RecipeTin Eats’ twice-fried lemon chicken

Name: RecipeTin Eats’ twice-fried lemon chicken
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6-8 as part of a banquet
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 4 x 125g skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets (or 2 breasts, cut in half lengthwise to form 4 thin steaks); ½ tsp cooking salt; 30g (¼ cup) cornflour; 1 litre vegetable or canola oil, for frying – see note; lemon slices, to serve (optional); 1 spring onion, finely sliced on the diagonal, to serve (optional)

RecipeTin Eats

May 11, 2023

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6-8 as part of a banquet

I don’t fry often, but this is worth it. My secret Chinese fry batter stays crisp long after the chicken has gone cold. The lemon sauce, meanwhile, is full of bright lemon flavour, with a hint of ginger, and is sweet enough without being overly so.

Work in the order specified. The colder the batter ingredients, the crisper and less oily the chicken.

Ingredients

4 x 125g skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets (or 2 breasts, cut in half lengthwise to form 4 thin steaks)
½ tsp cooking salt
30g (¼ cup) cornflour
1 litre vegetable or canola oil, for frying – see note
lemon slices, to serve (optional)
1 spring onion, finely sliced on the diagonal, to serve (optional)

Stay-crisp fry batter

65g (9 tbsp) cornflour
55g (6 tbsp) plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cooking salt
180ml COLD soda water – see note

Lemon sauce

15g (6 tsp) cornflour (see note)
125ml (½ cup) chicken stock, salt reduced
125ml (½ cup) fresh lemon juice
70g (⅓ cup) white sugar
½ tsp garlic, finely grated with a Microplane
½ tsp ginger, finely grated with a Microplane
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Method

Step 1
Cover the chicken with a freezer bag or a sheet of cling film and pound with a meat mallet to 5mm thick. Season both sides with the ½ tsp salt.
Step 2
Whisk together the cornflour, flour, baking powder and salt, then refrigerate the dry ingredients until required.
Step 3
Heat oil to 160C in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, coat the chicken in cornflour, shaking off excess and laying them on a plate. Just before the oil reaches temperature, remove the bowl of dry batter ingredients from the fridge, add the soda water and whisk until just combined – do not overmix; some flour lumps are fine.
Step 4
Fry No. 1. Dip a piece of chicken in the batter, let the excess drip off then place in the hot oil. Cook 2 pieces of chicken at a time (if they fit) for 3 minutes until light golden, then remove and place on a tray lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Cool for 20 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the cornflour in a saucepan with a splash of the chicken stock and whisk until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 2 minutes until it becomes the consistency of honey. Initially it will seem too thick then it will start to loosen. Remove from the stove, place the lid on and keep warm.
Step 6
Fry No. 2 (crispy!). Heat the oil to 200C. Place half the chicken in the oil and fry for 3 minutes or until it changes from pale golden to very golden, then remove to a tray lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Step 7
Slice the crisp chicken into 1.5cm thick pieces and place on a serving dish. Pour the sauce over and garnish with lemon slices and sliced spring onions, if using. Serve!

Notes

The key to ultra-crisp, non-greasy batter is having the cold batter hit hot oil, and giving the chicken a double fry.
The longer the lemon sauce simmers, the thinner it gets. If it becomes too thin, mix 1 teaspoon of cornflour with a splash of water, add it to the sauce and simmer until it thickens again.
The cooked chicken can be kept warm on a rack in a 55C oven for 10 minutes while you finish preparing other parts of the banquet.
The oil can be reused. Cool, strain, and store for another use.