Great Lemon Chicken- My Way

While, like all cooks, I must admit I always prefer my own cooking, in this case I can honestly say that; of the many lemon chicken variations sampled over the years, I think mine is exceptional.

The translucent sauce is lovely and tart with flecks of garlic, ginger, black beans, lemon zest, and chillies showing through. But you will find that the really exciting thing is the batter.

It means the chicken can be deep-fried up to a day ahead, refrigerated, and then reheated in a 350 F oven for about 10 minutes before saucing with a result that's almost as good as freshly fried. .This is terrific if you don't want to fill the air with deep-frying aromas while your guests await dinner, if you're cooking in volume, or cooking several dishes at the same time as I was doing in the camps in which I worked. Just make the sauce and set aside before guests arrive, reheat batter covered chicken on a heatproof platter in the oven, reheat sauce, and drizzle over.

2 chicken breast halves (2 lbs.), skinned, boned, and cut into 6 1 in. cubes

Marinade

2 Tbsps. water

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp. tapioca or corn starch

½ tsp. soy sauce

½ tsp. dry sherry

1/4tsp. sesame oil

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1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tsp. finely minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. fermented black beans. Coarsely chopped

Grated zest of 1 medium lemon

2 tsp. hot bean sauce

Sauce- combine in a bowl

3Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

¾ cup unsweetened pineapple juice

½ tsp. sesame oil

Thickener- combine in a small bowl

2 tsp. potato or tapioca starch

4 tsp. water

BATTER

1 cup flour

¼ cup corn starch

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

2 Tbsps. vegetable oil

1 cup water

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2 cups oil for deep frying

Lemon slices or zest optional garnish)

a) Combine chicken and marinade in a bowl; marinate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours, covered, in refrigerator.

b) Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in small non-aluminium sauce pan. When hot, add grated zest. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds; add hot bean sauce.

c) Stir in Sauce bring to a boil re-stir.

d) Thickener; pour into sauce, stirring constantly until thickened. Sauce may be done a few hours ahead and set aside

e) When ready to complete dish, mix Batter dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add oil and water stir with chopsticks until combined but do not over mix. It will be a thick batter. Add chicken to batter; stir to mix.

f) Heat wok on high heat. add oil; heat to 350 F

g) Using a table spoon, spoon out batter covered chicken pieces; deep- fry in three to four batches for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, reheating the oil to 350 F, each time before adding the next batch. Remove each batch to a paper towel- lined plate to drain. Transfer to a heated platter. You can keep chicken warm in a slow oven if completing other dishes.

6. Meanwhile, reheat sauce, but don't let it continue to boil or it will thicken too much. Add more pineapple juice--a little at a time-- if sauce becomes too thick.

7. Drizzle sauce over chicken, garnish platter with lemon slices or top with zest if using, and serve.

Serves 4