Description
A delicious homemade Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken recipe with a perfectly golden, crunchy batter and a balanced tangy lemon sauce. This dish offers a delightful homemade alternative to takeout, perfect for weeknight dinners or impressing guests.
Ingredients
- For the Chicken:
- 500 grams Chicken Thigh Fillets
- 1 teaspoon Cooking Salt/Kosher Salt
- For the Batter:
- 50 grams Cornflour (Cornstarch)
- 50 grams Plain Flour (All-Purpose Flour)
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 200 ml Cold Soda Water
- For the Sauce:
- 250 ml Chicken Stock/Broth
- 50 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 inch Ginger Minced
- 1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine (Shaoxing Wine) Optional
- For Garnishing:
- 2 stalks Green Onion Chopped
- 1 slices Lemon Slices Optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Pound the chicken thigh fillets to about 0.7cm thickness. Sprinkle with cooking salt and dust with cornflour.
- Mix the Batter: Refrigerate dry ingredients—cornflour, plain flour, baking powder, and salt. Just before frying, mix with cold soda water until slightly lumpy.
- Fry the First Batch: Heat vegetable oil to 160°C (320°F). Dip chicken into batter and fry for about 3 minutes until pale golden. Drain on paper towels.
- Cool the Chicken: Let the fried chicken cool for 20 minutes for maximum crispiness.
- Make the Lemon Sauce: Whisk cornflour with a splash of chicken stock in a saucepan to prevent lumps. Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer until thickened.
- Fry the Second Batch: Increase oil temperature to 200°C (390°F). Fry the chicken again for 3 minutes until deep golden and very crispy.
- Slice and Serve: Slice the chicken and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle with the lemon sauce and garnish with green onion and lemon slices.
- Serve alongside plain steamed rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- Serve alongside plain steamed rice for a complete meal.
- Adjust sweetness of the sauce to taste.
- Keep the lemon sauce separate when storing leftovers to maintain crispiness.
- For best results, reheat in a hot oven at 200°C (390°F) for 10–15 minutes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Double Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
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