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.
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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)!
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.
It’s great served over rice or noodles with a side of fresh veggies like Sesame Bok Choy or even simply steamed broccoli.
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
Did your family love this Lemon Chicken recipe? Leave us a comment and a rating below!
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts diced
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Sauce
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Optional Garnish
- sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onion
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
My grandaughter loves chicken and loves lemons so I got her to try this and she gives it a 5. Everyone else liked it too. After trying to thicken the sauce for 3-4 minutes we decided to add quite a bit more cornstarch and time to get it to our desired consistency. When she sampled the sauce it was not “lemony” enough for her so we added lemon juice essentially doubling what was originally called for. I liked it with the original amount so just adjust to personal preference. We will be making this again.
I am glad she enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing.