Hong Kong-style lemon chicken

Step 1

First prepare the chicken. Cut lengthways down the thicker side of each breast, taking care not to slice all the way through, then open it out. Working one by one, put the butterflied chicken breasts between two sheets of greaseproof paper, then gently flatten with a heavy pan or rolling pin, taking care not to hit so hard that the meat tears.

Step 2

Lightly score each flattened breast about 10 times on each side, then put in a large bowl. Add all the marinade ingredients and a teaspoon of salt, toss to coat and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the oil in a medium frying pan on a medium-high heat and, once it’s hot, add the garlic and ginger, and cook for two minutes, until fragrant. Lift out the garlic, then pour in the Shaoxing wine and 100ml cold water.

Step 4

Stir in the bouillon powder, sugar, custard powder and a half-teaspoon of salt, and cook for a minute, stirring continuously. Add three tablespoons of lemon juice, the lemon zest, sliced lemon and chilli, and cook, stirring, for 10 seconds.

Step 5

Mix the cornflour with two tablespoons of water to make a slurry, then add this to the pan and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take off the heat and set aside.

Step 6

Next, make the batter. Whisk 60g cornflour with the eggs until smooth.

Step 7

Dust the chicken breasts in 20g cornflour, dredge them in the batter, then coat again in the remaining 60g cornflour.

Step 8

Put a tablespoon of oil in a high-sided frying pan for which you have a lid, and set it on a high heat. Lay in the pak choi cut side down, sprinkle over half a teaspoon of salt, then cover and cook for two minutes, turning once halfway through. Transfer the pak choi to a bowl and cover, so it carries on steaming and softening.

Step 9

Wipe the pan clean, add 750ml vegetable oil and put it on a medium-high heat. Check the oil is hot enough by dropping in a pinch of batter – if it sizzles straight away, it’s ready. Lower in the battered chicken (depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in batches) and fry for four minutes, flipping each breast once halfway through. Lift out and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Meanwhile, gently warm up the lemon sauce on a low heat.

Step 10

Turn up the heat under the oil pan to high, wait for four minutes until it is very hot, then fry each piece of chicken a second time, for 30 seconds, until very crisp. Lift out, drain again on a kitchen paper-lined plate, then cut into 2cm-wide strips.

Step 11

Transfer the chicken to plates, put some pak choi alongside, then pour over the warm lemon sauce. Finish with the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice and serve.