Name: Lemon Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 chicken breast, cut into slices; 2 TBS rice wine; 2 TBS soy sauce; 2 TBS honey; 1 lemon; 1 TBS canola oil; 3 slices fresh ginger; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 cups cooked rice

One of the proteins I like best to cook with is chicken breast - I use it in stir fries and salads and so many other dishes. I can pull one out in the morning and there is a world of opportunity open to me for dinner. And so it was the other night. I made a dessert pizza for a party at our friend’s house so I had some leftover lemon juice so I thought that perhaps lemon chicken would be tasty. My cookbooks were perused and I and found a different way to make it. This recipe is adapted from one of my go-to Chinese cookbooks - The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. (affiliate link)

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Lemon Chicken

Serves 2 - 3

1 chicken breast, cut into slices
2 TBS rice wine
2 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS honey
1 lemon
1 TBS canola oil
3 slices fresh ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups cooked rice

Add the rice wine, soy sauce, honey and salt into a large bowl and stir until well combined.

Add the chicken and mix until the chicken is coated. Let marinate for half an hour, stirring a couple of times.
Cut the lemon into eighths and remove the seeds.
Heat the oil in a large wok or other fry pan until hot.

Add the lemon and ginger - IT WILL SPIT. BE CAREFUL
After the lemon browns a bit remove it and set aside. Add the chicken. Let the chicken sit, undisturbed for one minute to brown.
Stir the chicken and add the marinade and the lemon and ginger. Let the the mixture simmer for 3 - 4 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve the chicken over the cooked rice with some sauce.

How Was the Lemon Chicken?

This was a really different take on this classic Chinese meal. It’s usually a breaded, fried chicken breast with a thick lemon sauce. In this version the chicken takes on the salty/sweet flavors from the soy sauce and honey and the lemon and ginger enhance the sauce. It’s also easier and I would think healthier than the traditional fried version. I served it with some steamed, fresh from the garden green beans.

The cookbook where I found this recipe also gave me one of my favorite recipes of all time, tomato beef. I don’t make it that often these days as we just don’t eat that much beef but it is one red meat recipe I do really enjoy.