Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken is one of the more popular methods of chicken preparation especially to Chinese and Western cuisines. To most Pinoy households lemon chicken is not as common, but is one of the main dish choices of bigger restaurants. Luk Yuen a Chinese specialty restaurant is now aggressively promoting their lemon chicken.

Big billboards and posters of their lemon chicken are being displayed at their restaurant, specifically at their Cash and Carry branch at Makati City. I have been eating to this restaurant several times when ever I am in the area. I like their food plus the prices are reasonable and the place is very clean, it is a value for money. The other day their lemon chicken caught my attention because of the obvious reasons mentioned above, as expected it was equally as good. The dish is simple, there are no out of this world fancy ingredient except the lemons and I though I could replicate it.

The fried chicken coatings are light brown in color but still crisp when the lemon sauce was poured over them. And the inside is cooked evenly, moist and succulent. I suspect the chickens where previously steamed or boiled first before being deep fried. For the lemon sauce it was translucently clear and yellowish in color. Sweet and lemon sour, and a strong lemon zest. To attain these flavors, in addition to lemon juice, I used grated lemon rind and grated ginger. For that added honey sweet flavor I used real manuka honey but honey syrup is a good substitute. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves, de-boned
1 small bundle kinchay, trimmed
1 small bundle spring onion, chopped
1 pc lemon sliced thinly for garnishing
2 pc. lemon
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/2 head garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cup cornstarch
2-3 sliver of ginger
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
salt and pepper
cooking oil

Cooking procedure:

Rub chicken breast with garlic, salt and pepper and arrange in a container with lid, squish out juice of 1 lemon over, evenly coat the chicken breast. Cover and chill in a refrigerator to marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Steam or boil chicken for 5 to 10 minutes, remove from steamer, drain/pat dry with kitchen paper. Beat egg in a bowl, in another bowl, mix 1 1/2 cornstarch, baking powder and salt and pepper to taste. Deep fry dropping one piece at a time and in batches for 3-5 minutes or until light brown. Drain excess oil in a colander or paper towels and keep aside. In a saucepan, warm 2 cups of chicken broth from steaming the chicken, stir in sugar, honey, juice from the other lemon, lemon rind, half of kinchay and ginger. Season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute, thicken sauce with 1/2 cup of cornstarch diluted in 1/2 cup of water, Simmer stirring frequently for another half minute or until sauce thickens, remove from heat. Cut each chicken breast diagonally, into serving pieces, arrange on platter. Pour sauce over the chicken, garnish with lemon slices, kinchay and spring onion. Serve.