The Best Lemon Chicken
The Best Lemon Chicken features lightly battered chicken, fried until golden and crispy, then tossed in a bright homemade lemon sauce with fresh zest, juice, garlic, and chicken broth. Serve over rice for an easy, takeout-style favorite made right at home!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 434kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 cups cooked rice
Lemon Sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 TBSP lemon juice
- 2-3 TBSP grated lemon zest
- 1 ½ TBSP white cooking wine
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
- 1 TBSP warm water
- 1 ½ tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in large skillet over medium high heat until it reaches 350°F. The amount of oil is determined by the size of your skillet; you'll need about 3 cups.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cornstarch, flour, egg, water, and 2 TBSP of oil. Add the chicken to the batter and stir well to coat.
- Place the batter coated chicken in the frying pan, in batches, and fry for 5-6 minutes until the pieces are golden brown. Remove the chicken and place on a paper towel lined plate, repeat until all the chicken is cooked.
- Scrub the lemon(s) thoroughly since you’ll be using the lemon zest in the sauce. Using a zester, grate the lemon peel into a small bowl. You’ll need most of the peel get the 2-3 TBSP zest needed.
- Once you’ve sufficiently grated the peel, slice the lemon in half and juice the lemon.
- In a small saucepan, combine the broth, sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, wine and garlic. Bring to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in warm water, then add to the sauce. Heat for about 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Serve chicken over cooked rice, topping with the lemon sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. For best texture, keep the chicken and sauce separate so the coating stays crisp.
Freezing is not ideal once assembled, but you can freeze the cooked chicken (without sauce) for up to 2–3 months and reheat it before adding fresh sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 219mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 143IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 2mg