Lemon Chicken

I was browsing blogs for a new chicken idea when I came across this recipe for Lemon Chicken in Kevin's blog, Closet Cooking. I liked what I saw so I put it on this week's menu.

Below is Kevin's recipe with my changes noted in italics.

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 2 tbsp chicken stock (I used about 4 tbsp, maybe a touch more - I wanted more sauce)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp chili, chopped (I bought a cherry pepper - all they had at the store - and used the entire thing. It didn't have any heat at all so I added 1 tsp garlic-chili paste)
• 1 lb chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 tsp sesame oil (I used a bit less)
• 2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2...of course)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted (I didn't use these)

Directions

• Mix the lemon zest, juice, chicken stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, and chili in a bowl (this is where I also added the garlic chili paste). Do a taste test here to balance out the tartness, saltiness, sweetness, and heat.
• Place the chicken into mixture and marinate for 10-20 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add the ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute
• Add the chicken, reserving the marinade
• Saute the chicken until cooked, about 3-55 minutes (I figured this was a typo - I cooked it about 12 minutes). I loved how the marinade that stuck to the chicken caramelized - look:

• Add the reserved marinade and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 7-10 minutes (I helped it along with 2 pinches cornstarch)
• Add the green onion, cilantro, and sesame seeds and remove from the heat.
• Serve on rice or noodles.

I liked this! Just the right mixture of sweet and spicy, and the ginger really popped in my mouth.

Thanks for the recipe, Kevin!