Chinese lemon chicken

The sauce for this iconic dish is made with lots of lemon juice, and is not thickened with cornflour, making it lighter and fresher – the perfect foil for the oiliness of the fried chicken.

Lemon chicken Credit: Alana Dimou

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 150 g fry powder (see Note), plus extra for dusting
• 2 litres canola oil (or other cooking oil)
• lemon slices, to serve

Brine

• 140 g fine sea salt
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 whole clove
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• zest of 1 lemon

Lemon sauce

• 3 tbsp liquid glucose
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 80 g yellow rock sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 slice ginger
• 1 small piece kombu seaweed
• 125 ml (½ cup) lemon juice

Brining time: 2 hours

Instructions

1. To make the brine, combine all the ingredients and 1 litre (4 cups) water in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove and let it cool in the fridge.
2. Add the chicken thighs to the brine, making sure they are fully submerged, then set aside in the fridge for 2 hours. Remove the thighs and pat dry with paper towel, then cut each one into five even pieces.
3. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
4. Spread the sesame seeds over the prepared tray in an even layer and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
5. To make the lemon sauce, combine the glucose, soy sauce, sugar, lemon zest, ginger and 3 tablespoons water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until reduced by one-third. Remove from the heat and stir in the kombu and lemon juice. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
6. Whisk the fry powder and 250 ml (1 cup) water in a bowl to form a smooth batter. Place in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
7. Pour the oil into a large saucepan and heat over high heat to 180°C or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in 15 seconds.
8. Dust the chicken pieces in the extra fry powder, shaking off the excess, then place in the batter, allowing the excess to drip off. Add half the chicken to the oil and fry for 5 minutes or until cooked and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a mixing bowl. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
9. Add the lemon sauce and half the toasted sesame seeds to the chicken and mix together. You want every piece to be evenly coated in the sauce and seeds. Transfer to a serving dish with some lemon slices and sprinkle over the remaining sesame seeds.

Note

• Fry powder is similar to tempura flour and can be purchased at Asian grocery stores. If you can't find it use a home-made mix of 75 g (½ cup) plain flour, 60 g (½ cup) cornflour and 1 teaspoon baking powder.

Hong Kong Local by ArChan Chan, published by Smith Street Books (RRP $39.99). Photography by Alana Dimou.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.