Fast & Easy Lemon Chicken

This Lemon Chicken recipe is packed with flavor, incredibly fast, and really delicious!

Tender chicken is pan-fried to perfection and tossed in a tangy-sweet lemon sauce that will turn everyone into a lemon lover!

Serve it over rice for a complete and satisfying weeknight meal.

The Easiest Lemon Chicken Sauce

When we go for Chinese, lemon chicken tops my list! It’s always so tender and perfectly sweet and tangy.

At home, my family loves this easy lemon chicken recipe. Not only is it packed with flavor, but the sauce is made with just 4 simple ingredients that you probably already have. Broth, cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice are all you need to make the perfect lemon sauce.

I prefer to keep it simple but you can add a couple cloves garlic to the chicken when stir frying if you’d like.

How To Make Chicken Tender

Have you ever had a stir-fry and wondered how they get the meat so darn tender? Most often, it’s due to a technique called velveting.

Meat (beef or chicken) is marinated in a combination of egg white, cornstarch, oil, and often other additives like vinegar. Cornstarch is a natural tenderizer (and used in this recipe as well as many other stir fry favorites like Mongolian Beef)!

ingredients in a bowl to make Lemon Chicken

cooked chicken in a pan to make Lemon Chicken

How To Make Lemon Chicken

Dice chicken breasts and toss with egg mixture (per the recipe below). Refrigerate while making the sauce.
Stir fry the chicken in batches until golden brown.
Add the sauce and cook until thick and bubbly. Toss with chicken and serve.

Garnish with lemon slices, green onion or chives, and sesame seeds.

Tip: Freeze the chicken for about 15 minutes before cutting if time allows (or cut it while it’s not completely defrosted).

It’s great served over rice or noodles with a side of fresh veggies like Sesame Bok Choy or even simply steamed broccoli.

Lemon Chicken in a pan with lemon slices

Leftovers

Lemon Chicken is a great dish to make ahead or make a double batch so that you’ll have lots of leftovers. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days for easy lunches!

Better Than Takeout Dishes

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Lemon Chicken

This easy lemon recipe is a sweet zesty favorite, made in under an hour!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Marinate Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

In a bowl, combine chicken with egg, cornstarch, and soy sauce. Allow it to marinate in the fridge for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
In a small bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients.
In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from the egg mixture, allowing any excess to drip off. Discard the marinade.
Add chicken to the pan in batches and stir-fry until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Stir the sauce well to ensure the cornstarch is fully incorporated. Pour it into the pan with the chicken. Let it simmer on low heat until it thickened, about 3-4 minutes
Garnish with sesame seeds, thinly sliced green onion, and lemon wedges if desired.

This recipe comes together quickly; prepare all of the ingredients before beginning to cook.
Chicken: For easy handling, place chicken in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting (optional). Chicken thighs work well in this recipe.
Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is best for this recipe. If using fresh lemon, ½ teaspoon of lemon zest can be added to the sauce for an extra boost of lemon flavor.
Vegetables: Vegetables can be added to this chicken, asparagus, or green beans are great options. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Trim the vegetables and add them to the pan. Stir-fry them for a few minutes until they are tender crisp. Add the chicken and the sauce and continue to cook as directed.
For a crispy chicken, marinated chicken can be dusted in corn starch and deep fried in small batches at 350°F for 4-5 minutes. Thicken sauce and toss with chicken.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Chicken, Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian Fusion

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