Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken is a simple Chinese recipe that works so well as a main dish on its own. Served with rice, noodles and even chips for a filling tasty dish. I often add a little sliced red chilli for extra heat or you can use mustard. I am biased as this recipe contains ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil, three staples in my larder. Don’t worry, the lemon flavour is a background one and adds to the flavour of the chicken and dish.

Lemon Chicken

A classic Chinese take away menu recipe. This is a favourite that always adds a lovely taste to a bowl of chow mien.

5 from 29 votes

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chicken, Fruit, Lemon, Sauce, Vegetables

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 325kcal

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Ingredients

 

MetricImperial

• ▢ 3 lbs chicken pieces
• ▢ 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ 1 large lemon finely chopped zest only
• ▢ 1/3 cup lemon juice
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 tbsp sugar
• ▢ 1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
• ▢ 1 tsp sesame oil
• ▢ 1 tsp cornstarch cornflour
• ▢ 1 tbsp water
• ▢ 2 large scallions spring onions/finely sliced

Instructions

• Rub the chicken pieces with 1/2 of the soy sauce and set aside.
  3 lbs chicken pieces, 2 tbsp soy sauce
• Combine the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
  2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 large lemon, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp sugar
• Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large, heavy skillet over high heat.
  1 tsp sesame oil
• Brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Add the ginger and cook for 1 minutes.
  1 tbsp ginger
• Add the lemon mixture and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to very low and simmer the chicken covered for 20 minutes.
• Add the cornstarch and water to a cup and stir well until no lumps.
• Remove the chicken to a warm platter and add the cornflour mixture to the pan.
  1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp water
• Stir the mixture until it boils and has thickened.
• Spoon over the chicken pieces and garnish with lemon slices and chopped scallions.
  2 large scallions

Notes

This dish is usually battered and fried but this version is lighter, healthier, and less time consuming.

Nutrition

Calories: 325kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 60g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 549mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 3g