Lemon Chicken
33
- Prep Time25 min
- Total Time45 min
- Makes4 servings
Recipe by Jennifer Pallian, Produced by Sun Ngo, Photography by Christie Vuong, Food Styling by Ashley Denton, Prop Styling by Christine Hanlon.
In this homemade version of a take-out favourite, bite-sized pieces of chicken are battered and fried to crisp golden-brown and then tossed in an irresistible sticky sauce made with fresh lemon juice and zest. —Jennifer Pallian
Lemon Sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp lemon zest
Ingredients
454 g chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½-in. pieces
1 tbsp soy sauce
Canola or peanut oil, for frying
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
Sauce: Whisk lemon juice with 1 tbsp cornstarch in a small saucepan until smooth. Set over medium, then whisk in sugar, broth and zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until sauce is thick and glossy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Toss chicken with soy in a medium bowl. Set aside. Line a wire rack with paper towels.
Pour oil into a large Dutch oven until it reaches 2- to 3-in. up the sides. (The sides of the pot should be at least twice the depth of the oil.) Clip a deep-fry thermometer to the side. Heat over medium until temperature reaches 375F.
Meanwhile, whisk flour with 2 tbsp cornstarch and baking powder in a large bowl. Add ¼ cup cold water, stirring gently to combine. Add chicken and any juices into the bowl. Stir until chicken is evenly coated.
Fry chicken, 6 to 8 pieces at a time, flipping halfway though, until deeply golden-brown, 3 to 4 min. (Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding.) Transfer chicken to prepared rack. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Just before serving, gently reheat lemon sauce on stovetop, then pour over fried chicken in a large bowl. Toss until coated. Sprinkle with green onion and serve with rice.
Haven't deep-fried before? Let food scientist Jennifer Pallian walk you through the process in our guide to deep frying.
Get more of our best chicken thigh recipes.
Jennifer Pallian is a food scientist, recipe developer and blogger at Foodess. She lives in Vancouver.
