Fluorescent yellow, tangy, crispy and tender all at the same time… it can only be lemon chicken!

You won’t need a deep fryer for our version of this takeaway staple, just a big frying pan suitable for shallow frying. We like to use a cornflour and sesame seed coating: it fries up to a gorgeously golden crust and the sesame seeds give off a wonderfully warm and nutty aroma that pairs surprisingly well with the zingy sauce.

Check out our video on the Scoff Food channel now, and do let us know if you give it a go. Click through ‘continue reading’ below for the recipe!

Serves 2

2 chicken breast fillets
50g cornflour
15g sesame seeds
3 tbsp vegetable oil, for cooking
Extra lemon wedges, lemon zest and fresh coriander, to garnish (optional)

For the marinade
1 tsp finely diced ginger
Pinch ground white pepper
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp water

For the sauce
Grated zest of 2 medium-sized lemons
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp white sugar
large pinch salt
1 tsp cornflour
300ml + 3 tbsp water
Yellow food colouring (optional)

1. Slice the chicken breasts into thin pieces. Put the chicken into a mixing bowl along with all of the ingredients for the marinade. Stir well to combine, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. In a saucepan, stir together all of the ingredients for the sauce except for the cornflour and 3 tbsp of water. Put the uncovered saucepan over a medium heat and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. If you wish to recreate the fluorescent yellow takeaway aesthetic, you can stir in a few drops of yellow food colouring. Keep the sauce on a very low simmer while the chicken is cooking.

3. Heat the 3 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Combine the cornflour and sesame seeds in a large bowl. Add the chicken. Then use your hands to pat and squeeze the coating mix onto the chicken pieces. Try to get the chicken as ‘dry’ as possible by patting the coating on tightly.

4. Add the coated chicken to the frying pan in a single layer. Cook the chicken for around 5 minutes on each side until the pieces are golden brown and cooked through. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting while you finish off the sauce.

5. Stir together the 3 tbsp of water and 1 tsp of cornflour into a smooth slurry. Slowly stir the slurry into the simmering sauce, then increase the heat and keep stirring while the sauce comes to a gently boil. Allow the sauce to thicken and gently boil for 1 minute then remove from the heat.

6. Stir the cooked chicken through the sauce.

To serve, pile the lemon chicken on top of steamed jasmine rice. There should be plenty of extra sauce to drizzle on top of the rice. If you wish, you can garnish the dish with a few bits of fresh coriander, extra lemon zest, and a little wedge of lemon.