This easy and quick Pan Fried Chinese Lemon Chicken only takes 20 minutes to make! Seasoned fried chicken topped with a zesty and tart lemon sauce. Perfect for lunch or dinner.
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lemon chicken and orange chicken
When it comes to Chinese dishes, the lemon chicken is easily one of my favorites. In Malaysia, it’s a classic staple in Chinese restaurants, as opposed to the orange chicken that’s more frequently preferred in the US.
Both dishes have a common underlining sweet taste, but the lemon sauce brings a delicious zesty and tart flavor to the mix.
easy Chinese lemon chicken For beginners (20 Minutes)
In the usual lemon chicken dish, the chicken will normally be dipped in batter then fried until it becomes golden and crispy. However, for this recipe, we’ll be skipping that step for an easier and quicker version that will only take 20 minutes! A great beginner friendly chicken recipe.
All you need to do is to pan fry your seasoned chicken before simmering your lemon sauce. Then bring it all together, and you have yourself a mouthwatering lemony dish!
For a crispy version of this dish, you can check out this post: Chinese Crispy Lemon Chicken.
Chinese Lemon Chicken Meal Pairings
It pairs perfectly well with rice, but you can also enjoy it with some noodles, or even in a fresh, crisp salad. Here are some options for you to pair it with:
- Egg Fried Rice
- Easy Chow Mein (10 Minutes)
- Chicken Mei Fun (Bihun Goreng)
- Bihun Goreng (Stir-Fried Rice Noodles) – Vegan
- 15-minute Egg Drop Soup With Surimi
- Easy Asian Cucumber Salad
ingredients you’ll need
(For full ingredient measurements, please proceed to the recipe card below.)
- Boneless chicken thighs with the skin on: Chicken thighs are more fatty and juicy, which is why it’s mostly preferred. But you can also use chicken breast as an alternative.
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon slices (to garnish)
- Sesame seeds (to garnish)
Chinese Lemon Sauce
- Water
- Honey
- Sugar
- Salt
- Ginger: To be grated.
- Garlic: To be grated.
- Lemon juice (see notes)
- Corn starch + Water: To make cornstarch slurry.
how to make pan fried chinese lemon chicken
- Seasoning the chicken: Season both sides of your boneless chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Frying the chicken: Over medium high heat, heat up a frying pan. Once it’s hot enough, add the chicken thighs skin side down. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and flip the chicken. Let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. Press down the chicken with a spatula from time to time for a more even cooking.
- Prepping the sauce: While the chicken is cooking, mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl except for the lemon juice and cornstarch slurry. Mix it well and set aside for later.
- Lemon sauce: Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the frying pan and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium low. In the same pan, pour in the sauce mixture and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Once the sauce starts to simmer, let it simmer for 1-2 minutes before pouring in the lemon juice and cornstarch slurry. Stir and let the sauce thicken and immediately turn off the heat (see notes).
- Bringing it together: Optional, slice the chicken into strips. Serve on rice and pour the sauce all over the chicken. Garnish with lemon slices and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
notes for pan fried chinese lemon chicken
- No oil needed: Oil is not needed to fry the chicken because the oil rendered from the skin is more than enough to pan fry the chicken.
- Balancing the sauce: The amount of lemon juice used should be to your taste. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more if needed.
- Sauce cooking time: Do not let the sauce cook for too long once you add the lemon juice or the flavor will disappear. If the flavor disappears, go ahead and add more lemon juice.
- Crispy lemon chicken: If you’d like to make a crispy version of the dish, you can click here. (Chinese Crispy Lemon Chicken)
more Asian recipes
- Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings
- Kailan (Chinese Broccoli) With Easy Sauce
- Steamed Eggs With Soy Garlic Sauce
- Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Soy Sauce Chicken (Ayam Masak Kicap)
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20-Minute Pan Fried Chinese Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken thighs with the skin on
- salt and pepper
- lemon slices to garnish
- sesame seeds to garnish
Chinese Lemon Sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp grated garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice see notes
- 1 tbsp corn starch + 2 tbsp water for cornstarch slurry
Instructions
- Season both sides of your boneless chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Over medium high heat, heat up a frying pan. Once it's hot enough, add the chicken thighs skin side down. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and flip the chicken. Let it cook for another 5-6 minutes. Press down the chicken with a spatula from time to time for a more even cooking.
- While the chicken is cooking, mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl except for the lemon juice and cornstarch slurry. Mix it well and set aside for later.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the frying pan and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium low. In the same pan, pour in the sauce mixture and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Once the sauce starts to simmer, let it simmer for 1-2 minutes before pouring in the lemon juice and cornstarch slurry. Stir and let the sauce thicken and immediately turn off the heat (see notes).
- Optional, slice the chicken into strips. Serve on rice and pour the sauce all over the chicken. Garnish with lemon slices and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
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