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Lemon Chicken- easy and crispy chicken with tangy, sticky and sweet lemon sauce. This Chinese lemon chicken recipe is much better than takeouts and takes 20 minutes to make.
Lemon Chicken Recipe
Chinese lemon chicken is my favorite chicken recipes and I make it at home frequently.
I love the taste of the dish, with chicken pieces deep fried to golden brown in a light, refreshing, and addictive lemon sauce. It’s delicious!
In my cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes,” there is a similar recipe, but that version is mostly found in Chinese restaurants here in the US.
This is an easy and healthy recipe takes 20 minutes from start to finish and I will teach you how to make it.
The Lemon Chicken Batter
To make crispy chicken, use a basic combination of all-purpose flour and corn starch.
This will ensure that the chicken remains crispy even when the lemon sauce is added to the chicken.
Ingredients
- Chicken breast
- Corn starch
- All-purpose flour
- Oil
- Soy sauce
- Shaoxing wine
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
- Water
- Salt
- White sesame
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1. Marinate the chicken with the Marinade for 30 minutes. Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce and set aside.
Step 2. Coat the marinated chicken with the corn starch and all-purpose flour mixture. Heat a wok with about two inches of oil. Once the oil is fully heated, deep-fry the chicken until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a dish lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Step 3. Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small saucepan and bring it to a quick boil. Transfer the fried chicken to the sauce and stir to coat it well.
Step 4. Dish out, top with white sesame, and serve immediately.
Cooking Tips For Home Cooks
The lemon sauce for chicken should just lightly coat the chicken pieces so that every bite of is complete with a crunchy texture, perfected with a sweet, aromatic, and tart flavor from the lemony sauce.
I also like topping the chicken with some white sesame seeds, as they immediately dress up the chicken with a nice presentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 280 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
As with most Chinese food recipes, this chicken is just perfect with some warm and fluffy steamed white rice.
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 10 oz (280g) skinless, boneless chicken breast, or thigh, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup cornstarch, sifted and combine well
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- oil, for deep-frying
- 1/2 teaspoon white sesame
Marinade:
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, optional
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar , or more to taste
- 5 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt , or to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the Marinade for 30 minutes. Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce and set aside.
- Coat the marinated chicken with the corn starch and all-purpose flour mixture. Heat a wok with about two inches of oil. Once the oil is fully heated, deep-fry the chicken until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a dish lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
- Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a small saucepan and bring it to a quick boil. Transfer the fried chicken to the sauce and stir to coat it well..
- Dish out, top with white sesame, and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- To make crispy chicken, use a basic combination of all-purpose flour and corn starch.
- The lemon sauce for chicken should just lightly coat the chicken pieces so that every bite of is complete with a crunchy texture, perfected with a sweet, aromatic, and tart flavor from the lemony sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can the chicken been baked instead of fried for a healthier alternative?
Thanks so much, we loved this recipe! Your blog is awesome and your recipes are very easy to follow. I also love that I don’t need 100 ingredients for each dish. Thanks again.
Hi Heather, thanks for your sweet comment on this lemon chicken recipe.
Should the chicken be marinated, then cooked before being battered and fried?
Yes just follow the method.
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Big fan of this recipe. Many years ago, I discovered Lemon Chicken at a Chinese Restaurant I used to frequent in Corvallis, OR. I loved the light, delicate taste of the lemon sauce they used (served on the side, if I remember correctly) and this recipe matches my memory of that delightful dish. Thank you for making it available to everyone.
Thanks Jef. :)
Hi, if I wanted to keep the thighs in one big piece and cut after cooking, what change in cooking etc would you suggest?
sorry that should say cook the thighs
How many hours before can you cook the chicken?
Just marinate the chicken for 30 minutes and you can cook.
Sis,u mention to use soy sauce… Is it light soy sauce or dark soy sauce.. Tq
Light soy sauce.
Bee,
I really would like to see more authentic recipes like Sandy was referring to. Can you post the authentic Malaysian version of this recipe as an option for those who wish to experience the culture palate.
Also, I would like to see both the American version and the original Asia versions of recipes allowing the reader the option of choosing the version or versions they wish to try. As a teacher, I am all about culture immersion after all, I would think the purpose of you providing these wonderful recipes is to foster appreciation for commonality and differences of cultures.
Pam, I have A TON of authentic recipes on Rasa Malaysia, there are over 750 recipes on my blog and I would say 60% of them are the authentic recipes. However I live in the US and the majority of my readers are Americans, and too authentic is a roadblock to them. What I have been trying to do is to make Asian cooking more accessible to my general audience and simplify them and once they get comfortable with Asian cooking, they can move up to the authentic versions. I am a food blogger, and not a culinary educator or teacher, I do the best I can to please both sides of the audience but it’s not easy.
And I agree with Bee wholeheartedly, as a reader and can’t cook to save my life, i find Bee’s recipes easy to follow and foolproof. I have also read far too many blogs that have complicated steps and ingredients (as true authentic cooking tends to), as much as I admire their skills and effort, it is too hard to follow especially when residing in a western country where locating some exotic ingredients could be a task on its own.
Thanks Joan. I try to make my recipes as accessible as possible. :)
Love your recipes. I’m going to try this put soon. What oil do you recommend frying in? I have peanut oil and vegetable oil on hand.
You can use either but my late mother swore by peanut oil because of the aroma. :)