Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken - old school style!

Name: Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken - old school style!
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 x 125g/3oz chicken thigh fillets (, skinless and boneless (or 2 breasts - Note 1)); 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt; 1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch; 1 - 1 1/2 litres (4 - 6 cups) vegetable or canola oil (, for frying - 4cm / 1.6" depth (re-usable, Note 2)); 1/3 cup cornflour / cornstarch; 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp plain flour ((all-purpose flour)); 1/4 tsp baking powder; 1/2 cup COLD soda water (, not sparking mineral water (Note 3)); 6 tsp cornflour/cornstarch; 1/2 cup chicken stock/broth (, low sodium); 1/2 cup lemon juice (, fresh); 1/3 cup white sugar; 1/2 tsp garlic (, finely grated); 1/2 tsp ginger (, finely grated); 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine ((can omit for alcohol-free)); Lemon slices (, to serve (optional)); 1 green onion (, finely sliced on the diagonal, to serve (optional))

Instructions

Prep:20minCook:10min

Recipe video above. I like my Chinese Lemon Chicken the old school way, with a crispy battered cutlet sliced then sauced! The twice-fried Chinese fry batter used here stays crisper than regular batters (also less greasy) but once doused with the lemon sauce, it's best served and eaten fast! Lemon sauce has a high water content so the crust will never stay crispy as long as other Chinese fried foods like, say, Honey Prawns.You'll love the lemon sauce - brighter flavour and not tooth-achingly sweet like restaurants often are. For crispy bite size pieces, use the sauce in this recipe with the chicken from the Crispy Chinese Honey Chicken.

Updated at: Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:04:07 GMT