Chinese Lemon Chicken with an irresistibly sticky, sweet and sour Chinese lemon sauce. Move over take-out!
One of your most favourite Chinese chicken dishes is easy to make at home with crispy, golden chicken tenderloin pieces. Have delicious Chinese Lemon Chicken on your table in 30 minutes.
LEMON CHICKEN
A worldwide favourite, Chinese Lemon Chicken is loved by many because of the flavours and texture you get in every mouthful. Whether it’s the tangy lemon sauce or the crispy chicken breast pieces, good take-out is hard to find. This is why having your own recipe is just as important as having a take-out menu in your kitchen.
Our recipe is different in that you’re going to use chicken tenders for a perfectly juicy result.
HOW DO YOU MAKE LEMON CHICKEN BATTER
The batter is so easy! You’re going to whisk an egg with soy sauce and Chinese Shaoxing wine. You can use sherry or white vinegar as substitutions if you can’t find that particular wine at your grocery store. Cut your chicken tenders into 1-inch pieces and coat well in the batter.
Marinate for 20-30 minutes for a deeper flavour (If time allows), or 5 minutes while you get your other ingredients ready.
HOW TO MAKE CHINESE LEMON CHICKEN
Once your chicken has marinated, pour chicken WITH the marinade out into the corn starch. Coat chicken pieces evenly, massaging the corn starch around the chicken.
Fry in batches, being careful not to overcrowd your pan or wok, until golden, crispy and cooked through.
WHAT ABOUT THE LEMON SAUCE
Give your pan (or wok) a wipe over with paper towel to get rid of any crumbs that could burn while making your sauce. Add some oil to the pan to sauté your garlic and ginger until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then pour in your stock, soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, honey, and a pinch of salt.
You will see the sauce begin to thicken beautifully because of the honey, but you’ll want it just a little bit thicker (similar to runny honey). This is where a corn starch slurry comes in handy and turns the sauce into a delicious glaze. Toss the chicken into the lemon sauce and evenly coat.
There you have it! Chinese Lemon Chicken!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH LEMON CHICKEN
Chinese Lemon Chicken can go with any side — plain or full-flavoured.
- Fried rice
- Cauliflower fried rice
- Noodles
- Plain rice
MORE CHINESE FOOD RECIPES!
Sticky Chinese Barbecue Pork Belly (Char Siu)
Sweet and Sour Pork
Kung Pao Chicken
Chicken Chow Mein
Chinese Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
CHICKEN:
- 21 oz (600 g) chicken tenderloins cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese shaoxing wine (or white vinegar)
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
LEMON SAUCE:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced or finely grated ginger
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- juice of 1 lemon (about 3-4 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons corn starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds to garnish
- thinly sliced green onions to garnish
- lemon slices, to serve (optional)
Instructions
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- In a large shallow bowl whisk egg, soy sauce and wine. Add in chicken, mix well and allow to marinate for 20 minutes, covered.
- Place corn starch into a large baking tray. Pour chicken and marinade into the corn starch and coat chicken pieces evenly, lightly pressing the corn starch around the chicken.
- Heat oil in a large wok, pan or skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot (325°F or 165°C), shake off excess corn starch and fry chicken in batches in a single layer for about 5-6 minutes, turning half way during cooking, until golden and cooked through.
- Drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Discard oil and wipe wok/pan over with paper towel.
FOR THE SAUCE:
- Heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add stock, soy sauce, lemon juice, sugar, honey, and a pinch of salt. Whisk, bring to a simmer until the sugar dissolves.
- Whisk corn starch mixture into the simmering sauce and stir until thickened. Toss chicken in the sauce until evenly coated (about 2 minutes).
- Garnish with sesame seeds, green onions and lemon slices. Serve.
Gina says
Just made this for dinner and followed the recipe to the t and it is so good! I added some
Chili flakes on mine for a kick. is it possible to bake the chicken pieces instead of frying (to make it healthier?)
Jerry says
This sauce is excellent and fairly simply to make. It went well with some rice and simply pan-fried chicken breast pieces. Next time I will try the battered chicken.
Shelley says
Made this for my family and they said this was next level good. One of the best meals I have ever made. Made exactly like the recipe and it turned out amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Vanessa says
Made this for dinner tonight with chopped up boneless skinless thighs and HOLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YUM. adding it to the rotation! If you’re on the fence. MAKE THISSSSSSS.
Cire says
My family of six loved it. One of my sons exclaimed “i think that is the best chicken I ever tasted”. Thanks!
Sal says
Tastes great, but so not a :30 recipe. It took me over an hour with the chopping, marinating and the frying of the chicken.
I will make it again, but I’ll make sure it’s well before dinner time.
Anna says
Could I use plain flour instead of cornflour for the batter?
Shanon says
I’d avoid it. It wont crisp up the same and the flour will likely clump in your marinade mixture
Luz Munera says
I made this today with your bacon fried rice it was a hit my family is in heaven. I love your recipes very easy and fast in my opinion. Thank you please stay safe
alona says
I haven’t made this yet but wanted to clarify am I subbing with regular white vinegar or white wine vinegar?
Karina says
Sub with either as long as it is a vinegar
Shanon says
I’d stick to white wine or rice vinegar
Judy Glover says
First time I have cooked this, really thought hubby wouldn’t like it, but he absolutely loved it. So easy to do and great result. Will be trying some more of your recipes.. Thank you
Danielle says
This was so easy to make and extremely flavourful. Thanks for the recipe.
Beth says
My family loved this. The only problem I had was with adding the chicken and marinade to the cornstarch to the cornstarch. It was a sticky mess and had to separate the pieces of chicken before cooking them in the oil. Next time, I think I will put the cornstarch in a ziplock bag and add the chicken (without the marinade) to the bag in small batches. Served it with fried rice. Will make it again
Kim H says
My family loved this recipe! Very easy to make. I used white vinegar as a substitute for the Chinese wine. The sauce was delicious! Very simple to make.
Kat says
I Used the sauce on store bought popcorn chicken in an effort to make the popcorn chicken edible. Turned out great! Would be even better with “real” chicken, I’m sure ;). I used 1 tbsp brown sugar instead of the sugar called for in the recipe, since my family doesn’t like overly sweet foods. Tasted just like it came from a Chinese restaurant (maybe better). This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Molly Pilkington says
Well done recipe. Easy to make and follow along. I didn’t have Chinese sauce, but re read the recipe and realized I could replace it with Vinegar. Turned out fantastic anyways. Great recipe, and wonderful site.
Ahsan Siddiqui says
cooked it. very delicious! i dont have access to the Chinese wine so i added the apple vinegar. the batter chicken tastes great. how ever i think some distinct Chinese flavour is missing. now that i have combined the batter fried chicken into the sauce should i add 1 tbsp oyster sauce into the dish for good measure?
Sammy Megan Floyd says
I’m a fan of this one. Great recipe. My family loved it. Thank you!
Sharon M says
You turned me into a super star with hubbie and kids from kindergarten through high school. This is a keeper. I will check out more of recipes!
Fran says
This has to be the best lemon chicken recipe ever. In fact over the last two months we have used Cafe Delites recipes almost exclusively. Brilliantly written, easy to cook we are just over the moon with this site. Yes, it’s lemon chicken tonight!
Helen says
Tasted so good! Really tangy and sweet sauce and chicken came out beautifully
Stephanie McGaffick says
Wonderful recipe! My family loved it. I doubled the sauce recipe. In a separate pan, I sauteed sugar snap peas, zucchini, bell peppers, and celery until just slightly crisp. I then tossed the vegetables and chicken with the sauce and served over rice.
My son wanted to know if PF Chang’s makes something like this! It was a hit and I’ll absolutely make this again!
Patrick says
Thank you so much for the great recipe suggestion. First time to see your site and I Love your concept. I’m a Fan.
Thank you and keep it up
Patrick