Lemon Chicken Recipe

Ingredients (240 ml cup used)

marinade

300 grams boneless chicken cubes or breast
1½ tbsp. oil (do not reduce)
1 tsp ginger paste
1½ to 2 tbsp. lemon juice
salt as needed¾ tsp red chili powder⅛ tsp turmeric

other ingredients

½ tbsp oil
1 tbsp. chopped or minced ginger
½ tbsp. garlic
1 green chili slit
1 large onion chopped
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp cajun spice mix or garam masala
½ tbsp. soya sauce
handful of fresh mint leaves / pudina finely chopped

How to make the recipe:

1. Add chicken cubes or entire breast, ginger paste, red chili powder, salt, turmeric, lemon juice and oil. Do not skip oil, it is the key to tenderize chicken along with lemon juice. I used half of a large lemon. I suggest using fresh lemon and freshly ground ginger or grated ginger.

2. Marinate the chicken and set aside for at least 1 hour 15 minutes. If using a meat mallet or a metal meat tenderizer, marination time can be reduced to 40 minutes. It can also be left overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Add little oil to the hot pan, fry chopped ginger and garlic.

4. When ginger garlic begins to smell good, add onions, chili, sugar and salt.

5. Fry until the onions turn transparent.

6. Add marinated chicken along with lemon juice. Turn down the flame to low, Stir and fry till the chicken is half cooked.

7. Sprinkle garam masala or cajun spice mix or all spice. I used a flavorful garam masala powder. But earlier i have also made this with cajun spice that is used to make fried chicken and it yielded good results. Mix and fry until you begin to smell the masala good, for about 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Pour soya sauce and cook till the chicken is soft cooked. Sauce should be absorbed by now. Taste the chicken and adjust spice powder, red chili powder or salt as needed. Add more if needed. With an addition of all these the sourness from lemon juice gets balanced.

9. Add finely chopped pudina/mint leaves or celery and fry until the leaves wilt.

10. Chicken should look moist, tender and soft cooked now. Switch off the stove.

Garnish lemon chicken with fresh mint leaves. Serve with onion wedges.