Gluten Free Lemon Chicken Chinese Style

Bite-sized, pan-fried gluten free lemon chicken with an easy tart and sweet sauce that will make it easy to ditch the takeout! If you've been denying yourself this tangy treat, give this healthy Chinese lemon chicken recipe a try today.

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Why this gluten free lemon chicken recipe is better than ever

This recipe for Gluten Free Lemon Chicken has been here on the blog, in one form or another, since almost the very beginning (2009!). It was a great, simple gluten free chicken dinner recipe then, and it’s great now. It just got a makeover.

I changed up the method a bit, but the ingredients are mostly the same. It’s bright, and lemony, and delicious. Oh, and apparently commenters said that it was too light on the sauce, so I bumped that up.

I hadn’t made this dish in a while (always writing a cookbook and trying to bigger-and-better-deal myself, I guess), and I’m so glad that I revisited it, even just so I could snap a few new photos. But there’s no way I’d get rid of the original photo, you know? It’s my roots.

Fancy, right?! Every once in a while, I’ll see that old-school photo show up on Pinterest, and I’m not nearly as embarrassed as I guess I should be. We all have to start somewhere. :)

Tips for making the best gluten free Chinese lemon chicken

Think of this recipe as two recipes in one

As you approach this Asian lemon chicken recipe, it might be easier to think of it as two separate recipes rather than one.

First, you've got the great recipe for the crispy fried chicken pieces. These delicious chunks of chicken are tender with a satisfying crunch, just waiting to be dipped in something sweet and tangy.

That's where the Chinese-style lemon chicken sauce recipe comes in. Made with lemon juice brown sugar, tamari or soy sauce, and chicken stock, it's a delightful complement to the chicken and sure to have you licking your fingers clean.

When preparing this healthy Chinese lemon chicken recipe, you'll first put together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside the mixture. Then you'll prepare and fry the chicken. When that's done, you'll go back to finish the sauce.

There's no going back and forth between the two parts of this recipe, so it's perfect for those days when you prefer to take a break from multitasking.

Give your Chinese lemon sauce time to thicken

You're going to be eager to sit down and enjoy this Asian lemon chicken — it smells absolutely amazing while cooking. But don't rush, especially when it comes to your lemon sauce. Be sure to let it come to a boil, and then continue stirring over medium heat for a few minutes.

These precious moments are vital for allowing excess moisture to burn off and letting the cornstarch activate and thicken. If you try to rush the sauce to the plate, you may end up with something more watery than you prefer (but still just as delicious).

Make sure your frying oil is hot enough

Getting your chicken pieces nice and crispy is a must for this recipe to be a home run. But you won't get there if you're not careful about frying technique.

Before you add your first piece of chicken to the pan, you need to confirm that the oil is hot enough for frying. If it's too cold, your lemon chicken batter will absorb the oil rather than fry in it. That will leave you with soggy, greasy chicken that isn't all that appetizing.

Here are two easy ways to check whether your oil is ready:

• Flick a drop of water into the pan. If it immediately pops, the oil is ready.
• Poke the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If bubbles appear around the wood, the oil is ready.

Don't overcrowd your chicken while frying

Another thing to keep in mind when frying is that if you overcrowd your pan, you won't get a crispy coasting. That's because the more food you add to a hot pan, the faster that pan will cool down. Remember, cold oil = soggy chicken.

To keep this from happening, just make sure to leave room between chicken pieces as they're frying. This most likely means you'll need to fry your chicken in multiple batches, but that's okay.

Serving GF lemon chicken

There are lots of reasons to love lemon chicken, but I'm going to throw another at you: This recipe can be enjoyed on its own or with any number of delicious sides.

If I'm preparing this dish as an appetizer or snack, we often eat it just as it comes. I sometimes garnish it with a bit of chopped green onions or sesame seeds, but it's just as good without.

But if I'm cooking it up for dinner, I usually pair it with plain steamed rice, which is much more common a starch to serve with a dish like this than say, potatoes. If you're watching your carbs, cauliflower fried rice is an equally tasty option.

When we're having a Chinese food night, I might also whip up some lo mein, vegetable stir fry, or some of my other favorite gluten free Chinese food recipes.

How to store leftover gluten free Chinese lemon chicken

You've made too much lemon chicken Chinese food? You need to store it to eat later? I envy you, because this stuff never lasts in my house.

Should you find yourself with leftovers, you'll be happy to know that it stores beautifully, so long as you pack it correctly.

For starters, don't mix leftover chicken and sauce together. Pack them in separate containers so that the chicken doesn't get mushy.

When you're ready to reheat, you can heat the sauce on the stove or in the microwave. Be sure to stir while it's heating so that it warms evenly.

The chicken is going to lose some of its crunchiness from having been in the fridge, but you can restore a bit of that crispiness by reheating it in the oven or an air fryer. If you don't mind batter that isn't as crisp (or you're in a rush), microwave reheating is also an option.

Gluten free Chinese lemon chicken ingredients and substitutions

Chicken substitute

This is a recipe for lemon chicken Chinese style, but if you're a vegetarian or vegan, I may have an option that's more up your alley: cauliflower.

I'm not saying that the cauliflower will taste like chicken, but I do think that it will impart its own nice flavor that goes well with the Chinese lemon sauce.

In place of chicken stock for the sauce recipe, you can use vegetable stock instead. For tips on how to dredge and fry cauliflower florets, check out our recipe for buffalo cauliflower bites.

Cornstarch substitute

I like using cornstarch best for this recipe, but if you're avoiding corn, you can try tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, rice flour, or sweet white rice flour in its place.

Egg substitute

This recipe uses an egg as the “glue” for the cornstarch prior to frying. If you need an alternative, you can try milk, melted butter, or yogurt instead.

FAQs

What is Chinese lemon chicken?

Similar to gluten free orange chicken, Chinese lemon chicken is a citrus-y meal that brings together crispy, fried chicken pieces and a sweet lemon sauce.

It's a classic Chinese takeout recipe, but if you can't have gluten, it's off limits due to the batter that most Chinese restaurants use.

Is lemon chicken Chinese food gluten free?

No, most restaurant-prepared, Chinese-style lemon chicken is not gluten free. This is because they usually contain an all-purpose flour made from wheat in the chicken batter. This is unfortunate.

However, the good news is that I've perfected a gluten free Chinese lemon chicken recipe that's tastier and healthier than anything you can order in. Try it today, and let me know whether it's the best lemon chicken recipe you've tried.

Can I use bottled lemon juice for this gluten free lemon chicken recipe?

I really don't recommend it. If you want the best flavor for your tangy lemon sauce, you have to use freshly squeezed lemon juice.

This is because lemon juice starts to oxidize immediately after squeezing. The stuff you find in a bottle will be more acidic and tart as a result.

Can I double the Chinese lemon sauce recipe?

Doubling or tripling this Asian lemon sauce for chicken is fine — I even encourage it, because it always seems like everyone wants more.

But be wary of multiplying it beyond that; you may have difficultly getting it to reduce to the thick, sticky sauce you're expecting.

Gluten free Chinese lemon chicken recipe

Gluten Free Lemon Chicken Recipe

4.75 from 4 votes

By Nicole Hunn

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Yield: 4 servings

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Say goodbye to takeout when you make this gluten free lemon chicken recipe. This Chinese lemon chicken is tastier and healthier than anything you'll order in.

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Ingredients 

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For the sauce

• ▢ ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, juice from about 2 lemons
• ▢ ¼ cup gluten free tamari, or gluten free soy sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup (55 g) packed light brown sugar
• ▢ Zest from 1 lemon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ⅔ cup low sodium chicken stock
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (18 g) cornstarch

For the chicken

• ▢ 1 egg, any size, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ Cornstarch, for dredging (about 3/4 cup)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic salt, optional
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch square pieces
• ▢ Neutral oil, for frying (canola works well)
• ▢ Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

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Instructions 

• In a heavy-bottom, medium-size saucepan, place the lemon juice, tamari or soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon zest and ground ginger, and whisk to combine well.
• Pour about half of the chicken stock into a small bowl, whisk the 2 tablespoons cornstarch into the stock until it is smooth and pour into the saucepan.
• Pour the remaining chicken stock into the saucepan as well, and whisk to combine well. Set the saucepan aside.
• Place the egg and water mixture in a medium bowl. Place the cornstarch for dredging in a separate, medium bowl. Add the garlic salt to the cornstarch, and whisk to combine.
• Dredge the chicken pieces through the egg wash, then dip in the cornstarch to coat lightly. Shake off any excess. I like to dredge all the chicken at once before I begin to cook it, so I place the coated chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper along the way.
• In a wok or a large, heavy-bottom sauté pan, place about 1/4-inch of frying oil over medium heat until shimmering.
• Add the chicken in batches and fry until crisp – for about 2-3 minutes total, turning once. Do not crowd the pan.
• The chicken will not brown, but it will crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add more oil as necessary.
• To make the sauce, place the saucepan with the lemon/soy mixture over medium heat, and bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly until thickened (about 3 minutes).
• Toss the chicken in the sauce, and serve immediately over rice.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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