Say hello to your favorite takeout Chinese Lemon Chicken now made in the Air Fryer! Not only is this Air Fryer Lemon Chicken healthier and better for you, but it’s extra crispy tossed in a delicious lemon sauce, ready in just under 30 minutes!
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Easy Air Fryer Lemon Chicken Recipe
You all love my Chinese Lemon Chicken so much, I thought it’s only fair to give you an air fryer version, but in bite size form. It’s so much healthier and better for you, clocking in at just under 300 calories! It’s incredibly easy to make and the perfect recipe for busy days.
Air Fryer Lemon Chicken Recipe Highlights
- Quick And Simple. With just a few simple pantry staples you can enjoy this lemon chicken. No marinating, no oil, just your beloved air fryer.
- Crowd Pleaser. This lemon chicken will please your entire family, that lemon sauce is to die for!
- Versatile. Serve it along some rice, your favorite steamed veggies, salads or pastas.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken:Â I am using chicken breast for this recipe, cut roughly into 1-inch cubes. Boneless chicken thighs work as well.
- Eggs:Â Two large eggs will be used to help the flour to stick to the chicken pieces.
- Sesame Oil:Â I prefer the toasted sesame oil, the flavor is so much better, but use whatever you got.
- Cornstarch and Flour: You’ll need some cornstarch to thicken our lemon sauce, and some all-purpose flour to dredge the chicken bites through.
- Butter:Â I usually use unsalted butter so I can control the intake of sodium in this recipe.
- Lemon:Â Freshly squeezed lemon juice is always best.
- Sugar:Â Regular granulated sugar works well. Use less if you prefer a less sweet lemon sauce.
- Broth:Â I like to use chicken broth for this recipe with low sodium.
- Green Onions:Â roughly chop them to garnish the final dish.
How To Make Lemon Chicken In The Air Fryer
- Prepare the dredges. Place the flour in a shallow plate and the beaten eggs in another shallow plate.
- Prepare the chicken and dredge it through flour. Toss the chicken pieces with the 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and sesame oil. Add all the chicken pieces to the plate with the flour and toss them together so that each piece of chicken is fully coated in flour. You can just dump all the chicken at once in the flour, rather than doing one piece at a time.
- Finish dredging the chicken through eggs and flour. Transfer the floured chicken in the bowl with the eggs and toss them so that the chicken gets fully coated in the egg, again do them all at once. Transfer the chicken back to the bowl with the flour and toss them again to coat them evenly in flour.
- Air fry. Spray the air fryer basket with some cooking spray then add chicken to the basket in a single layer, you might have to do this in batches, depends how big your air fryer basket is. Spray the chicken with more cooking spray evenly. Air fry for 12-15 minutes at 380°F, shaking the basket half way through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and repeat with remaining chicken pieces if necessary.
- Make the lemon sauce. Add the butter to a skillet or pan and melt over medium heat. Add the lemon juice, sugar, chicken broth, soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Whisk everything well together and cook until the sauce has thickened and is smooth.
- Toss chicken with lemon sauce. Pour all the sauce over the chicken pieces and toss well with the sauce. Garnish with green onions and serve.
Expert Tips
- You can substitute chicken breast with boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut the same size.
- To accurately check if the chicken is cooked through, use an instant read meat thermometer. The thermometer should read 165℉ when inserted in the center of the chicken piece.
- For a thicker sauce, add a bit more cornstarch to the sauce until you get the desired consistency.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper, if preferred, or add other spices to it like lemon pepper.
Serve This Lemon Chicken With
Fridge
I recommend storing lemon sauce and chicken separately if not consumed immediately, because it will get soggy. Store leftover lemon chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Freezer
Freeze this in an airtight containers for up to 3 months! Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before heating back up in the oven, on the stove, or on the microwave.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes To Try
- Chicken Drumsticks
- Chicken Thighs
- Whole Chicken
- Chicken Breast
- Thai Chicken Wings
- Fried Chicken
- Chicken Tenders
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Air Fryer Lemon Chicken
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serves: 4
Say hello to your favorite takeout Chinese Lemon Chicken now made in the Air Fryer! Not only is this Air Fryer Lemon Chicken healthier and better for you, but it's extra crispy tossed in a delicious lemon sauce, ready in just under 30 minutes!
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 large chicken breasts boneless, skinless cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 green onions green parts only, chopped
Lemon Sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- ½ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup sugar granulated
- â…” cup chicken broth low sodum
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
- Prepare the dredges. Place the flour in a shallow plate and the beaten eggs in another shallow plate.
- Prepare the chicken and dredge it through flour. Toss the chicken pieces with the 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and sesame oil. Add all the chicken pieces to the plate with the flour and toss them together so that each piece of chicken is fully coated in flour. You can just dump all the chicken at once in the flour, rather than doing one piece at a time.
- Finish dredging the chicken through eggs and flour. Transfer the floured chicken in the bowl with the eggs and toss them so that the chicken gets fully coated in the egg, again do them all at once. Transfer the chicken back to the bowl with the flour and toss them again to coat them evenly in flour.
- Air fry. Spray the air fryer basket with some cooking spray then add chicken to the basket in a single layer, you might have to do this in batches, depends how big your air fryer basket is. Spray the chicken with more cooking spray evenly. Air fry for 12-15 minutes at 380°F, shaking the basket half way through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and repeat with remaining chicken pieces if necessary.
- Make the lemon sauce. Add the butter to a skillet or pan and melt over medium heat. Add the lemon juice, sugar, chicken broth, soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Whisk everything well together and cook until the sauce has thickened and is smooth.
- Toss chicken with lemon sauce. Pour all the sauce over the chicken pieces and toss well with the sauce. Garnish with green onions and serve.
Video
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute chicken breast with boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut the same size.
- To accurately check if the chicken is cooked through, use an instant read meat thermometer. The thermometer should read 165℉ when inserted in the center of the chicken piece.
- For a thicker sauce, add a bit more cornstarch to the sauce until you get the desired consistency.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper, if preferred, or add other spices to it like lemon pepper.
- I recommend storing lemon sauce and chicken separately if not consumed immediately, because it will get soggy. Store leftover lemon chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
- Freeze this in an airtight containers for up to 3 months! Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before heating back up in the oven, on the stove, or on the microwave.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1servingCalories: 294kcal (15%)Carbohydrates: 30g (10%)Protein: 19g (38%)Fat: 11g (17%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 144mg (48%)Sodium: 547mg (24%)Potassium: 386mg (11%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 14g (16%)Vitamin A: 389IU (8%)Vitamin C: 14mg (17%)Calcium: 32mg (3%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
I love this recipe and want to make it! But Im curious if it’s 100% necessary to use eggs to dredge? I can’t eat eggs, so I want to know if I can skip the egg step or do I need to substitute the eggs with something else?
No, it’s not, the eggs help give the chicken more of a breading type feel, but you can skip that step, the sauce will totally make up for that. 🙂