Rosie Makes Lemon Chicken.

On one of our trips to Food Lion,

Mr. Hawthorne ran into the China Mac next door

and decided to order Lemon Chicken.

We'd never had it before.

It was, at best, meh...

Step aside, Mr. Hawthorne.

I can do this.

And I did.

It was nothing like China Mac's Lemon Chicken.

And that's a good thing.

Compared to the China Mac version,

mine had real lemon flavor.

Theirs tasted more cornstarchy and powdered sugary.

I cut chicken breasts into strips

and battered them in 2 parts flour and 1 part cornstarch,

some hot paprika, freshly ground salt and pepper,

and some ginger.

Lightly fry in peanut oil over medium high heat until done -

about five minutes.

Do not crowd the pan.

Fry in batches.

Note that after several batches,

your cooking time will decrease.

Drain on paper towels.

Lemon Sauce

zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 TB rice vinegar

1 TB corn syrup

1-inch knob of frozen ginger, nuked about 20 seconds and juiced

2 TB sugar

1 TB cornstarch, dissolved in a little water

Mix all ingredients.

Heat over medium low, stirring to thicken.

I cooked some Jasmine rice

and topped it with cilantro
and a few fresh coriander seeds for an extra pop.

That chicken is juicy and ohhhhh soooo tender.

And the breading is very light.

The sauce is lemony goodness.

Another Yum-num/Num-yum moment.