Chinese Lemon Chicken - tender pieces of chicken in a delicious Chinese style lemon sauce.
There are already quite a few Chinese style dishes to be found on here from egg fried rice to beef chow mein, then there is sweet and sour chicken meatballs and Sweet chilli beef, hey I even have a recipe to make your own spring rolls.
I plan to add lots more Chinese style dishes and you will be able to find them all under my fakeaways section, so keep checking back here often or fill in the subscribe box on right here on my blog, so that you never miss any update 🙂 when I add a new recipe.
Usually, Lemon chicken is coated in a very light batter and deep fried before being added to a lovely lemon sauce, but deep fried just isn't going to happen on Slimming World.
This is definitely a good substitution. The chicken pieces are lovely in the fragrant lemon sauce. If you have a few extra syns, this would also be great with some cashew thrown in. I didn't have any on hand today.
I like to serve this with either plain steamed rice or if I have some cold rice leftover from the day before I will make my egg fried rice
For a quick side for stir-fries, I buy these bags of broccoli slaw or coleslaw mix and just stir fry it up in a wok with some spray oil, and season with a little salt and black pepper. They are such handy things to have in your fridge, saves having to chop up vegetables on busy days. I mean I love being in my kitchen cooking, but even I have the occasional day where I need to make dinner up quick. We all need shortcuts occasionally. right?
I also recommend a good non-stick pan, because you are using far less oil. I like ceramic non-stick pans and have two different sizes of the ones from Green Pan like this:
Click here to see the GreenPan Non-Stick Hard Anodised Frying Pan, Ceramic, Grey, 24 cm on amazon
Watch the heat too, many people have a tendency to turn the heat up too high, to try to cook quicker, but you are better off with a medium high heat otherwise again things will stick and burn.
For those on a gluten free diet, use tamari or coconut aminos instead of the soy sauce and for those following a paleo diet, you can use coconut aminos and arrowroot or tapioca starch.

Chinese Lemon Chicken
Chinese Lemon Chicken - tender pieces of chicken in a delicious Chinese style lemon sauce.
Ingredients
- 600g (21oz) of chicken breast
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch/cornflour (or can use tapioca or arrowroot powder)
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- 2 teaspoons of avocado oil (or other oil of choice) - 4 syns
- pinch of salt and black pepper
for the sauce
- 3 tablespoons of maple syrup - 6 syns (do not use a sugar free alternative)
- juice of a lemon (reserve zest)
- ½ cup (120ml of chicken stock)
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (tamari or coconut aminos)
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
- spray oil
Instructions
- Whisk together the egg white, cornstarch, baking soda and pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Pat the chicken breast dry with some kitchen paper and dice the chicken into chunk. Add the chicken to the egg/cornstarch mixture and toss to coat
- Grate the zest from the lemon, and set aside.
- Heat a non stick pan over a medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon of the oil
- Once oil is hot, add half the chicken and fry turning occasionally until golden.
- Remove and set aside
- Add the other teaspoon of oil and repeat with the other half of the chicken
- Again remove and set aside with the rest of the chicken.
- In a bowl whisk together the maple syrup, juice of the lemon, stock and soy sauce.
- Spray the frying pan with spray oil and add the garlic and ginger
- Fry for a minute of so, just to release the flavour.
- Add in the sauce mix and heat until it bubbles and starts to reduce down and thicken slightly.
- Add in the chicken and keep ladling over the sauce until the chicken gets a nice glaze of the sauce.
- Add the reserved grated zest and sprinkle with a few sesame seeds.
- Serve with your choice of sides
Notes
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, paleo, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly.
- Extra Easy - 2.5 syns per serving
- Original/SP - 2.5 syns per serving (serve with cauli rice)
- WW Smart Points - 5
- Gluten Free - use gluten free soy sauce and starch
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Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 245Total Fat 4.3gSaturated Fat 0.7gCholesterol 84.6mgSodium 808.8mgCarbohydrates 13.8gFiber 0.2gSugar 9.4gProtein 35.6g
Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information.
Carol Bellham says
Used honey as maple syrup expensive. Tasted great as do slimming world recipesd. Ths is a new family favourite
Suzanne says
This is now a firm favourite it tasted like Chinese lemon chicken the coating on the chicken was perfect, this is by far the best Lemon chicken recipe I've ever used. Thank you. I urge you all to try it.... you'll be so pleased you did, it's quick and easy to do with flavour to make it time and time again. I can't praise it enough....yum....❤
Mandy Wallace says
Please keep me updated with your STUNNING recipe's thank you
Sarah says
Do you have to use oil when cooking the chicken or can you substitute it for frylight to save using 4 syn?
thanks 🙂
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
yes the oil is needed for the coating on the chicken, otherwise, it will just go soggy. It's only 2.5 syns per serving, which is hardly anything 🙂
Carol says
Wow absolutely delicious. Can I freeze this.
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
glad you enjoyed it. Freezing this should be fine.
Maria says
Do you know how the syn value would change if I used juice from an orange instead?