Cantonese Lemon Chicken Platter

About This Recipe

Lemon chicken is a Cantonese restaurant classic developed for Western diners in Hong Kong and overseas Chinese communities, pairing deep-fried chicken with a glossy, tart-sweet lemon sauce rather than the more familiar orange sauce of other regional dishes. The chicken is marinated simply, coated in a light batter, and double-fried, first to cook through and then again briefly to make the crust extra crisp before it meets the sauce. The sauce is built from fresh lemon juice and zest simmered with sugar, a little stock and cornstarch to thicken it into a glossy glaze that clings to the chicken rather than pooling on the plate. Timing matters here: the sauce should be poured over the chicken right before serving, since a crisp coating left to sit in sauce for more than a few minutes will soften. Arranged on a platter with steamed rice and blanched choy sum or broccoli, this makes a festive, colorful main for a holiday-style Chinese meal at home.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gboneless chicken thighs(cut into large chunks)
• 1 tbsplight soy sauce(for marinade)
• 1 tbspShaoxing wine(for marinade)
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.75 cupcornstarch(for coating)
• 0.5 cupall-purpose flour(for coating)
• 1 largeegg
• 0.5 cupcold water
• 2 cupsvegetable oil(for frying)
• 0.5 cupfresh lemon juice(about 3 lemons)
• 1 tsplemon zest
• 0.5 cupchicken stock
• 0.33 cupgranulated sugar
• 1.5 tbspcornstarch(mixed with 3 tbsp water, for slurry)
• 3 cupssteamed rice(for serving)
• 300 gchoy sum or broccoli(blanched, for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the chicken

   Toss chicken with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and salt. Marinate 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the batter

   Whisk cornstarch, flour, egg and cold water into a smooth, thick batter. Coat chicken pieces evenly.

3. 3

   Fry the chicken twice

   Heat oil to 175C (350F). Fry chicken in batches 5-6 minutes until cooked through and light golden. Remove and rest 5 minutes, then re-fry at 190C (375F) for 2 minutes until deeply golden and extra crisp.

4. 4

   Make the lemon sauce

   In a saucepan, combine lemon juice, zest, chicken stock and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook 1-2 minutes until glossy and thickened enough to coat a spoon.

5. 5

   Blanch the greens

   Blanch choy sum or broccoli in boiling salted water 2 minutes until bright green and just tender, then drain.

6. 6

   Assemble the platter

   Arrange rice and blanched greens on a platter, top with the crispy chicken, and pour the hot lemon sauce over just before serving.

   Pour the sauce on right before serving, not earlier, or the crispy coating will soften within minutes.

Variations

• •

  Swap chicken for firm white fish fillets, battered and fried the same way, for a Cantonese lemon fish variation.

• •

  Add a pinch of grated ginger to the sauce for a subtle warmth that balances the sugar and acidity.

• •

  For a lighter version, pan-fry the battered chicken in a thin layer of oil instead of deep-frying, turning frequently.

Storage

Store fried chicken and sauce separately; refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat chicken in a 200C (400F) oven until re-crisped, then reheat sauce separately and combine just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions