Lemon chicken facts for kids
A plate of Chinese-style lemon chicken
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| Course | Main |
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| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Chicken Lemon sauce |
| Lemon chicken | |||||||||||||
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Lemon and garlic roasted chicken
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| Traditional Chinese | 檸檬雞 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 柠檬鸡 | ||||||||||||
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Lemon chicken is a tasty dish that combines tender chicken with a bright, zesty lemon sauce. It's a popular meal found in many different countries around the world. While the name is the same, how it's made can be very different depending on where you are!
What is Lemon Chicken?
Lemon chicken is a general name for several dishes that feature both chicken and lemon. The chicken can be prepared in many ways, like being fried, roasted, or sautéed. The lemon part usually comes from a sauce that is poured over the chicken, giving it a fresh, tangy flavor.
Chinese-Style Lemon Chicken
In places like Canada and the United Kingdom, you'll often find a special kind of lemon chicken in Chinese restaurants. This version usually has pieces of chicken that are either quickly cooked in a pan (called sautéed) or covered in a light batter and then deep-fried until crispy. After cooking, the chicken is coated in a thick, sweet sauce that tastes strongly of lemon.
- Hong Kong Style: The Panda Hotel in Hong Kong once served a unique lemon chicken. Their chicken pieces were covered in batter, then rolled in thin slices of almonds before being deep-fried. This gave the chicken a wonderful crunch! It was then served with a shiny, lemon-flavored glaze.
- Australasian Style: In countries like Australia and New Zealand, a popular lemon chicken dish is made by coating the chicken in batter and frying it. Then, a delicious lemon sauce is poured all over the crispy chicken.
European Lemon Chicken Dishes
Lemon chicken is also a favorite in many European countries, but it's often prepared differently from the Chinese versions. These dishes usually involve roasting a whole chicken with lemon and herbs.
- Italian and Greek Styles: In Italy, this dish is called pollo al limone, and in Greece, it's known as κοτόπουλο λεμονάτο. Both dishes feature a whole chicken that is roasted in a pan. It's cooked with white wine, fresh lemon juice, fragrant thyme, and a mix of chopped vegetables like carrots, celery, and onions (called mirepoix).
- Spanish Style: Spain has a similar dish called pollo al romero con limón y piñones. This version adds a few extra ingredients to make it special. It includes crunchy pine nuts, aromatic rosemary, and even some ham.
- French Style: In France, poulet au citron is a classic. The lemon sauce for this dish often includes Dijon mustard, which gives it a tangy, slightly spicy kick. This French lemon chicken is usually served with delicious roasted potatoes on the side.
As you can see, lemon chicken is a truly global dish, with each country adding its own special touch to make it unique and delicious!
See also
In Spanish: Pollo al limón para niños
