Quick Lemon Chicken - Rachael Ray's Recipe

Lightly battered crispy chicken pieces, coated with a sweet and tangy lemon sauce. 

Happy Monday everyone! Today I have a delicious chicken recipe to share with you. Back in June I shared a recipe video on my Facebook page for Rachael Ray's Quick Lemon Chicken made with lemon curd. I was pretty excited to make this recipe, because I had yet to find a good Lemon Chicken recipe that wasn't too tart. 

I read through all the comments and reviews of the recipe and I was so glad I did, because several readers, were stating the lemon sauce was way too sweet. So as I was preparing this recipe I made a few changes and I think I came up with the perfect combination of sweet and tart.

First, I reduced the amount of lemon curd, increased the amount of chicken broth and added fresh lemon juice to balance out the sweetness of the lemon curd.  I also added cornstarch to the flour mixture for the chicken breading. 

Cornstarch adds a nice light, crispy coating to the chicken pieces and is especially great for quick-fry meats for Asian dishes. Goodness, I could sit and eat the chicken pieces alone because it's that good. After making those adjustments, I think the lemon sauce came out perfect. 

One thing I will do differently the next time I prepare this dish is, serve the crispy chicken and the lemon sauce separately. This way the sauce can be used for dipping or you can add the amount of lemon sauce you want over the chicken and rice. Plus the chicken coating can get soft quickly by sitting in the sauce too long, so I think it's best to serve them separately. 

 To start in a medium size bowl add the flour, cornstarch and a little salt, add the chicken and lightly coat. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Stir fry the chicken in batches, until golden, crispy and cooked through. 

Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate lined with a paper towel and return the pan to the heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add a splash on vinegar to the pan and let it evaporate. Add the chicken stock or broth to the pan and scrape up any of the dripping with a whisk.

Thin the lemon curd by stirring in 1/4 cup of hot water or broth. Add the lemon curd and lemon juice to the broth and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to a med-low and simmer the sauce until it thickens. 

At this point you can either add the chicken back to the pan and stir to coat all of the chicken pieces or you can serve the lemon sauce on the side. It is really a personal preference.  

If you add the chicken to the sauce, remove the pan from the heat, and sprinkle on the chopped scallions and lemon zest. 

Toss and serve immediately with steamed white or brown rice and additional scallions.
  

Quick Lemon Chicken - Rachael Ray's Recipe

1 1/2 - pounds chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut into chunks
1/2 - cup flour
1 1/2 - tablespoons cornstarch
coarse salt, to taste
2 - 3 tablespoons wok or vegetable oil
1 - tablespoon (a splash) white or rice wine vinegar 
1/2 - cup low sodium chicken stock or broth 
1/2 - cup prepared lemon curd (I used Dickenson's store brand) 
1/4 - cup hot water or use additional broth
2 - tablespoons lemon juice
zest of one lemon
2 - scallions, thinly sliced

In a medium size bowl add the flour, cornstarch and a little salt, add the chicken and lightly coat. 

Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Stir fry the chicken in batches, until golden, crispy and cooked through. 

Remove the chicken from the pan to a plate lined with a paper towel and return the pan to the heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add a splash on vinegar to the pan and let it evaporate. 

Add the chicken stock or broth to the pan and scrape up any of the dripping with a whisk.

Thin the lemon curd by stirring in 1/4 cup of hot water or broth. Add the lemon curd and lemon juice to the broth and whisk to combine. 

Reduce the heat to a med-low and simmer the sauce until it thickens. 

Add the chicken back to the pan and stir to coat all of the chicken pieces or (serve the sauce and the chicken separately, so the chicken pieces stay crispy).  

Remove the pan from the heat, and sprinkle the chopped scallions and lemon zest, toss and serve immediately with steamed white or brown rice.  

Cooks Note: Wok oil is infused with ginger and garlic and is usually found in the international isle of the grocery store. Lemon curd is a sweet lemon spread found in the jelly and jam isle. 

serves 4-6
adapted from: the food network

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