Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken - old school style!

 I like my Chinese Lemon Chicken the old school way, with a crispy battered cutlet sliced then sauced!

The twice-fried Chinese fry batter used here stays crisper than regular batters (also less greasy) but once doused with the lemon sauce, it's best served and eaten fast! Lemon sauce has a high water content so the crust will never stay crispy as long as other Chinese fried foods like, say, Honey Prawns.

You'll love the lemon sauce - brighter flavour and not tooth-achingly sweet like restaurants often are. For crispy bite size pieces, use the sauce in this recipe with the chicken from the Crispy Chinese Honey Chicken.

Ingredients

4 x 125g/3oz chicken thigh fillets , skinless and boneless (or 2 breasts - Note 1)

1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch

1 - 1 1/2 litres (4 - 6 cups) vegetable or canola oil , for frying - 4cm / 1.6" depth (re-usable, Note 2)

STAY-CRISP FRY BATTER

1/3 cup cornflour / cornstarch

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)

1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup COLD soda water , not sparking mineral water (Note 3)

LEMON SAUCE

6 tsp cornflour/cornstarch

1/2 cup chicken stock/broth , low sodium

1/2 cup lemon juice , fresh

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp garlic , finely grated

1/2 tsp ginger , finely grated

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (can omit for alcohol-free)

GARNISH (optional)

Lemon slices , to serve (optional)

1 green onion , finely sliced on the diagonal, to serve (optional)

Instructions

ABBREVIATED RECIPE

Pound chicken to 0.7cm / 1/3", salt, dust with cornflour. Dip in batter, fry 3 min at 160°C/320°F, cool 20 min, fry again 3 min at 200°C/390°F until dark golden and crispy. Slice, serve with sauce (simmer 3 min).

FULL RECIPE

Refrigerate batter dry - Whisk the cornflour, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, then put it in the fridge which you proceed with other prep (Note 4)

Pound chicken - Place chicken on a cutting board and cover with a freezer bag or similar (I use Go-Between, Note 5) then pound with a meat mallet or bottom of a skillet until it is an even 0.7cm / 1/3" thick. Sprinkle both sides with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Dust - Spread the cornflour on a plate and dust each side of the chicken with it, shaking off excess. Put on a plate and set aside while you keep preparing.

Preheat oil to 160°C/320°F in a large heavy based pot (mine is 24cm/9.4"). The oil needs to be at least 4cm/1.6" depth so the chicken floats.

Finish batter - Remove bowl from the fridge, add soda water and whisk just until combined, then stop - some small lumps are ok, better than whisking to death (makes crust less puffy and light). It should be a fairly thin batter, enough to coat the chicken but fairly thinly.

Fry #1 - Dip a piece of chicken in the batter and let the excess drip off, then carefully place in the oil. Do another piece (if it will fit). Fry for 3 minutes until very pale golden. Remove onto a paper towel lined tray and repeat with remaining chicken.

Cool chicken for 20 minutes. (Note 6) Meanwhile, make the sauce.

Lemon Sauce - Place the cornflour and a splash of the chicken stock in a small saucepan. Whisk until lump-free, then add remaining stock and sauce ingredients. Whisk and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then let it simmer for 3 minutes, whisking every now and then until it becomes a thin honey consistency. At first, it will go very thick (too thick for sauce) then it becomes thinner. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm (reheated if needed to loosen).

Fry #2 - Heat the oil to 200°C/390°F. Fry 2 pieces of chicken for 3 minutes until deep golden and super crispy, turning the chicken in the oil at the halfway mark. Remove onto a paper towel lined tray and repeat with remaining chicken.

Serving - Cut the chicken into 2cm thick slices (3/4"), transfer onto individual or shared serving plate. Pour over the Lemon Sauce, garnish with green onions and lemon slices if using. Serve with steamed rice (see in post for more side options).