Honey and lemon go hand in hand and this recipe combines both ingredients into one delicious, sweet-sour sticky sauce all without deep-frying the chicken.
By Shannon Lim
Honey chicken is apparently a very popular Chinese restaurant dish in the West, as well as a popular take-out meal. Another similar chicken recipe created in the West is Lemon Chicken. Both dishes are deep fried and coated with a delicious sticky sauce. However both dishes did not originate in China, as honey or lemon ingredients are not common in traditional Chinese cooking, but they are nonetheless delicious. 
I love both honey and lemon, so I combined both ingredients into one delicious sweet-sourish sticky sauce all without deep-frying the chicken. I lightly coat the chicken with flour and pan-fry them. I use rice flour for a gluten free version and to give it a slight crunchy outer layer, without the ‘floury’ taste. A typical Chinese meal would be to serve this chicken with rice, and one or two more veggie/fish dishes. For a western meal, you can serve with a big salad, like Roasted Broccoli Salad here, or toss them together with salad.
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Pan-Fried Honey and Lemon Chicken
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
Honey and lemon go hang in hand and this recipe combines both ingredients into one delicious, sweet-sour sticky sauce all without deep-frying the chicken.
Ingredients
- 300g (10oz) skinless Chicken Breast/Thigh Fillet
- 3–4 tablespoon Flour (I use rice flour for gluten free version)
- 2–3 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- ½ teaspoon White Sesame
- ½ tablespoon Soy Sauce (or Tamari for gluten free option)
- ½ tablespoon Shaoxing wine (optional)
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 3 tablespoon Water
- 1 teaspoon Corn Starch / Rice Flour / Wheat Flour
Instructions
- Cut chicken into 1 inch strips, place into a mixing bowl and mix well with soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Add in flour and toss the chicken, lightly coating it. Add in 1 more tablespoon of flour if the chicken pieces are not evenly coated.
- Heat up a pan with oil on medium heat. When the pan is heated up, place chicken strips on single layer in the pan and without overcrowding it. If the pan is not large enough, cook it in 2 batches. Cook for 5 mins and turn over with chopsticks or tongs to cook for another 5 mins.
- Meanwhile toast sesame in another pan over low heat for 1-2 minute, stir or shake the pan 3-4 times so that it doesn’t burn. Prepare sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl, until it’s well mixed.
- Cut a piece of chicken to check that it’s fully cooked. Pour the sauce into the same pan, and remove from(or switch off) heat when the sauce starts to boil. Stir well to coat the chicken strips, plate and sprinkle with white sesame. Serve immediately with rice or salad.
- Category: Main
