American Chinese Recipe
Lemon Chicken
Lemon chicken is fried or pan-fried chicken served with a sweet-tart lemon sauce.
Recipe at a glance
| Purpose | High-frequency Chinese restaurant menu dish |
| Cuisine or format | American Chinese |
| Menu variation rule | Protein may be adjusted without creating a separate recipe family. |
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken breast or thighs
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- Oil for frying
- 1/2 cup lemon juice and water mixed
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey, optional
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- Cornstarch slurry
- Lemon slices
Method
- Coat chicken with egg and cornstarch.
- Fry or pan-fry until crisp and cooked.
- Simmer lemon liquid, sugar, honey, and soy sauce.
- Thicken lightly.
- Slice chicken if desired.
- Spoon sauce over or serve on the side.
Variations and substitutions
- For chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, tofu, or mixed seafood variants, keep the same sauce logic and adjust the cooking time for the protein.
- For allergies or religious dietary needs, check sauces, broth, wrappers, cooking wine, and shared wok or fryer use.
- For takeout-style dishes, sauce texture matters: the sauce should coat the food rather than become a thin soup.