Chinese Lemon Chicken

Step 1

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 2 cm (1 inch) cubes.

Step 2

Place the chicken into a medium-sized bowl.

Step 3

Add the marinade ingredients.

Step 4

Mix everything together until the chicken is well-combined in the marinade.

Step 5

Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 6

Heat a large saucepan with enough vegetable oil to about 2 cm (1 inch) depth.

Step 7

Place the flour into a large bowl or baking tray.

Step 8

Pour the chicken, together with all of the marinade, onto the flour.

Step 9

Use your hands to coat the chicken in the flour. The liquid in the marinade will mix with the flour to form a light batter.

Step 10

Press the flour into the chicken to help form a craggy coating on the chicken. It is this craggy coating which will make the chicken crispy and crunchy.

Step 11

The oil is ready when it reaches 165°C or 325°F, or when a wooden chopstick inserted in the oil creates lots of small bubbles.

Step 12

Cook the chicken in batches until golden in colour.

Step 13

Drain the chicken pieces on kitchen paper or on a wire rack.

Step 14

Mix all of the ingredients, except for the lemon juice and lemons, together in a bowl or measuring jug.

Step 15

Heat a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat.

Step 16

Pour the sauce into the skillet.

Step 17

As the sauce starts to simmer, use a whisk to stir the sauce to prevent any lumps from forming.

Step 18

The sauce needs to come to a boil to activate the cornflour (cornstarch), which will thicken the sauce.

Step 19

Once the sauce has thickened to your liking, take the pan off the heat.

Step 20

Whisk in the lemon juice. Start by adding the juice of half a lemon, and keep adding more to taste.

Step 21

Once you are happy with the Sticky Lemon Sauce, add the lemon slices. These are mostly to serve as garnish or decoration.

Step 22

This recipe makes a lot of sauce so there is enough to drizzle over some steamed rice or vegetables. If you don’t want a lot of sauce in this dish, remove half of the sauce and store it in the fridge for another time.

Step 23

Add the Crispy Chicken pieces to the Sticky Lemon Sauce.

Step 24

Use a spoon to quickly toss the chicken pieces in the sauce.

Step 25

Serve immediately.