Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken - old school style!
Recipe video above. I like my Chinese Lemon Chicken the old school way, with a crispy battered cutlet sliced then sauced! My twice fried Chinese fry batter stays crisper than regular batters once sauced, but this is one dish that is best served and eaten fast! Lemon sauce has a high water content so the crust will never stay crispy as long as other Chinese fried foods like, say, Honey Prawns.You'll love the lemon sauce in this recipe - brighter flavour and not tooth-achingly sweet like restaurants often are. For crispy bite size pieces, use the sauce in this recipe with the chicken from the Crispy Chinese Honey Chicken recipe.
Servings: 4 pieces
Calories: 358cal
Ingredients
- 4 x 125g/3oz chicken thigh fillets , skinless and boneless (or 2 breasts - Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch
- 1 - 1 1/2 litres (4 - 6 cups) vegetable or canola oil , for frying - 4cm / 1.6" depth (re-usable, Note 2)
STAY-CRISP FRY BATTER
- 1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch
- 1/2 cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup COLD soda water , not sparking mineral water (Note 3)
LEMON SAUCE
- 6 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 1/2 cup chicken stock/broth , low sodium
- 1/2 cup lemon juice , fresh
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic , finely grated
- 1/2 tsp ginger , finely grated
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (can omit for alcohol-free)
GARNISH (optional)
- Lemon slices , to serve (optional)
- 1 green onion , finely sliced on the diagonal, to serve (optional)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Pound chicken to 0.7cm / 1/3", salt, dust with cornflour. Dredge in batter, fry 3 min at 160°C/320°F, cool 20 min, fry again 3 min at 200°C/390°F until dark golden and crispy. Slice, serve with sauce (simmer 3 min).
FULL RECIPE
- Refrigerate batter dry - Whisk the cornflour, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then put it in the fridge which you proceed with other prep (Note 4)
- Pound chicken - Place chicken on a cutting board and cover with a freezer bag or similar (I use Go-Between, Note 5) then pound with a meat mallet or bottom of a skillet until it is an even 0.7cm / 1/3" thick. Sprinkle both sides with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Dust - Spread the cornflour on a plate and dust each side of the chicken with it, shaking off excess. Put on a plate and set aside while you keep preparing.
- Preheat oil to 160°C/320°F in a large heavy based pot (mine is 24cm/9.4"). The oil needs to be at least 4cm/1.6" depth so the chicken floats.
- Finish batter - Remove bowl from the fridge, add soda water and whisk just until combined, then stop - some small lumps are ok, better than whisking to death (makes crust less puffy and light). It should be a fairly thin batter, enough to coat the chicken but fairly thinly.
- Fry #1 - Dip a piece of chicken in the batter and let the excess drip off, then carefully place in the oil. Do another piece (if it will fit). Fry for 3 minutes until very pale golden. Remove onto a paper towel lined tray and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Cool chicken for 20 minutes. (Note 6) Meanwhile, make the sauce.
- Lemon Sauce - Place the cornflour and a splash of the chicken stock in a small saucepan. Whisk until lump-free, then add remaining stock and sauce ingredients. Whisk and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then let it simmer for 3 minutes, whisking every now and then until it becomes a thin honey consistency. At first, it will go very thick (too thick for sauce) then it becomes thinner. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm (reheated if needed to loosen).
- Fry #2 - Heat the oil to 200°C/390°F. Fry 2 pieces of chicken for 3 minutes until deep golden and super crispy, turning the chicken in the oil at the halfway mark. Remove onto a paper towel lined tray and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Serving - Cut the chicken into 2cm thick slices (3/4"), transfer onto individual or shared serving plate. Pour over the Lemon Sauce, garnish with green onions and lemon slices if using. Serve with steamed rice (see in post for more side options).
Notes
1. Chicken cut - I prefer thigh for the more nubbly surface area (and therefore more crunchy texture!) and the meat is juicer. However, breast works just fine - cut in half lengthwise to form 4 thin steaks and follow recipe as written except no need to pound.
2. Oil re-use - The oil is clean so can be reused for any purpose, not just deep frying but also sautéing etc.
3. Cold soda water (or club soda or seltzer water) – It must be fridge cold to ensure crispy coating. Needs to be man-made fizziness to help with the puffiness. Do not use sparkling mineral water (ie naturally fizzy) – it’s not as strong. It works but not as crispy.
BEST SUB: Ice cold water. Crispiness not as strong so doesn’t last as long once sauced, but still excellent and worth making, and crispier than usual fry batters. 4. Batter tips - Cold batter is key to a light crispy shell, so refrigerating the bowl with the dry ingredients helps (also logical for workflow) as well as ensuring the soda water is cold, cold, cold! If making a big bath, keep the batter refrigerating between fry batches to keep it cold (I've even been known to set the bowl in another filled with ice). 5. Sheets for pounding – I use a product called “Go Between” which is like freezer bags but they are sheets used to keep food separated in the freezer (for easy portion control). It comes in a roll like cling wrap, brand is Glad (Australia). You can use parchment/baking paper or freezer bags as well. 6. Cooling before Fry #2 definitely makes it crispier, I tried it. Leftovers will keep for 3 days though the crust does soften due to the sauce! Keep them separate if you can. Nutrition per Lemon Chicken assumes 2 teaspoons of oil is absorbed in the crust of each piece of chicken and that all the sauce is consumed.
BEST SUB: Ice cold water. Crispiness not as strong so doesn’t last as long once sauced, but still excellent and worth making, and crispier than usual fry batters. 4. Batter tips - Cold batter is key to a light crispy shell, so refrigerating the bowl with the dry ingredients helps (also logical for workflow) as well as ensuring the soda water is cold, cold, cold! If making a big bath, keep the batter refrigerating between fry batches to keep it cold (I've even been known to set the bowl in another filled with ice). 5. Sheets for pounding – I use a product called “Go Between” which is like freezer bags but they are sheets used to keep food separated in the freezer (for easy portion control). It comes in a roll like cling wrap, brand is Glad (Australia). You can use parchment/baking paper or freezer bags as well. 6. Cooling before Fry #2 definitely makes it crispier, I tried it. Leftovers will keep for 3 days though the crust does soften due to the sauce! Keep them separate if you can. Nutrition per Lemon Chicken assumes 2 teaspoons of oil is absorbed in the crust of each piece of chicken and that all the sauce is consumed.
Nutrition
Calories: 358cal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 811mg | Potassium: 390mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 62IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg