Today let’s make some crispy, sweet, and tangy lemon chicken!
Portion: 2 people
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken Recipe
Chicken and marinade:
1 ½ pounds chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
Pinch of salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water)
1 egg
Sauce:
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon of cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water)
Others:
2 cups cornstarch
3 cups oil, for frying
1 stalk scallions, for garnish
Instruction:
To prepare the chicken breast, first, trim off any excess of fat. Tenderize it with the back of your knife. Then slice the chicken into 3/4-inch cubes. (You could also use chicken thighs.
To marinate the chicken, in a big bowl, transfer in the chicken, add salt, white pepper, cornstarch slurry, and egg. Mix well. Then transfer in the chicken pieces. Thoroughly combine. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
To make the sauce, first, roll a lemon on your table (so the juice will come out easily). Cut it in halves, squeeze out the juice.
In a bowl, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, soy sauce, rice wine, honey, salt, white pepper, and chicken stock. Mix well. Put aside.
To coat the chicken, in a large bowl, add the cornstarch. Transfer the chicken in and mix to coat.
To fry the chicken, in a pot, add 3 cups of vegetable oil, or about 2 inches deep. Heat it up to 350°F/177°C. (You can test the oil with your chopsticks. When you put the chopsticks in the pot, and if you see lots of bubbles around it, then the oil is ready.) Transfer in the chicken. Fry over high heat for about 5 minutes until they are golden brown.
Take out the chicken and put aside. Skim off any crumbs. Then heat to oil to 375°F/191°C. Return the chicken and deep fry for 1 minute until crispy. (Double frying makes the chicken crispier.) Take out the chicken and drain on a paper towel.
To put everything together, in a pan, pour in the sauce. Heat it up over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Then pour in cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. Transfer in the chicken. Stir and coat the chicken with the sauce.
Serve on a plate. Garnish with scallions.
