Air Fryer Lemon Chicken
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!
Servings: 4
Calories: 294kcal
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
- ⅔ cup chicken broth low sodum
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
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
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
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 547mg | Potassium: 386mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 389IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg