Lemon chicken

Submitted by Nanette62

"From the cookbook "Chinese Cooking for Dummies". My family enjoys this meal. I have never had lemon chicken from a restaurant so I do not know if this compares. I like the sauce, with the fresh lemon juice & zest, it has a nice tartness but is not overpowering. This recipe calls for the chicken breast to be butterflied, however I just slice the chicken breast in half (thickness), so 1 thick breast becomes 2 thinner ones, I find them easier to work with. I had to guess on prep & cook times."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 2-3

ingredients

• Sauce

• 1⁄3 cup chicken broth
• 1⁄3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemons, zest of
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in
• 1 tablespoon water

• Chicken

• 1 egg
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
• 3⁄4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, butterflied
• 1⁄4 cup cornstarch
• 1⁄3 cup cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

directions

1. Make sauce by combining chicken broth, lemon juice, soy sauce, brown sugar& lemon zest in small saucepan, set aside.
2. In a bowl beat egg lightly with salt& white pepper.
3. Dredge chicken in cornstarch, dip into egg batter& dredge again in cornstarch.
4. Let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Just before cooking shake off excess cornstarch.
6. In a wok or large fry pan, heat oil until hot.
7. Pan fry chicken a couple pieces at at time, turning occasionally, until golden brown, approx.
8. 3 minutes each side.
9. Remove from pan& drain on paper towels.
10. Bring sauce to a boil over medium heat, add cornstarch solution& cook, stirring until sauce boils& thickens.
11. Cut chicken across grain into 1/2 slices.
12. Place chicken on serving plate.
13. Pour sauce on top.
14. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
15. May also be garnished with lemon slices& cilantro.

Reviews

[MarieRynr]

To be honest I had a lot of trouble with this recipe. I found that after I had let the chicken stand for 5 minutes, after coating it, the side that was touching the plate totally adhered to the plate, so there ended up being very little or no coating on that side what so ever. Then to top it off the splattering when it hit the oil totally made a huge mess of my cooker top, counter top, and the floor in front of my stove. The sauce, however, was delicious. Would I make it again...certainly I would not cook the chicken part of this recipe, it was tasteless and not worth the mess and effort, however I would definitly make the sauce again and use it with some other form of chicken, perhaps breaded fingers...My verdict three stars for the sauce, nil for the chicken...

 

[meganalissa]

This sauce was so good I'm almost tempted to give this recipe five stars just for the sauce. However, I did have the same problem with the chicken - the chicken/cornstarch would stick to to plate and therefore some of the batter was removed in the process. The chicken needs to be seasoned more before cooking, and maybe perhaps use flour instead of cornstarch?? The toasted sesame seeds add a wonderful flavor and are a must.