Name: Lemon Chicken: The Westernized Version
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda; 1 tablespoon crushed fermented black beans; Groundnut oil, for deep-frying; 65 g (2¼ oz) potato flour or cornflour; 120 ml (4 fl oz) water; 2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 1 tablespoon sugar; 2 teaspoons groundnut oil; 2 teaspoons cornflour blended with 1 teaspoon water; 1 teaspoon salt; 35 g (1¼ oz) unbleached plain flour; 2 dried red chillies, crushed; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 120 ml (4 fl oz) Chinese Chicken Stock or store-bought fresh stock; 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil; 450 g (1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs; ½ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper; 1 tablespoon light soy sauce; 1½ tablespoons grated lemon zest; 1 tablespoon finely sliced garlic; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry; 1 teaspoon light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon cornflour

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Easy Family Dishes

By Ken Hom

Published 1998

About

Chicken breasts in batter tend to be dried out and uninteresting. I have altered this classic Westernized version by using thighs instead of breast meat for a tastier dish. Many Chinese chefs use potato flour to enhance crispiness.