Hello lemon chicken! The utterly delicious, Chinese restaurant classic! Also my husbands absolute favourite 🙂

You really need to make this! Don’t pick up the phone and order it in, this is so so much fresher in flavour! It’s also healthier and 100% better in taste!

If you’re anything like me, I like to prep so I can enjoy the evening and so it’s ready to just chuck together before serving. Make this earlier on, reheat and just combine at the last minute to keep the chicken crispy!

Who needs a takeaway?

Recipe (serves 2)

For the chicken:

2 chicken breasts, cubed

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Shaoxing Rice Wine

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp corn flour

Vegetable oil for frying, just enough for 1cm of oil in your frying pan

For the sauce:

2 cloves of garlic, grated

200ml chicken stock

1 tbsp soy sauce

Juice of 2-3 lemons and zest

2 tbsp runny honey (more if you like it sweeter)

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water to create a slurry

Salt and pepper

2 spring onions

Sesame seeds

Mix the diced chicken breast with the sesame oil, soy sauce and Shaoxing Rice Wine and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes or until needed.

Season the cornflour with salt and pepper and coat each cube of chicken in the cornflour. Heat up the oil and fry the chicken in batches. Don’t over crowd the pan!! This is the secret to using less oil, do it bit by bit to keep the heat in the pan. Turn the chicken until brown and crispy all over (about 10 minutes). Drain on kitchen paper and leave on a baking sheet in a warm oven while you prep the sauce.

Next, make the sauce. Heat up a pan with a little of the cooking oil and fry the garlic for 1 minute. Add the stock. soy sauce, lemon juice and zest, sweet chilli and some salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer so it thickens slightly, then add in the cornflour/water mix. It should thicken up and be glossy.

Tip the chicken pieces into the sauce, along with the sesame seeds. Coat the chicken with the sauce, tip onto a serving plate and top with more sesame seeds and chopped spring onions.

Enjoy with homemade egg fried rice and some stir fried pak choi in oyster sauce – delicious!!