Chicken in lemon sauce has an incredible citrus flavor. If you love orange chicken, you will love this Chinese lemon chicken recipe. Crispy nuggets of chicken are served with a tangy Chinese lemon sauce. It has that authentic restaurant flavor that you love but costs less to make.
Combine the cubed chicken with cornstarch, soy sauce, egg, salt and pepper. Marinate for 10 minutes.
Dredge the chicken cubes in all purpose flour and make sure the chicken pieces are evenly coated .
Deep fry the chicken cubes until crisp and golden for 4-5 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile in a medium bowl combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Mix the sauces and keep it aside.
Heat a medium pan, add oil, ginger and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the sauce mixture and cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce slightly thickens.
Transfer the chicken back to the pan and toss the chicken until coated.
Finally sprinkle some sesame seeds and green onions, toss and serve while it is still warm with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
Chop the chicken into similar sized pieces for even cooking.
Allow the chicken to marinate in the cornstarch, soy, egg, salt and pepper mixture before dredging in flour and frying.
For perfectly crispy chicken, make sure the oil is adequately heated before adding the chicken. Be sure the temperature of the oil reaches at least 350 degrees F.
If the oil is too hot, it may splatter and will burn the outside of the chicken before the inside is cooked through.
If you have a smaller pot, you may need to cook the chicken in batches.
Drain the fried chicken pieces on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Use fresh lemon for the sauce as it will have superior flavor to bottled lemon juice.
For a thicker sauce, you can use a bit more cornstarch.