Lemon Sauced Crispy Chicken

 

We do eat a lot of chicken in our home.  Mostly because it is fairly economical and also because you can do a LOT with it.  As there are only two of us now, I tend to buy organic, free-range, cornfed chicken, but I totally understand why larger a larger family would not be able to afford it.  I just like to eat happy chicken, and I think the organic, free-range, cornfed tastes better.  I also make sure that it is RSPCA approved so I know that free-range really means free-range! 

 

I love the thigh meat most of all, but I also like breasts, especially for dishes like the one I am showing you here today.  Lemon Sauced Crispy Chicken, which is a bit of a riff on Chinese Lemon Chicken, which I totally adore without question.

 

My chicken for this is panko crusted.  I love the Japanese Panko bread crumbs for coating things that I am going to fry. They are wonderfully crisp and always give me perfect results!  The chicken part is fairly simple.  Pound to an even thickness, dust with seasoned flour, dip in egg, then in the crumbs, and finally fry.  Use one hand for the dry ingredients and the other for the wet, and you won't get into a mess!

 

They fry up beautifully crisp and the sauce is to die for.  A perfect balance of sweetness, using brown sugar and honey, with some pineapple juice, along with plenty of sour with fresh lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.  There is a balance of saltiness as well through the use of soy sauce. I like the dark variety.  I have also added some garlic powder and chilli flakes for an additional layer of flavour.

 

This is so, so, soooooo good.  I could eat that sauce up just with a spoon, but instead I cut up the chicken into strips and drizzle it over top.

 

The sauce and coating would also go really well on jumbo prawns.  I might do some of those for Todd as he loves prawns.  I am not fond of them myself, but every now and again I do like to spoil him a tiny bit!

 

*Lemon Sauced Crispy Chicken*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe   

Panko bread crumbs work the nicest with this, although you can use ordinary dried bread crumbs.  You can find Panko bread crumbs in the oriental food section of the shops. The sauce has a beautiful lemon flavour with a bit of a bite, which you can control according to how much chilli flakes you add.  

 

For the Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to an even thickness

salt and freshly ground black pepper

45g plain flour (1/4 cup)

2 medium free range eggs

125g of Japanese Panko, or other fine dried bread crumbs (1 1/3 cups)

60ml of vegetable oil for frying (1/4 cup)

  

For the Sauce:

85g honey (1/4 cup)

100g soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup, packed)

80ml dark soy sauce (1/3 cup)

pinch chilli flakes

80ml pineapple juice (1/3 cup)

240ml fresh lemon juice (1 cup)

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

the zest of one lemon

1 1/2 TBS cornflour (cornstarch)

 

Make the sauce first.  Whisk everything but the cornflour together in a saucepan.  Simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sugar has melted and all the flavours have melded together.  Whisk the cornflour together with enough cold water to make a slurry. (about 60ml/ 1/4 cup)  Whisk this into the the warm soy/lemon/honey mixture.  Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens.  Let bubble for about 1 minute, then lower the heat to very low and keep warm while you cook the chicken.

 

Season the pounded chicken breasts with some salt and pepper.   Place the flour on a plate.  Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl.   Place the Panko into another shallow bowl.  One at a time, dredge the chicken breasts into first the flour, then the eggs, and finally the Panko, coating them evenly and pressing the crumbs on to adhere.  Set aside on a lined baking sheet while you heat the oil.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan until very hot, but not smoking.   Add the chicken breasts and reduce the heat to medium.  Cook, turning once, until the crumbs are golden brown and the chicken feels firm when pressed in the centers, about four minutes per side.   Adjust the heat as needed so that the crumbs don't burn.  Transfer to a cutting board.

Slice each breast across the grain into wide strips.  Slide a knife under the strips and transfer to warm serving plates. Drizzle the lemon sauce over top.

 

I served these with some of my Friday Fried Rice.  Everyone was happy!  Bon Appetit and happy weekend!