Lemon chicken and fried rice, you say? Don’t mind if I do! I’m SO pleased with how this turned out and it is actually relatively simple to do, especially the rice! It’s pretty close to the real thing, so if you fancy a Chinese takeaway but don’t want to waste the money (or the calories), then this recipe is for you!

Couple of tips: vegetable or sunflower oil is best for deep frying, and you can use a 250g pouch of microwavable rice, just put it straight into the wok for even quicker cooking!

Chinese Lemon Chicken & Fried Rice

Ingredients (serves two)
For the rice:
1 egg, beaten
250g cooked rice
50g frozen peas
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Dash of dark soy sauce (optional)

For the lemon chicken:
Two chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
3.5 tbsp granulated sugar
Pinch of chilli flakes
3 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp plain flour
Oil, for frying
Salt & pepper

Method
1. Preheat your oven to it’s lowest setting (about 50-60 degrees), so you can keep your rice warm. Meanwhile, take your chicken breasts, place them between some cling film and bash with a rolling pin until they are around 1cm thick.
2. In a dish, mix together 1 beaten egg with the zest of half a lemon and some salt and pepper. Place your chicken in the mixture and toss to coat. Cover and set aside.
3. For the lemon sauce, place the zest of the other half of your lemon in a saucepan with the juice of two lemons, 3.5 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tbsp cornflour, a pinch of chilli flakes and about 25-30ml of water. Whisk everything together, then simmer gently over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly. Once thickened, keep warm over a low heat.
4. While the sauce simmers, put a large frying pan or wok on over a medium-high heat. Add a little bit of oil, then add one beaten egg and cook for a couple of minutes until scrambled, then push it to one side of the pan. Turn the heat down slightly and add the cooked rice and cook for a few minutes, mixing the egg through, then add the peas and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Finish the rice with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Toss to coat the rice, then pop it into a dish, cover with foil and place in the oven to keep warm.
5. For the chicken, take a large, deep saucepan or deep fat fryer and heat some oil, enough to completely cover the chicken, to 180c. Place the cornflour and plain flour on a plate and mix. Take your chicken out of the egg mixture and coat in the flour mixture. Shake off the excess and carefully place in the hot oil. Fry for 5-10 minutes until pale golden, then remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
6. To serve, take your rice out of the oven, put the fried chicken on a serving plate, pour over the lemon sauce and dig in!

Let me know if you decide to make it – be sure to tag me in your photos @theglasgowdiet on Instagram!