Chinese lemon chicken

Seeing all the Chinese New Year celebrations found me reminiscing back to the takeaways we used to have when I was growing up. I have always loved lemon chicken, first ordered as an occasional treat from the local takeaway and later my go too choice at the Chinese. Similar to Sweet and Sour chicken in a crispy batter it ticked all my boxes. Once I developed a gluten intolerance I gave Chinese meals a wide birth as the gluten free options seemed sparse and definitely no lemon chicken gluten free in crispy batter! 

This recipe is gluten free and a healthy choice for a quick tasty supper. It would make a great main course or part of a Chinese feast. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

Lemon Sauce

Juice of 4 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp Vegetable Bullion
100ml Boiling Water
2 tbspn Tamari or Soy Sauce
2 tbspn Honey
1 tbspn Rice Vinegar
1 tbspn Sweet Chilli Sauce
1-inch fresh ginger – finely chopped or grated 

2 tsp Cornflour
4 tsp Water 

4 Chicken Breasts – cut into small chunks 

Vegetables – use a selection of your preference

Babycorn, Beansprouts, Edamame Beans, Broccoli, Carrot, Red Cabbage, Fine Beans, Red Pepper, Bean Sprouts, Water Chestnuts, etc 

Method

1. Measure all the Lemon sauce ingredient into a bowl and mix well. 
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok on a medium heat and add the chunks of chicken, stir fry for 5 minutes until it takes on a little colour. 
3. Add the lemon sauce and let it bubble for 2-3 minutes. 
4. As the chicken is cooking in the sauce, add the 4 teaspoons of water to the cornflour in a small separate bowl and mix until combined. 
5. Pour the cornflour mix into the wok and stir continuously for approximately 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens. 
6. Serve with rice or noodles and a selection of stir fry vegetables. 

This have been on the menu quite a few times at home as the recipe developed, I thought it might not be a hit with the children as they are not a fan of takeaway from the Chinese but much to my delight they loved it. I also find they will eat most vegetables when stir fried and it really is a quick supper so a win win!

Kirsty Wilson Close

Instagram  kirsty_in_the_kitchen

Food Styling, Food Writing, Food Lover