This popular, easy to make Chinese dish is a wonderful combination of crunchy chicken pieces with a tangy lemon sauce.
It requires no specialist ingredients and while the lime cordial does enhance the flavour of the lemon you can substitue this with more lemon juice or a squeeze or two of fresh lime juice. You may need to add a little more sugar to offset the tartness of the extra juice.
Served with a simple egg fried rice and some stir-fried vegetables, it makes a very tasty meal.
CHICKEN WITH LEMON SAUCE
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless chicken breast fillets
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons cornflour
vegetable oil for deep frying
salt and pepper
lemon strips to garnish
Sauce:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lime cordial
3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
6 tablespoons cold water
METHOD:
Cut the chicken breasts into large chunks and place in a bowl with the sesame oil and sherry. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, then cover and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
Mix the egg white and cornflour together. Add to the chicken and turn to coat thoroughly.
Heat the oil in a deep pan and fry the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes until cooked and golden brown.
Meanwhile make the sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a small pan. Add ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil over a low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and has thickened slightly.
Arrange the cooked chicken in a serving dish. Pour the sauce over, garnish with the lemon stips and serve immediately.