Lemon Chicken

Life’s most precious blessing!

In my 70 plus years I have experienced many blessings, but the most precious blessings of all are my 10 grandchildren! They have been truly a gift. They make us feel loved and I hope they know that I love each unconditionally.

One Christmas I asked family what they wanted me to cook and they answered, “lemon chicken”. Chinese recipes don’t take long to cook but there’s a lot of prep work. Pa Lloyd and I spent a day in the kitchen and I learned an important lesson: don’t ask family what they want for Christmas dinner! This recipe comes from Betty Crocker’s Chinese Cookbook: 

Lemon Chicken:
2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.), cut into four pieces and placed in shallow glass or plastic pan. Mix together 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, 2 eggs, 4 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp white pepper, whisk together and pour over chicken, turning to coat both sides, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Remove chicken; reserve marinade. To reserved marinade whisk in 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup water, 4 Tbsp cornstarch, 4 Tbsp vegetable oil, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Heat vegetable oil (1 1/2 inches) in wok or fry pan to 350 degrees. Dip chicken pieces one at a time into batter. Fry 2-3 pieces at a time until light brown, 3 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Increase oil to 375 degrees. Fry chicken all at one time, turning once, until golden brown. (Yes, you fry the chicken twice.) Drain on paper towels. Cut each piece crosswise into 5-6 pieces; place in single layer on heated platter. Pour hot lemon sauce over chicken and serve. Garnish with thin lemon slices if desired. 

Lemon sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup honey
6 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp light corn syrup
4 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp catsup
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
Peel of one lemon

Mix all together, heat until boiling, then add 2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp of  water, cook and stir until thickened about a minute. You can make the sauce while the chicken is marinating or make the day before and refrigerate, reheating over low heat. I serve this with rice and home made egg rolls.