Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken (Better than Takeaway!)
You'll never need to buy takeaway again with this classic crispy Chinese lemon chicken recipe. It's super easy to make and can be on your table in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 4 skinless chicken breast
- 1 ½ tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine aka: Shaoxing wine
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Batter
- ½ cup plain flour aka: all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cornflour aka: corn starch
- ½ cup water
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp white pepper
- vegetable oil or canola for deep frying
Lemon Sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth
- ⅓ cup lemon juice or freshly squeezed lemon
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp cornflour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4-5 drops yellow food colour (optional)
Instructions
Chicken marinade
- Lightly tenderize the chicken breast using the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Then in a small bowl, add 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp of Chinese cooking wine, 1 tsp of garlic powder, and ¼ tsp of white pepper. Mix well to combine, then place the chicken into a ziplock bag and add the marinade making sure to coat all of the chicken. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Preparing the batter
- To a bowl, add ½ cup plain/all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup cornflour, ⅛ tsp of salt and ⅛ tsp white pepper and mix. Beat 1 egg then add to flour mixture together with ½ cup of water. Whisk thoroughly until the batter appears runny.
Frying the chicken
- In a dutch oven/wok or deep fryer, preheat the oil until it reaches 180°C (355°F). Use a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer to assist.
- Coat the chicken breast in the batter mixture and carefully drop it into the hot oil, making sure to face it away from you. The temperature will lower to around 170°C (340°F) (This is normal).
- Fry the chicken for 10-12 minutes depending on thickness or until the chicken is a lovely golden brown. If using an instant-read meat thermometer, fry the chicken until it's 71°C (160°F) internally. The chicken will continue to cook once removed, bringing it to a safe eating temperature.
Lemon Sauce
- To a pot, add 1 cup of chicken stock/broth, ½ cup of sugar, ⅓ cup of lemon together. Then add ¼ tsp salt and finally 1 ½ tbsp of cornflour/corn starch.
- Stir over high heat and bring to a boil, then add two drops of yellow food colour if you like and stir. When the sauce thickens, remove from the heat and set aside. Slice the chicken into fingers, drizzle the lemon sauce over the top and serve.
