sauce
2 tbsp of Honey (Amazon Link – https://geni.us/unfiltered-honey)
4 tbsp of brown sugar (Amazon Link – https://geni.us/brown-sugar)
3.5 tbsp of soy sauce (Amazon Link – https://geni.us/light-soy-sauce)
2 tbsp of sambal chili sauce (Amazon Link – https://geni.us/sambal-chili-sauce)
3 tbsp of water + 1 tbsp of cornstarch
3.5 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of Lemon zest
Others:
2/3 cup of cornstarch (Amazon Link – https://geni.us/cornstarch)
2/3 cup of all-purpose flour (Amazon Link – https://geni.us/all-purpose-flour)
1 egg
1 cup of oil to shallow fry
Diced scallion as garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the boneless chicken breast or thigh into big strips, then slice into bite-size pieces.
Marinate the chicken with minced garlic, minced ginger, soy sauce, and black pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly and rest it for 20 minutes.
While waiting, combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well. This sauce is versatile; it works great with other proteins such as shrimp, pork, and beef.
Tip No 1 for meal prepping: This amount is enough to pair with 1 lb of meat. You can make multiple batches and keep them in the freezer for up to six months. The sauce will not solidify in the freezer due to the high sugar and salt content, so you can use it anytime without defrosting.
The next step is to bread the chicken. Combine 2/3 cups of cornstarch and 2/3 cups of all-purpose in a large zip lock bag, then shake well. Cornstarch is the key to making the chicken crispy. The breading will come out doughy if you use 100% all-purpose flour.
Add the marinated chicken into the bag and shake until well-coated. Use a sieve to get rid of the excess flour and transfer the chicken into a bowl.
Crack one egg into the chicken and mix thoroughly. Put the chicken back into the bag and shake to coat it twice because a thicker breading will protect the breast meat from drying out.
Use a sieve to get rid of the excess flour again. Let the chicken rest on the side for 15 minutes so the flour can have enough time to bond together, and it will fall off less during the frying.
Meanwhile, heat 2/3 cups of oil to 400 F. Shallow frying uses less oil than deep-frying. Since the food is only partly submerged, it must be flipped over partway through the cooking process. The bigger the item is, the lower the frying temperature should be. These chicken bites are small, so we start with 400 F.
Fry the chicken in two batches over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes on each side or until both sides are golden brown. Before you fry the second batch, remove the flour crumbs from the oil using a fine sieve.
Tip No.2 for meal prepping – freeze the chicken after frying for 5-6 months. Whenever you want to eat them again, heat them in an air fryer (400 F for 8-10 minutes), or an oven ( 450 F for 12-14 minutes). Then coat it with the sauce, and you have your quick delicious dinner ready.
Remove the chicken to the side and pour out most of the oil from the wok. Then pour in the sauce and stir over medium heat for a few minutes or until it thickens.
Introduce the chicken to the wok with 1.5 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds. Toss everything until the chicken is coated with the sauce, and serve with white rice. Make sure everybody is ready to eat and do the last step to combine the chicken with the sauce. The longer you let it sit before serving, the less crispy it will be.
39 Comments
I made this tonight! My whole family loved it. Just the right amount of tart and sweet. The breading was perfect! Thank you!
Hi! I love everything with lemon, and ur recipe of orange chicken is great!!
But where I live, I can't buy the cooking wine u use, what can I substitute it with? Would really want to cook this!
I just made today very delicious! Perfect absolutely have every taste in there, thank you so much for sharing, wish you the best😘
Do you let the floured chicken rest in the fridge or out of it?
Best chicken ever. Perfect recipe as always. Thank you!
Wow I never thought this is so easy and what I can say this is much better than takeout.Made it tonight and it was a smash. Even my mom praise the sauce ,tangy,salty and sweet which is a perfect balance pair with the crunchy chicken 😊❤️
I made this for tea and it went down a treat. loving your recipes and presentation style.
Can't wait to make this! Love your wok and your recipes! Thanks for making them.
Made this tonight. Came out great! Better than any take-out.
Amazing.
Easy and good recipe
Made it was delicious 😋 . Where can I buy this wok please 🙏?
My son and I made this tonight, first time for both of us, it was delicious! Thank you for your clear instructions and tips!
Made tonight, the best we ever tasted. Thank you for a fantastic recipe
I got your wok as an early Valentine’s Day present and omg!! I love it !
Hi Mandy, I made this tonight according to your recipe and it turned out PERFECTLY! Crispy and delicious, wonderful breading. The shallow fry worked perfectly (in batches) even with my western pan. Your recipe tastes very complex, but with your instructions I found the process simple. Thank you!
Hi Mindy thank you so much for sharing I plan to make once I have all the ingredients. Where can I order the Chinese cooking wine? Thank you
Could you fry a bunch of chicken at once and put it in bags in the freezer so that when you needed dinner you could just thaw and then mix with sauce in the wok?
I made this tonight for dinner! It was delicious, I love this girl. For decades I never tried to cook Chinese food because I thought it was super hard to make, not with Mandy. Love you Mandy, you are the best.
I made your Crispy Lemon Chicken for our dinner yesterday. It was FABULOUS! Absolutely delicious and easy to do. Thanks so much for this one.
The wok is only $40USD!!
The wok is only $40USD!!
Souped Up Recipes — Hi Mandy — Could you do Sub Gum Chicken Chow Mein? Of course, I know the sub gum means large bite but lots of other Westerners would love to learn more! Enjoy the tips and recipes. Thanks
A few modifications set this off for me. I marinated the chicken overnight before frying. For the sauce I used lemon juice, orange juice, and tangerine peel to add some complexity to the flavor profile. Also fried broccoli before the sauce step and tossed that with the chicken. Superb.
This young lady is the best teacher for Chinese cooking from A to Z.
Can you use lemon marmalade as a short cut?
I tried this recipe this evening. The results were absolutely fantastic and it was delicious. I followed the directions, exactly, and wouldn’t change a thing.
Oh wow… amazing! Love Mandy and how she so clearly explains cooking theory while presenting a wonderful beginner dish to Cantonese cooking! Chef's kiss to you Mandy!
One question, if I may. The double fried chicken and sauce in your Orange Chicken recipe also can be kept in the freezer for about 5!6 months as in this Lemon Chicken recipe? Thanks.
I love all of the tips and tricks you include, especially freezing to use at a later date. I haven't tried any recipes yet as I'm just starting my make at home Asian food journey. Could I sub out orange for the lemon in equal amounts? I have a friend who loves orange chicken and I'd like to surprise her. Thank you for such great videos.
Have a single older sister? For some reason, at my age, perfect cooking is sexy AF.
You are brilliant. I watch your cooking and it makes my mouth water. Thank you.
Can you use any chili with it
How can I get there recipe..this sounds amazing
I see she made her plate and left the rest for me. lol. Looks amazing.
After you started eating your dish I run to the shop for ingredients and cooked it!🤩😋I had zero experience of cooking except sandwitches and spagetti😁
Amazing recipe, thanks from Ukraine 💛💙
The one time I made lemon chicken it was so sweet it was almost inedible. I'm not super into sweet and sour. I'm gonna make this but put very minimal amount of sugar in it. I prefer a tangy tart lemon flavor. I also made some preserved lemons. I'm gonna use those instead because I have them.
i love your accent its such a beautiful song
I made this for supper last night but I found it too sweet. If I make it again I will cut down on the sugar.
I'm about to make this tomorrow and after watching this video I'm really looking forward to it. Thank you Mandy.