Stir-fried lemon chicken

Name: Stir-fried lemon chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 persons
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 3 chicken breasts; 4 lemons (zest + juice) - if you don't like very sour, you can use 3 instead of 4 lemons; 200 ml water; cornstarch; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 6 tablespoons sugar; optional: rice and broccoli for serving

This stir-fried lemon chicken has a sticky refreshing sauce. Doesn't need much ingredients and is ready within half an hour. An ideal summer dish.

Recipe stir-fried lemon chicken

Made by Véronique

Published at 2019-07-19, this recipe is for 4 persons and takes 30 minutes.

Founder of Ohmydish (since 2014), she prefers to spend all day in the kitchen. Once working in the hospitality industry as an independent chef, she loves helping you gain confidence in the kitchen. With her easy-to-follow recipes, handy tips, and cooking knowledge, you'll make the most delicious dishes yourself! The recipes are accessible to everyone, from beginners to advanced home cooks.

Updated at: 2025-07-19

Let's get started

Preparation time

15 minutes

Time cooking

15 minutes

Total time

30 minutes

Preparation - 15 minutes + marinating time

Remove any excess fat or muscles from the chicken breasts and divide into cubes. Add the chicken to a medium-sized bowl and add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.

Combine well and marinate at least half an hour. Grate the zest and squeeze the juice of the lemons. Combine zest and juice with sugar and water in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Finishing the stir-fried lemon chicken - 15 minutes

Coat the chicken cubes with cornstarch and make sure all the pieces are completely coated. Heat a wok on high heat and stir fry the chicken in batches, if you add too much at once they won't become crispy enough.

Transfer the fried chicken to a large bowl and repeat until all the chicken is done.

As soon as the chicken is done and transferred to the bowl, you turn down the heat. Add the lemon mixture to the wok and let it simmer until you've reached the desired thickness.

Add the stir-fried chicken and make sure they're completely coated with sauce. Check if the chicken is done before you'll serve them. Serve with rice and warm vegetables or a salad, enjoy!