This Thai Lemon Chicken recipe turns out beautifully golden, tender, and full of flavor. Both lemon and lemongrass are used to create a delicious garlic inflused lemon sauce. Quarter chicken pieces (leg and thigh) are perfect for this recipe, and make nice individual portions. The chicken is marinated in the lemon sauce, then simply roasted in the oven for an hour, filling your house with the wonderful aroma of delicious roast chicken. As a bonus, this dish comes with a generous side of rich lemony sauce. ENJOY!
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 00 minutes
Ingredients:
- SERVES 2-4
- 2 to 4 quarter chicken pieces (leg & thigh)
- pinch of salt
- optional garnish: lemon slices and fresh coriander
- LEMON SAUCE:
- 3 Tbsp. prepared lemongrass (can be purchased frozen at Asian stores) OR 1+1/2 stalks fresh lemongrass, prepared
- juice of 1 lemon
- 6 Tbsp. fish sauce (available by the bottle in Asian/Chinese food stores)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup liquid honey
- 1 fresh red chili, minced, OR 1/2 tsp. dried chili flakes (or more if you want it spicy)
- 1 cup good-quality coconut milk
- OTHER: 1 tsp. cornstach dissolved in 3 Tbsp. cold water
Preparation:
For instructions on how to prepare fresh lemongrass, see: All About Cooking with Lemongrass.
- First, make the lemon sauce by stirring all the lemon sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
- Be sure not to remove the fat from the chicken pieces (most of this will seep out and won't be eaten anyway, but what remains will help flavor the chicken). Spread the chicken pieces out in a flat-bottomed baking dish (not piled on top of each other).
- Pour half of the lemon sauce over the chicken pieces, reserving the rest for later. Turn the chicken pieces in the sauce several times, ensuring they are well saturated.
- Leave the pieces turned upside-down in the sauce and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours ahead of time. (If marinating longer than 30 minutes, be sure to cover the dish).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn the chicken pieces right-side-up and sprinkle each one with a little salt. Add a touch of water to the bottom of the dish around the chicken (2-3 Tbsp.), ensuring it won't dry out.
- Bake uncovered on the middle rack of your oven for 1 hour, or until chicken is golden-brown and well done.
- While chicken is roasting, place reserved lemon sauce in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add the cornstarch dissolved in water. Stir well. The sauce will thicken. (If you'd prefer a thicker sauce, add a little more cornstarch dissolved in water until desired thickness is achieved).
- Taste-test the sauce. Add a little more fish sauce if not salty enough, or a little more honey if you'd prefer it sweeter. More chili can be added for extra spice. If you'd prefer even more lemony taste, add some grated lemon zest (1/2 to 1 tsp.).
- Serve the chicken pieces with the lemon sauce on the side. Garnish with lemon slices and a sprinkling of fresh coriander. This dish pairs equally well with rice or potatoes. ENJOY!
