Monday, 1 September 2014

Lemon chicken

This is so easy, your cat could make it. This is so easy, even Miley Cyrus could pull it off. This is so easy, you could be a little bit pissed when you start cooking, and still churn out a winner. Ok, so you've got that it's easy? This is from my adored Bill Granger

Ingredients

2 tablespoon plain flour
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts with skin
Vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
1 lemon, cut into wedges (keep the skin on)
3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
4 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
80 ml lemon juice
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
80 ml chicken stock
2 tablespoon soft brown sugar
2 teaspoon cornflour mixed with a little cold water

Serve with cooked rice and fresh parsley.

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Mix the flour, five-spice, salt and pepper on a large plate. Dust the chicken in the spiced flour.

Heat enough oil for shallow-frying in a large wok over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken breasts for 2-3 mins, or until the skin is crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper, then put the chicken on a baking tray and bake for 6 mins, or until just cooked through.

Meanwhile, drain all but 2tbsp of the oil from the wok and return to high heat. Add the lemon wedges and ginger and stir-fry for 2 mins.

Add the honey, rice wine and lemon juice and cook for 1 min, then add the soy sauce, chicken stock and sugar and simmer for 2 mins.

Add the cornflour mixture and simmer for 2 mins, or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.

To serve, cut each chicken breast into five or six pieces and spoon some sauce over the top. Serve with rice and parsley. If you're feeling virtuous, steam some broccolini. But only if you're feeling virtuous.