Indian Recipes
Lemon Chicken
This Lemon Chicken is tangy, puckeringly sour, and seriously ADDICTIVE! It’s the perfect party starter but you’ll also find me making it for weeknight dinners when I want to spice things up
- Serves 4 people
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 20 minutes
- Total 30 minutes
If you haven’t heard of Lemon Chicken before, let me have the pleasure of introducing it to you. Tender chicken meets a zesty, peppery sauce – uff it’s just perfect for a rainy day!
This is a quick 30 minute recipe from start to finish so you can make it with no fusses. Oh and did I mention that you already have the ingredients for it right in your kitchen? No reason to not try it now!
I like serving this Lemon Chicken over a nest of crispy noodles for that extra textural element that just takes this to the next level and makes it a whole meal too. But this is also incredible on its own as a starter!
Read on for the full lemon chicken recipe…
Richa’s Top Tricks To Make The Best Lemon Chicken
- The cut of the chicken in this recipe is up to you. Boneless chicken breasts or thighs sliced into long strips will work best here. You could even use chicken wings if serving this on its own as a starter!
- If you plan to make this with more gravy, add a corn flour slurry to the sauce so that it thickens. If you just want the sauce to lightly coat the chicken, skip this step.
- If you don’t have fresh lemons on hand, you could use bottled lemon juice instead. But since the recipe also calls for lemon zest, I’d recommend fresh lemons all the way!
Pairing Ideas For Lemon Chicken
Adding this to your party menu? Here’s what else to pair with it:
If making this for lunch/dinner, this Lemon Chicken also goes well with steamed green beans, asparagus, and broccoli. I also think some kulcha/naan/rumali roti is great to soak this tangy lemon chicken up and make it a more complete meal!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re looking to try out a unique recipe this week then this easy Lemon Chicken recipe has got to be on top of your list! If you try it, send me pictures on my IG @my_foodstory.
Like this recipe? Also check out my Creamy Lemon Chicken Scallopini for similar flavor profiles but in a continental preparation.
This article was written by Navya Khetarpal.
The recipe
Lemon Chicken
Tangy and puckeringly sour, this lemon chicken is delicious and impossible to not fall in love with. Serve it along with some fried noodles for a party or with roti or naan to jazz up a week night meal, either way this one's a definite hit!
- Serves 4 people
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 20 minutes
- Total 30 minutes
Ingredients
For chicken marinade
- 450 grams boneless chicken breasts or thighs sliced into long strips
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
- 2 chopped green chillies
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons curds or greek yoghurt (whisked)
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornflour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For lemon gravy
- 2 tablespoons oil (any neutral flavoured cooking oil)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ cup warm water
- ½ teaspoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
- 2 lemon wedges
- 1 teaspoon cornflour (optional, see notes 5)
Method
Chicken marination
- 1
In a bowl, add all ingredients under chicken marination and mix well. Rest for 30 minutes.
Lemon gravy
- 2
Heat oil in a pan or wok and add bay leaf, green cardamoms and heat saute for 15 seconds till fragrant.
- 3
Add the marinated chicken and saute it on high heat for 3 minutes until lightly browned. Don’t overcrowd the pan or the chicken will steam instead of browning. Saute in batches if required.
- 4
After 3 minutes, reduce the flame to low and cover and cook the chicken for another 5 minutes.
- 5
Lime and spice mix: while the chicken is cooking, add turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt & black pepper powder to the lime juice and mix it well. Add this to the cooked chicken and toss well.
- 6
Add ½ cup warm water to the pan, mix well & cook for 4-5 minutes. If you want more gravy, see note 5.
- 7
Add lemon zest & chopped coriander leaves and turn off the heat. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.
Notes
If fresh lemons are not available to you, replace them with store bought (bottled) lime juice. Any neutral flavoured cooking oil works such as groundnut oil, sunflower or canola oil. Adjust spice levels with pepper & green chillies to your taste Try to use freshly ground pepper for that nice peppery kick For more gravy, make a corn flour slurry by mixing ½ teaspoon cornflour in ¼ cup water. Add the slurry to the pan, mix and boil for 2 minutes. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Calories 226 kcal
- Carbohydrates 7 g
- Protein 25 g
- Fat 10 g
- Saturated Fat 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 5 g
- Trans Fat 0.04 g
- Cholesterol 72 mg
- Sodium 503 mg
- Potassium 467 mg
- Fiber 1 g
- Sugar 1 g
- Vitamin A 58 IU
- Vitamin C 11 mg
- Calcium 25 mg
- Iron 1 mg
Common questions
How to make this lemon chicken into a complete meal?
You can serve this lemon chicken with some steamed basmati or jasmine rice, boiled or crispy noodles to turn this into a complete meal. I also always like to add some type of greens/veggies on the side – it’s just more wholesome! Kulcha, naan and rumali roti is also a great pairing and you can adjust the amount of gravy in this recipe to your liking.
How to store leftovers?
You can store leftovers of this lemon chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
