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Crispy lemon honey chicken served over white rice with broccoli and sesame seeds, garnished with spring onion curls, styled on a white timber background with lemon wedges and honey nearby in natural light.

Crispy Lemon Honey Chicken

5 from 1 vote
This Crispy Lemon Honey Chicken is golden, crunchy and coated in a sweet, tangy lemon honey sauce just like your favourite Chinese takeaway. Made with a light batter and double-fried for maximum crispiness, it’s a crowd-pleasing fakeaway recipe that’s perfect for family dinners or special occasions.
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Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:25 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Cantonese, Chinese
Keyword: Chinese lemon chicken, crispy lemon chicken, crispy lemon honey chicken, fakeaway chicken dinner, lemon honey chicken, takeaway style lemon chicken
Servings: 4
Author: Kate Brodhurst

Ingredients

CHICKEN MARINADE

  • 600g chicken breast fillets, cut into bite size cubes
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese cooking wine
  • 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder
  • ¾ teapsoon bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
  • Pinch of ground white pepper

LEMON SAUCE

  • 1 tablespoon cornflour
  • ¾ cup chicken stock
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup caster sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
  • 1 clove garlic, finely grated
  • ½ teapsoon salt

BATTER

  • 1 cup self-raising flour
  • ½ cup cornflour
  • 1 ⅓ cups chilled soda water (or chilled water)

FOR FRYING

  • Vegetable or other neutral oil, for deep frying

TO SERVE

  • Steamed white or brown rice
  • Steamed broccoli (optional)
  • Spring/green onion curls
  • Toasted white sesame seeds

Instructions

MARINATE the CHICKEN

  • Place the chicken into a bowl. Add the Chinese cooking wine, chicken stock powder, bicarbonate of soda and white pepper. Mix well to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes (or longer if time allows).

Prepare the Lemon Honey Sauce

  • Add the cornflour to a small saucepan. Pour in a small splash of the chicken stock and stir until smooth. Add the remaining stock along with the lemon juice, sugar, honey, Shaoxing wine, garlic and salt. Stir well and set aside.e.

make the BATTER

  • In a bowl, whisk together the self-raising flour and cornflour. Add the chilled soda water and gently mix until just combined. Do not overmix — a few small lumps are fine.(This step is best done just before frying.)

first fry

  • Heat oil in a wok or deep saucepan to 160°C, filling the pan about one-third full.
  • Add the chicken pieces to the batter, then carefully drop them into the hot oil in batches, allowing excess batter to drip off first. Fry for 4–5 minutes or until lightly golden.
  • Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and drain on a wire rack. Allow the oil to return to temperature before frying the next batch.

second fry

  • Increase the oil temperature to 180°C. Fry the chicken again in batches for 1–2 minutes, or until deeply golden and extra crispy. Drain on a wire rack and set aside.

finish and serve

  • Place the lemon honey sauce over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it comes to the boil and thickens. Remove from heat.
  • Serve the crispy chicken over steamed rice with broccoli. Drizzle generously with the lemon honey sauce and garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion curls. Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. COOKS NOTES:
    Oven Temps:     Oven temperatures are for conventional, if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C.
    Measurements: We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 20 ml & 1 cup =  250 ml.
    Herbs: All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed.
    Vegetables: All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified.
    Eggs: We use extra-large size and eggs are 55-60 g each, unless specified.
  2. COLD BATTER & DOUBLE FRY
    For ultra-crispy, non-greasy chicken, keep the batter cold and use the double-fry method.
    To keep the batter cold:
    1. Chill the dry batter ingredients before mixing
    2. Chill the soda water (do not freeze)
    3. Sit the batter bowl over a bowl of ice while frying
  3. SAUCE CONSISTENCY
    If the sauce is too thin, mix 1–2 teaspoons cornflour with a little water to make a slurry. Add to the sauce and bring back to the boil until thickened.
  4. CHINESE COOKING WINE SUBSTITUTE
    If unavailable, dry sherry can be used. If omitting alcohol entirely, replace with chicken stock.
  5. STORAGE TIP
    For leftovers, store the chicken and sauce separately. Reheat the chicken in the air fryer at 180°C and warm the sauce gently on the stovetop.