This past Saturday, my oldest daughter had a hankering for Chinese food. We satisfied that initial craving with a quick trip to the mall (we had an important errand that only the two of us could handle!) but our minds began spinning and we decided that we needed more Chinese food to be fully satisfied.
So on Sunday night, the two of us put our aprons on and began cooking. I checked out several lemon chicken recipes and ended up changing this one around a bit for my family’s size and taste.
I loved how it turned out except for the color. The chicken looked terribly BLAH but the flavor was anything but boring. It definitely has a strong lemon kick. Probably my favorite thing about this recipe was that the chicken was so tender and moist. I’ve cooked chicken in the wok plenty of times before, but this chicken may win the prize for the most tender.
- 3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy suce
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 egg whites
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- Lemon sauce:
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅔ cup cold water
- Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and place into a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix the sesame oil, red wine vinegar, ground ginger, soy sauce and pepper. Add this mixture to the bowl with the chicken and mix well. Marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes or in the fridge for 30 minutes or more.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg white and cornstarch together until white and frothy. Add to the marinating chicken and combine well.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add about a third of the chicken and stir fry until cooked through and golden brown on all sides (5-7 minutes). Transfer to an oven-safe dish and place in a warm 300 degree oven while the remaining chicken cooks. Repeat until all of the chicken is cooked.
- While the chicken finishes cooking, add the lemon juice, soy sauce and sugar to a small pan. While that heats, whisk the cornstarch and water together. Bring the lemon mixture to boil, then add the cornstarch-water mixture. Stir constantly until the sauce is smooth and thickens, about 2 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the pan and toss to coat with the sauce.
- Sprinkle chicken with toasted sesame seeds. Serve with cooked rice and a steamed vegetable.
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I’ve been on an Asian kick lately, so this recipe caught my eye. Sounds delish! The organic lemons at Whole Foods are affordable, and I’ve been finding them wonderful in the dishes I’ve been making, so this is one I’d like to try. I’ve been making my own sprouts and adding them to almost all the Asian dishes, too. Yum!
I’m always looking for new chicken recipes. This one looks refreshing! Thanks for sharing.
I totally agree! I’ll choose taste over looks any day. :)
i love chinese food and it would be great to make it at home for once instead of ordering in. i have to agree that the color isnt all that great but hey, if it tastes good, thats all thats important to me!
sounds so yummy
What a delicious, healthy recipe! I’d love to try and make this flavor chicken!
Not deep fried is making me want to make this recipe!
Ok this looks super delish and easy to make and I love that its not deep fried.
That looks delicious and thank you for the linky!
That sounds intriguing! I think my husband might like that. Thanks for sharing!