Garlic-Lemon Chicken

Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

I decided to do something else Asian-inspired for dinner tonight. Like always. My parents, though not Asian, made a lot of Chinese food. Oh, I'm also Korean, in case you're wondering.

So I had originally planned on making good old lemon chicken, but thanks to my obsession with garlic, I decided to try that instead, and I'm definitely happy I did!

This recipe uses whole wheat flour breading because it's the only flour we have in the apartment, but it turned out wonderfully just the same. You can't really tell once the sauce is all over it, anyway. Regardless of the actual benefits, I felt healthier for it. The unhealthiest part of this whole meal is the oil you fry it in...but you really don't need too much, and you can very easily bake the chicken instead.

I hope you enjoy it! It's a recipe I love!

Mm. Lemons! Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

Garlic-Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

-2 ½ tbsp. corn starch

-1 c. whole wheat flour

-1 egg

For the Chicken:

-olive oil for shallow pan-frying

-1/2 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into medium-small chunks

-1 tsp. salt

-1/2 tsp. black pepper

-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

For the Sauce:

-1 tbsp. olive oil

-1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce

-juice of 1 lemon (make sure to keep a couple slices for garnish!)

-3/4 c. water

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-1 tbsp. honey

-1 tbsp. brown sugar

-1 heaping tsp. fresh ginger, grated

-1/2 tbsp corn starch

-green onion for garnish

1.       Separate corn starch and egg into two different bowls (make sure the bowls are big enough to fit all your chicken!). If you have a large paper bag (Ziploc or big tupperware are also great), pour the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne in.

2.       Pour the chicken chunks in the corn starch bowl and mix around, making sure that you get every piece coated. There should be little to no corn starch remaining in the bowl. Next, pour the chicken into the egg bowl and coat well. Continue to make sure the pieces are separated. Lastly, pour the chicken into the flour-filled paper bag, close the bag up, and shake, shake, shake! Open up the bag and separate the pieces if they’re stuck, then close the bag and shake one more time.

3.       In a large saucepan, add the olive oil for frying. When the oil is hot, add the chicken.  When the bottoms have browned and crisped, flip the chicken (or do what I did and wait a couple minutes, stir everything around, and repeat).

Gotta love fried chicken. Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

4.       While chicken is cooking, heat up a medium-sized pot. Add olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, and water. When it begins to warm up, add the honey, brown sugar, garlic and ginger.

5.       In a small cup, combine corn starch with a little bit of water. Stir with a fork until dissolved. Add to sauce and stir until thick.

Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

6.       Pour sauce over chicken and keep hot, stirring to coat every piece.

7.       Serve with white rice or plain noodles. Top with lemon and green onion slices for garnish.

Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

Happy Eating!