• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Christie at Home
  • Asian Recipes
    • By Region
      • Chinese
      • Filipino
      • Indonesian
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Malaysian
      • Taiwanese
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
    • By Course
      • Mains
      • Breakfast
      • Dessert
      • Appetizers/Sides
      • Beverages
      • Snacks
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
  • ABOUT
    • Work with Me
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Asian Recipes
  • Shop
  • About
  • Newsletter Subscription
  • Work with Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Mains » Chinese Lemon Chicken

    Chinese Lemon Chicken

    Last Modified: March 15, 2022 - Published by: christieathome - Comments: 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Chinese Lemon Chicken. Crispy fried chicken coated in a zesty tangy lemon sauce with a hint of garlic. This quick Chinese lemon chicken recipe takes 30 minutes and is simple to make, as we are not deep frying.

    Chinese Lemon Chicken

    This is a popular Chinese dish that is served at many restaurants and takeaway for good reason. The sweet and savoury lemon sauce over that crispy chicken is one to die for! It’s the sister to Orange chicken so to speak. And now instead of heading out and paying $15 for this dish, you can make it from the comfort of your own home.

    Easy Chinese Lemon Chicken Recipe

    My Chinese lemon chicken recipe is simple to make! The cooking process only takes 10 minutes or less and the preparation time takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on how swift you are in the kitchen.

    Chinese Lemon Chicken

    Ingredients are accessible!

    If you have an Asian pantry, you’ll have most of the ingredients at your fingertips already! If you don’t, you’ll find that there are not too many on the list that are “foreign” sounding or hard to find. Why? Because I wanted to make this recipe super accessible even for those living out in the country. I know how frustrating it can be to want to make a recipe but not have all the ingredients for it.

    Chinese Lemon Chicken

    Not deep fried

    I know there are several Chinese lemon chicken recipes online. Some that require deep frying, some that require air frying. However, this will be the best Chinese lemon chicken recipe you’ve made at home without deep frying or air frying (although I do provide air frying instructions in my recipe card below).

    I wanted to share a version of Chinese lemon chicken not deep fried in a lot of oil for purposes of reducing food waste but also for health reasons. Don’t get me wrong, I love deep fried food but not always. I also realize not everyone has the luxury of owning an air fryer, so I wanted to share a way to shallow fry the chicken to make it crispy and delicious, like takeout.

    Chinese Lemon Chicken

    What you’ll need

    For this recipe you’ll need the following Chinese lemon chicken ingredients:

    • Chicken thighs
    • Cornstarch
    • Vegetable oil
    • Salt
    • Black Pepper

    Sauce:

    • Brown sugar
    • Garlic
    • Ginger
    • Zest of a Lemon
    • Freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • Regular soy sauce, (not light or dark!)
    • Chicken stock, unsalted
    • Cornstarch

    Optional:

    • Sesame seeds, garnish
    • Lemon slices, decorative

    How to make Chinese Lemon Chicken

    Below are brief steps with visuals to show you how to make crispy lemon chicken. Please scroll down to the recipe card below to find full instructions and details.

    Dice chicken thighs into bite size pieces, about 8 pieces per thigh.

    Premix sauce.

    Evenly coat diced chicken in cornstarch. For an even coating, place cornstarch on a plate and dredge each piece into the starch until evenly coated. Alternatively, for a faster method, sprinkle cornstarch over diced chicken and mix to coat. Note: The latter method is faster but results in less crispy chicken so if you have time, opt for first method.  

    In a hot wok over medium high heat, add oil. Once the oil glistens, quickly add chicken and spread apart quickly to prevent pieces from sticking to each other. Fry chicken for 6-7 minutes in total, flipping over halfway. Remove fried chicken from oil and transfer to a cooling rack or paper towel lined plate.

    Remove any excess oil in wok.

    Over medium heat, pour in sauce. Keep stirring sauce bubbles and thickens to reduce.

    Add back in fried chicken and toss to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

    Chinese Lemon Chicken

    Cooking Tips

    Below are tips on making Chinese lemon fried chicken:

    Chicken thigh for best taste

    Since chicken thigh has more fat content, it’ll taste better than using chicken breast. It’s also more forgiving if you happen to over cook it. However, you may use chicken breast for this recipe.

    Zest is key! Do not skip

    I know it takes more time to zest a lemon but it’s worth it especially for this recipe! This zest is so aromatic that it will take your lemon chicken from a level 8 to a 10!

    Prepare ingredients ahead of time

    Since the cooking time is less than 10 minutes, it’s super important to prepare your ingredients ahead of time otherwise this could lead to overcooked chicken. You really don’t want to be scrambling in the kitchen trying to find your ingredients as this dish is cooking.

    Evenly starch chicken to get it crispy

    To get crispy chicken without any bald spots requires an even dusting of cornstarch. If you have time, add the cornstarch to a plate and dredge your chicken pieces a bit at a time and set aside. The method shown in the video still results in crispy chicken, but the first listed method results in even crispier chicken!

    Medium high heat is key!

    This is the heat level I use (level 7-8 out of 10) for crispy shallow fried chicken. Medium level could work but it won’t be as crispy in my experience but please adjust accordingly to your stove top as all stoves are different.

    Sauce needs to bubble to reduce

    If you’re simmering your sauce over medium heat, with time it should reduce with consistent stirring and bubbling. If it doesn’t bubble for whatever reason, increase the heat until it does. The bubbling is a sign of evaporation creating for a thick smooth sauce.

    FAQ

    Below are frequently asked questions about this authentic Chinese lemon chicken:

    May I use chicken breast?

    Yes! That will work but please reduce the cooking time as needed and only fry the chicken until about an internal temperature of 160 F and then remove from hot oil. Then toss back into sauce to cook until it reaches 165 F and remove from heat immediately. Chicken breast tends to dry out faster than thigh so that’s why it’s important to pay attention to the cooking time.

    Can I make Chinese lemon chicken in the air fryer?

    Yes! I share instructions on how to achieve this in my recipe card below so please scroll down for that.

    Other recipes you may like!

    If you enjoyed this Chinese lemon chicken stir fry recipe, you may enjoy these other recipes:

    Mongolian Chicken
    Sweet Spicy Gochujang Chicken
    General Tso Chicken
    Korean Sweet & Sticky Chicken

    Try it!

    Well, I hope you give my Chinese Lemon Chicken a try! It always excites me when you make my recipes and I hope this is one you try and most importantly, enjoy.

    Sharing is caring

    If you enjoyed my Chinese lemon garlic chicken recipe, please share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture of your re-creation and make sure to tag me @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories as I would love to see it!

    Did you enjoy it?

    If you genuinely enjoyed my Chinese takeaway lemon chicken recipe, please leave a 5-star review. I would greatly appreciate it 🙂

    Take care,
    Christie

    *This post for Asian lemon chicken contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also earn from qualifying purchases through additional affiliate programs

    Easy Chinese Lemon Chicken

    christieathome
    Chinese Lemon Chicken. Crispy fried chicken coated in a zesty tangy lemon sauce with a hint of garlic. This quick Chinese lemon chicken recipe takes 30 minutes and is simple to make, as we are not deep frying. I also share AIR FRYING instructions below under the Notes section.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course dinner, lunch
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 3
    Calories per serving 616 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 622 g boneless skinless chicken thighs
    • ⅓ cup Cornstarch or as needed
    • ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • ¼ tsp Black Pepper

    Sauce:

    • ¼ cup Brown sugar
    • 3 cloves Garlic minced
    • ½ tsp Ginger grated
    • Zest of one Lemon
    • 2 tbsp Freshly squeezed lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon)
    • 2 tbsp Regular soy sauce (not light or dark!)
    • ½ cup Chicken stock unsalted
    • ½ tbsp Cornstarch

    Optional:

    • 1 tsp Sesame seeds garnish

    Instructions
     

    • Dice chicken thighs into bite size pieces, about 8 pieces per thigh.
    • In a bowl, pre-mix your sauce ingredients as listed above.
    • Evenly coat diced chicken in cornstarch. For an even coating, place cornstarch on a plate and dredge each piece into the starch until evenly coated.
      Alternatively, for a faster method, sprinkle cornstarch over diced chicken and mix to coat. Note: The latter method is faster but results in less crispy chicken so if you have time, opt for first method.
    • In a hot wok over medium-high heat, add oil. Once the oil glistens, quickly add chicken and spread apart quickly to prevent pieces from sticking to each other. Fry chicken for 6-7 minutes in total, flipping over halfway. Remove fried chicken from oil and set aside.
    • Remove any excess oil in wok.
    • Over medium heat, pour in sauce. Keep stirring sauce bubbles and thickens to reduce.
    • Add back in fried chicken and toss to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

    Notes

    How to Air Fry Chicken:

    1. Place cornstarch on a plate and in small batches, dredge cubed chicken into starch until evenly coated. 
    2. Transfer to air fryer basket in a single layer giving each piece some space. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to do this in a couple batches.
    3. Spray oil over the chicken.
    4. Air fry at 400 F for 12-14 minutes until crispy.
    Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
    Copyright PolicyPlease do not copy and paste my recipes or use my photos in your own site/blog or social media. If you use my recipe for adaptation, please provide a link back to my recipe and re-write in your own words. Thank you.

    Suggested Equipment & Products

    Wok
    Measuring Set
    Cutting Board
    Santoku Knife
    Mixing bowl
    citrus squeezer
    Nutrition
    Calories: 616kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 204mg | Sodium: 1282mg | Potassium: 546mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg
    Course dinner, lunch
    Cuisine Chinese
    Keyword asian lemon chicken wings, authentic chinese lemon chicken, chinese lemon chicken, chinese lemon chicken air fryer, chinese lemon chicken ingredients, chinese lemon chicken not deep fried, chinese lemon chicken recipe, chinese lemon chicken recipes, chinese lemon chicken stir fry recipe, chinese lemon fried chicken, chinese lemon garlic chicken recipe, chinese takeaway lemon chicken recipe, crispy lemon chicken, easy chinese lemon chicken recipe, how to make chinese lemon chicken, quick chinese lemon chicken recipe, the best chinese lemon chicken recipe, what does chinese lemon chicken taste like
    « Kujirai Ramen
    Shrimp Fried Rice »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Judy

      March 20, 2022 at 1:21 pm

      Can you use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs?

      Reply
      • christieathome

        March 21, 2022 at 6:45 pm

        Yes, I would just caution to reduce the cooking time by a minute or so as breast tends to dry out faster than thighs.

        Reply
    2. Cathy-Ann

      March 22, 2022 at 1:57 pm

      5 stars
      Easy and delicious

      Reply
      • christieathome

        March 22, 2022 at 4:26 pm

        Thanks so much for making my Lemon Chicken, Cathy-Ann! I appreciate your review!

        Reply
      • KarenB

        November 17, 2022 at 2:44 am

        5 stars
        Do you also have a recipe for orange chicken and one for honey walnut shrimp? Also looking for a recipe for chicken and vegetables with black bean sauce. And egg rolls or lumpia. Lol. I am enjoying your recipes so much, I want more!

        Reply
        • christieathome

          November 17, 2022 at 4:27 pm

          Thanks so much for your support Karen! Yes I have a recipe for orange chicken if you click here. Unfortunately I don't have a recipe for honey walnut shrimp but I do have many other shrimp recipes you may enjoy if you click here. I also share a Gogchujang Shrimp recipe and a Ebi Mayo that many of my readers like! I'm still working to perfect my egg roll and lumpias recipe but once I do, they will be shared on the blog.

          Reply
    3. Garry

      March 23, 2022 at 5:12 am

      This looks amazing and I cant wait to try it.
      Thanks Christie

      Reply
      • christieathome

        March 23, 2022 at 10:35 am

        Thanks Garry! I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    4. Travis

      May 14, 2022 at 11:19 pm

      5 stars
      This is the second dish that's have made from your page and I absolutely love it. It is very delicious. Will be keeping this one in my recipe box!!

      Reply
      • christieathome

        May 16, 2022 at 12:01 pm

        Hi Travis, thank you so much for your kind words and for making my recipes! I'm so glad you enjoyed my Lemon chicken. Have a wonderful day! - Christie

        Reply
    5. Kay

      July 12, 2022 at 12:20 am

      5 stars
      It was easy and delicious. We had it with home made fried rice. My food fussy partner wolfed it down. I will be adding this to my rotating dinner menu. Thanks

      Reply
      • christieathome

        July 12, 2022 at 7:27 pm

        Thank you so much for making my recipe Kay! I'm so happy to hear that both you and your partner enjoyed it and that it will become apart of your dinner rotation!

        Reply
    6. Jay

      September 24, 2022 at 3:40 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious sauce! Used air fryer - did not need salt or pepper with this recipe.

      Reply
      • christieathome

        September 26, 2022 at 12:54 pm

        Thanks so much for making my recipe Jay! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply

    Enjoyed my recipe? Leave a rated review! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Christie

    Christie is an Asian Recipe Blogger sharing delicious recipes that you can make at home! Her goal is to make Asian cooking approachable and less intimidating. With a social media following of over 500k, she has been featured on Buzz Feed Tasty, Food52, The Kitchn and more! Christie's recipes have been made over and over again by her loyal readers.

    More about me →

    Footer

    Follow Me

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Home

    • Home
    • Asian Recipes
    • Shop
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up!

    Contact

    • About
    • Work with Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Christie at Home