Chinese lemon chicken recipe
Crispy and flavorful Chinese lemon chicken with a tangy-sweet lemon sauce—easy to make and perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 lb thin sliced chicken breasts
- Sprinkle coarse sea salt
- Sprinkle ground black pepper
- Sprinkle garlic granule
- 2 large eggs whisked
- 6 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1.5 cup panko breadcrumbs rice panko, or pork panko
- 8 tbsp avocado oil pan fry, divided, or oil spray for air fryer
- Half one whole lemon sliced to wedges (garnish)
Chinese lemon sauce: (makes 1 cup)
- ½ tbsp avocado oil
- 0.25 oz garlic clove grated, about 1 large
- 0.2 oz fresh ginger root grated
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp honey
- ⅔ cup chicken stock
- 1 whole lemon zest
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice about 1.5 whole lemons juiced
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 3 tsp starch
Instructions
To cook the chicken:
- Pat dry the chicken and lightly season with salt, pepper, and garlic granule on both sides.
- Set up your workstation with 3 shallow bowls and 1 large plate. Fill the first bowl with whisked eggs, the second bowl with starch, and the third bowl with panko breadcrumbs. Use the large plate to place the breaded chicken.
- Dip the chicken into the egg, starch, then back to the egg, and with a final stop on the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process until you finish all the chicken.
To Pan fry:
- In a large pan (12-inch), preheat it with 2 tbsp oil over medium heat until the oil is hot. Test it by placing a chopstick into the oil and if there are small bubbles around, the oil is hot enough. Add the chicken into the pan with some space between, pan fry for 3 minutes per side. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil when you fry the flip side. Repeat the process for the second batch.
To Air fry:
- Air fry at 380°F (193°C) for 8 minutes, then cook the flip side for 4 more minutes. You might need to cook them in two separate batches.
Keep chicken crispy:
- Rest the chicken over a cooling rack so they stay crispy.
To make the sauce:
- In the meantime, in a small saucepan, saute the garlic and ginger with oil over low heat until it starts sizzling, about 1-2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients from soy sauce to lemon extract. Stir and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, about 3 minutes.
- To thicken the sauce, combine the starch with 1 tbsp water in a small bowl and add it to the sauce. Keep stirring and the sauce should turn thicker in 1 minute. Taste and adjust the flavor. It should be bright, citrusy, fresh, and balanced with sweetness from the honey.
To serve:
- Slice the chicken and place them over a serving platter. Garnish with a few extra lemon slices. Drizzle with lemon sauce right before serving. Serve extra sauce on the side. Serve hot and immediately.
Notes
- Lemon Juice – Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. Store-bought lemon juice just doesn’t have the same fresh, sharp taste.
- Lemon Extract – In my recipe testing, I found that a touch of lemon extract really helps the lemony flavor come through. Without it, the sauce loses some of its brightness, especially after heating on the stovetop.
- No lemon extract? Add extra lemon zest and increase the lemon juice by 1 teaspoon. You can also stir in ¼ teaspoon of white vinegar for extra tang, but don’t overdo it—too much can make the sauce too sharp.
- How to Keep the Chicken Crispy – Rest the chicken on a wire cooling rack while frying the remaining batches. I’ve tested pouring the sauce earlier, and the chicken quickly loses its crunch—so drizzle the lemon sauce right before serving for the crispiest results.
- Low-Carb Substitutions:
- Tapioca Starch → Whey Protein Isolate (for coating)
- Panko Breadcrumbs → Pork Panko
- Honey: In my testing, keto honey works well as a substitute for regular honey. Use xanthan gum instead of starch to thicken the sauce.
- Make-Ahead Tips: You can make the lemon sauce 3-4 days ahead and store it in the fridge. Just stir it well before using it to redistribute the starch evenly—I found that it tends to settle at the bottom over time.
- Storage & Reheating: Store crispy chicken and sauce separately so the chicken doesn’t get soggy. To reheat: Microwave the chicken and sauce separately on medium power for 1 minute at a time, loosely covered, until warmed through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 387mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg