Better than Takeaway – Easy Asian Style Lemon Chicken
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Serve this delicious lemon chicken with rice and steamed greens.
When you’re feeling like a bit of a takeaway treat, the Chinese style lemon chicken hits the spot, while still being easy, inexpensive and somewhat healthier than the batter coated takeaway version.
Team this recipe up with an easy homemade fried rice, and maybe some oven-baked spring rolls or some steamed greens for a complete meal.
To make, cut some chicken breast or thigh into bite-sized pieces then toss them in cornflour to coat. Tapioca or arrowroot flour is a great gluten-free version.
Heat up enough oil to shallow fry your chicken pieces – about an inch or so in a saucepan.
While your oil is heating up, put the sauce ingredients in a separate saucepan and bring to the boil.
Cook your chicken in batches and drain. Coat them in the lemony sauce and serve with fried rice for a delicious home-cooked takeaway-style lemon chicken.
For a take-out experience, pack this meal up in containers for a picnic on the beach.
Asian Style Lemon Chicken
This lemon chicken is tastier and a lot cheaper than takeaway.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1/4 cup cornflour to coat chicken
- oil for shallow frying
- 1/2 cup of chicken stock
- the juice of about 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp. cornflour to thicken the sauce
Instructions
- Coat chicken in cornflour and shake off excess. Put aside.
- Heat about an inch or two of oil in a small saucepan.
- Test the oil by placing a little bit of bread crust in the oil – it should start to bubble gently. That's how you know the oil is hot enough.
- When the oil is hot, cook the chicken in small batches until golden brown. Don't overcrowd the pan otherwise the chicken will cook too slowly and become greasy.
- Meanwhile, bring the stock, lemon juice ginger, soy sauce and honey to the boil, then simmer for a minute for a few minutes to reduce.
- You can thicken the sauce further by adding a 1/4 teaspoon of cornflour, mixed with a little cold water to the pan and stirring well as the sauce comes back to the boil.
- Taste the sauce and add a little extra honey if it seems too sour (or a little extra lemon if it’s not sour enough).
- Serve the chicken hot either tossed in the sauce or with the sauce drizzled over the top. Serve with rice and steamed greens.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 333mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 17gProtein: 11g
Nutritional information is calculated automatically using the Nutritionix database. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, serving size or the source of nutrition data. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Hi I’m just wondering if I can use ground ginger, and if so how much would you recommend. I know it’s not going to be the same as real ginger. :(
Yep, you can substitute. As you’ve said, it will just taste a bit different. Start with just a pinch because ground ginger is generally concentrated. Taste and add extra until it tastes gingery to your liking.