Lemon Chicken is a sweet and tangy Chinese-inspired dish that you can make at home in under 30 minutes. It starts with Tyson Any’tizers Popcorn Chicken that is Air Fried or baked in the oven. While the chicken crisps up, whip up a homemade zesty lemon sauce to coat the chicken.
The delicious sauce for this Lemon Chicken brings the flavor with lemon juice, honey, sugar, and a little garlic and soy sauce
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Key to Success #1 – MAKE DINNER EASY WITH TYSON ANY’TIZERS POPCORN CHICKEN
The key to this Easy Lemon Chicken recipe is using Tyson Any’tizers Popcorn Chicken instead of breading and frying fresh chicken.
The Tyson Any’tizers Popcorn chicken bakes up nice and crispy, which is exactly what you want in Lemon Chicken. You can cook in the oven or Air Fryer or even microwave.
If you like extra crispy chicken try spraying the popcorn chicken with a little bit of cooking spray before you put them into the oven.
And be sure to flip the chicken over halfway through cooking. This will allow the other side of the chicken to crisp up as well.
You can save a lot of time by baking the popcorn chicken in the oven or Air Fryer while you make the sauce.
With this time-saving option, you can easily make this a 30-minute meal. It’s a perfect solution for your family’s busy schedule.
Key to Success #2 – Make the Sweet and Zesty Sauce
The yummy Lemon Sauce for this Lemon Chicken is a little bit tangy and a little bit sweet. It’s heavy on the lemon so we are adding both sugar and honey to balance out the flavors.
I love adding honey to Asian-inspired dishes like this one because it adds a depth of flavor that you just don’t get from sugar alone.
We’re also adding a little garlic and soy sauce to bring more flavor to the sauce.
While the chicken is cooking, simmer the sauce over medium heat until it starts to thicken a bit. Be sure to stir the sauce often while it’s heating.
Key to Success #3 – Thicken the Sauce to Keep the Chicken Crispy
It’s important to thicken up your sauce so that it will coat your chicken well without causing your chicken to lose its crispness.
You’ll start by making a slurry with 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. When I say slurry, I really mean just mix them together in a separate bowl.
Mixing the cornstarch with water prior to add to the hot sauce will prevent the cornstarch from clumping.
Once the sauce starts to simmer, it’s time to add the cornstarch slurry.
Make sure you whisk the sauce constantly as you add in the slurry to ensure that your sauce turns out silky smooth.
After the sauce thickens, you can turn down the heat to low and let the sauce continue to simmer until the chicken is finished cooking.
Save this Easy Lemon Chicken recipe to your favorite Chicken Dinners board or your Chinese Takeout recipes.
Easy Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 bag 24 oz Tyson Any'tizers Popcorn Chicken
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- 1. Preheat Air Fryer to 400 degrees F. Place Tyson Any’tizers Popcorn Chicken in a single layer. Cook 15 minutes, until heated through and crispy.
- ~ OR ~
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place Tyson Any’tizers Popcorn Chicken in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake chicken 15-20 minutes according to package directions.
- 2. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, water, sugar, honey, soy sauce, and salt. Set aside.
- 3. Make a slurry of 2 tablespoons of cold water and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Set aside.
- 4. In a small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat then add in 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. Saute for about 1 minute until garlic is fragrant.
- 5. Reduce heat to medium then add lemon juice mixture. Continue whisking and cooking until sauce starts to simmer.
- 6. Quickly whisk in the cornstarch slurry and continue cooking sauce for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Reduce heat to low.
- 7. When chicken is finished cooking, transfer chicken to a medium bowl and slowly stir in the lemon sauce until chicken is fully coated.
- 8. Transfer lemon chicken to the serving dish. Serve immediately.
Equipment
Nutrition
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