Chinese Lemon Chicken but make it healthy plz!
This Easy Healthy Chinese Lemon Chicken Recipe comes together in just 20 minutes and is healthier than takeout but just as sticky, sweet, and delicious!
Easy Healthy Chinese Lemon Chicken
HELLO BBS!!! Today I made you this Healthy Chinese Lemon Chicken – yup, it’s actually possible and it’s *SO* freakin good!!! Best part? It comes together in just 20 minutes, there’s no frying involved & has an extra sticky sauce! Oh and it’s naturally gluten-free & dairy-free too đ
SO.
What Makes This Lemon Chicken Healthier Than Takeout?
Takeout Chinese Lemon Chicken is deep-fried and then tossed with a sticky lemon sauce. Unfortunately, deep-fried food isn’t exactly the healthiest option đ
Here’s where this Healthy Chinese Lemon Chicken comes in! This baby is tossed in tapioca starch (aka tapioca flour) and sauteed in a skillet with coconut oil until crispy on the outside and fully cooked through! This way the chicken will turn out just as delicious AND you’ll be able to eat it more frequently (that’s the goal, right?!).
Ingredients For Chinese Lemon Chicken
- Coconut oil.
- Chicken: I would recommend using tenderloins but you can also use chopped cutlets, breasts or thighs.
- Tapioca starch: aka tapioca flour.
- Peanut oil: canola or sunflower will also work.
- Garlic.
- Ginger. I recommend using finely grated ginger but minced ginger will work too! You can omit this if you don’t like ginger but the result will be slightly different!
- Chicken stock: use low-sodium if possible.
- Soy sauce.
- Lemon juice: use freshly squeezed lemon juice for best results, avoid storebought lemon juice.
- Brown sugar.
How To Make Chinese Lemon Chicken
This dish can be broken down into 3 main stages (full instructions will be in the recipe card below):
- Chicken: toss the chicken with the tapioca starch and saute in coconut oil until crispy and cooked through.
- Lemon Sauce: sautĂ© the garlic, combine all the lemon sauce ingredients together and heat the sauce over medium heat until thick (you’re looking for a syrup-like consistency).
- Assembling: toss the chicken with the sticky lemon sauce and serve! *SO* easy, right?!
What Do You Eat Lemon Chicken With?
- Any rice: I like basmati but brown or wild will work too!
- Your favorite noodles!
- Healthy Oven Roasted Vegetables!
- Salads!
HAPPY COOKING LOVES!! I hope you’ll love this Easy And Healthy Chinese Lemon Chicken as much as I do!Â
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating âïž if you make it! I LOVE hearing from you! đ
If You Liked This Recipe…
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Healthy Chinese Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch aka tapioca flour or cornstarch
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- Salt to taste
For the Sticky Lemon Sauce
- 2 tsp peanut oil
- 3 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp finely-grated ginger or minced
- 1/2 cup (low sodium) chicken stock
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice about 1 lemon
- 4 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- Salt optional, to taste
For Topping
- 1-2 tsp sesame seeds optional
- Sliced green onions optional
- Lemon slices optional
Instructions
- Add the chicken and tapioca starch to a large shallow bowl and toss together until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Heat the coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and sprinkle it with salt to season. Cook the chicken until fully cooked through, and crispy and golden brown on the outside. Turn off the heat and transfer the cooked chicken to a separate dish and set aside. Using a paper towel, wipe the skillet to get rid off any excess oil.
- Add the peanut oil to the skillet, turn on the heat and allow the oil to heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the minced garlic and grated ginger. Saute until soft and fragrant (1-2 minutes) stirring constantly. If the garlic is browning, lower the heat to keep it from burning.
- In a small bowl, add in the chicken stock, soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and cornstarch. Mix until the cornstarch has dissolved completely, then transfer the sauce to the skillet. Adjust the heat to medium and cook the sauce until it starts to thicken while stirring constantly, it will turn into a sticky glaze.
- Once the sauce is ready, add in the cooked chicken and toss to coat, cook for an additional minute, then remove from heat and serve. Top with sesame seeds, sliced green onions, and lemon slices if desired!
Notes
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