This sticky garlic lemon chicken draws inspiration from Chinese takeaway flavours. A crispy, golden chicken coated in sweet, tangy, garlicky sauce that clings to every piece. The best part? You probably already have most of the ingredients sitting in your fridge and cupboards right now.
It genuinely surprises me. That a handful of simple flavours—garlic, lemon, brown sugar, and soy—can come together to make something this good. The smell of the aromatics from the sticky garlic lemon sauce will have your taste buds dancing with anticipation. Serve sticky garlic lemon chicken over steamed rice or you could make my cheap and easy fried rice recipe. To make the sticky garlic lemon chicken go even further by adding stir fried onion wedges, red capsicum and green beans, this really bulks the meal out not to mention how colourful and mouthwatering it will look.
Why you’ll love this sticky garlic lemon chicken recipe
Pantry staples only — no speciality ingredients, no last-minute supermarket run
30 minutes, start to finish — faster than delivery
Endlessly adaptable — swap in chicken thighs, add vegetables, or double the sauce for extra glaze
That sticky, glossy finish — the cornflour does double duty, crisping the chicken and thickening the sauce
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts (thighs work well too)
- ⅔ cup cornflour (corn starch)
- 1½ tsp soy sauce
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- Oil for frying
For the garlic lemon sauce:
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1½ tsp garlic, crushed (more if you’re a garlic lover!)
- ½ tsp ginger, crushed
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ⅔ cup chicken stock
- 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup cornflour
Method to make sticky garlic lemon chicken
Prep the chicken by cutting the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
Toss with the soy sauce, salt and pepper, then using half the cornflour (1/3 of a cup) coat the chicken evenly, once coated add the second 1/3 of a cup cornflour and coat the chicken again.
Make the sauce. In a bowl add the brown sugar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and chicken stock.
Add freshly squeezed lemon juice to the sauce base.
Finally add corn flour to the sticky garlic lemon chicken and stir to remove lumps.
Heat a shallow layer of oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat.
Fry the chicken in batches for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside on baking tray.
Pour the sauce in to a frying pan, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a glossy, sticky glaze (about 1–2 minutes).
Serve.
For a full meal, stir-fry onion wedges, red capsicum and green beans.
Enjoy!
When you try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment and share it on social media, remember to use #creatingdishes when you post.
If You Like This, You Might Like…
- Marry Me Chicken — another quick, creamy chicken dinner if you’re after more mid-week chicken inspiration
- Cheap and Easy Fried Rice — the perfect side to soak up that sticky garlic lemon sauce
- Easy Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup — ready in 20 minutes, great if you love the Asian-inspired flavours here
- Lemon and Lime Pie — for when you want to keep the citrus going into dessert
Sticky Garlic Lemon Chicken (Better than takeaway)
Description
This sticky garlic lemon chicken draws inspiration from Chinese takeout flavours — a crispy, golden chicken coated in a sweet, tangy, garlicky sauce that clings to every piece.
Ingredients
Sticky garlic lemon sauce
Instructions
-
Prep the chicken by cutting the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. You can use chicken thighs if you like.
-
Toss with the soy sauce, salt and pepper, then using half the cornflour (1/3 of a cup) coat the chicken evenly, once coated add the second 1/3 of a cup cornflour and coat the chicken again.
Sauce
-
In a bowl add the brown sugar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and chicken stock.
-
Add freshly squeezed lemon juice to the sauce base.
-
Finally add corn flour to the sticky garlic lemon chicken and stir to remove lumps.
-
Heat a shallow layer of oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat.
-
Fry the chicken in batches for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Remove and set aside on baking tray.
-
Pour the sauce in to a frying pan, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a glossy, sticky glaze (about 1–2 minutes).
-
Bring it together. Return the fried chicken to the pan and toss until every piece is coated in the sticky sauce.
-
Serve and Enjoy!
Note
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 2 days — reheat gently in a pan so the coating doesn't turn soggy in the microwave.
