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Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken

Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken

Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken is an old school dish with a delicious lemon sauce that keeps the chicken crispy for a satisfying meal.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Cooling Chicken after Fry #1 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 pieces
Calories 358 kcal

Equipment

  • large heavy based pot
  • whisk
  • meat mallet
  • cutting board
  • freezer bag
  • paper towel

Ingredients
  

Chicken

  • 4 pieces chicken thigh fillets, skinless and boneless or 2 breasts

Battering & Frying Ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon cooking salt / kosher salt
  • ¼ cup cornflour / cornstarch
  • 1 - 1 ½ litres vegetable or canola oil for frying, 4cm / 1.6" depth, re-usable

Stay-Crisp Fry Batter

  • ⅓ cup cornflour / cornstarch
  • ⅓ cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
  • ½ teaspoon cooking salt / kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup COLD soda water not sparkling mineral water

Lemon Sauce

  • 6 teaspoon cornflour / cornstarch
  • ½ cup chicken stock / broth low sodium
  • ½ cup lemon juice fresh
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon garlic finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon ginger finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine can omit for alcohol-free

Garnish (optional)

  • lemon slices to serve, optional
  • 1 green onion finely sliced on the diagonal, to serve, optional

Instructions
 

Preparation

  • Refrigerate batter dry: Whisk cornflour, flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then refrigerate.
  • Pound chicken: Pound chicken with a meat mallet to 0.7cm / ⅓" thick and sprinkle with salt.
  • Dust: Dust both sides of chicken with cornflour, shaking off excess.
  • Preheat oil: Heat oil in a large pot to 160°C/320°F with at least 4cm/1.6" depth.
  • Finish batter: Add soda water to dry ingredients and whisk until combined.

Frying

  • Fry #1: Dip chicken in batter, fry for 3 mins until pale golden, cool for 20 mins.
  • Lemon Sauce: Whisk cornflour and a splash of chicken stock in a saucepan, combine with remaining sauce ingredients and simmer for 3 mins.
  • Fry #2: Increase oil temperature to 200°C/390°F, fry for 3 mins until deep golden and crispy.
  • Serving: Slice chicken, transfer to plates, pour over lemon sauce, garnish, and serve.

Notes

Leftovers will keep for 3 days, though crust will soften. For best results, keep chicken and sauce separate if possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 358kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 25gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 119mgSodium: 811mgPotassium: 390mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 62IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg
Keyword chinese fried chicken, crispy chinese lemon chicken, crispy lemon chicken, lemon sauce for chicken
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