Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Chinese Lemon Chicken

I bought a large bag of lemons for 1.99 and had chicken in the freezer. We got a menu from the local Chinese restaurant in the mail and we were thinking about checking it out but hate all the salt and msg most restaurants add. I adapted THIS recipe and plan to make it again and again.
 
2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups peanut or vegetable oil
Lemon slices (optional)
White sesame seeds (optional)

Marinade: ( I let the chicken marinade a few hours)
 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce(used low sodium)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Sauce:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2-inch piece of ginger, minced( used powdered)
3 tablespoons lemon juice(fresh)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 cup chicken stock (homemade stock)
1/4 cup sugar


1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water( I didn't use water I dissolved the cornstarch in chicken stock)
  1. Combine the soy sauce and sesame oil. Coat the chicken with the marinade and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.(see my note on recipe)
  2. In a large bowl or deep plate combine the cornstarch and white pepper. Get excess marinade off the chicken, then toss the cubes in the cornstarch mixture. Shake off excess cornstarch before frying.
  3. Heat the 3 cups of oil in your wok. Heat wok until just smoking, then add the first batch of chicken cubes and deep-fry until cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
  4. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the oil into a medium-sized pot and heat over medium-high.
  5. Add the garlic and ginger and cook briefly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, chicken stock, and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the cornstarch mixture so the sauce can thicken.
  6. Remove from the heat, and toss the fried chicken in the sauce. Garnish with lemon slices and white sesame seeds. Serve with white rice and maybe some broccoli, I served Gabe's with rice.
 


2 comments:

  1. Yet another delicious recipe to make in the future! The sign of a good cook is one that can improvise a recipe to their taste. ~Aurora

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  2. Yum, this sounds soooooooo good. I am going to copy this one out. I agree with Aurora about the good cook. You are certainly one.

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