(from Doreen
Levy's cookbook A Potpourri of
Memories )
VIV'S
LEMON CHICKEN FOR BIRTHDAYS
3
chicken breasts (increase quantity as needed)
4
Tbs cornstarch
4
Tbs flour
Boiled
rice (3/4 cup per person)
1
sliced lemon, to garnish
Marinade:
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup sherry
Juice
of 2 lemons
Sauce:
2
Tbs sesame oil
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
Cut
chicken into 2
1/2
cm (1 inch) strips and place in a bowl.
Combine marinade ingredients and pour over chicken; marinate for 2
hours.
Heat
sesame oil in small pot then add remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for a
few minutes; adjust sauce to taste. The
sauce can be prepared in advance and heated just before serving.
Combine
cornstarch and flour. Place in a plastic bag and drop in chicken
pieces. Space
chicken strips on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle a little of the
marinade
over chicken if it appears dry. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (190C/375F), until
chicken starts to turn brown, turning occasionally.
To
serve, place chicken on a serving plate and garnish with slices of
lemon. At
table, spoon chicken onto rice and pour marinade over.
Note: Instead of baking, chicken can
be stir-fried
in 1/4 cup oil in a
wok; drain and serve.
Viv cooks festive
chicken
Viv
writes:
In 1972 Frankie and I were living in Madison, Wisconsin
while studying in
graduate school. Home was a small
student apartment with the entrance hall, living room, dining room,
study, play
room and kitchen all in one. It was November, with about a foot of snow
on the
ground and Frankie's birthday was fast approaching. Frankie had
requested that
I make her a birthday dinner. I set about this using the
scientific method.
After
reviewing French, Viennese, Italian, and many other books my eyes
lighted on a
small book called Easy Chinese Cooking, with color pictures. I
purchased the
book and after about an hour of study, I decided on Chang's Lemon
Chicken. An
hour or so later I finished copying the ingredients, preparation and
cooking
steps onto about 15 cards (3 by 5). By 7th December I had purchased all
the
ingredients. Mid-afternoon (while Frankie and the kids were out) I
taped the
cards to the kitchen cabinets, in the order of procedure. Some time
later, with
some minor setbacks, the meal was ready
and was obviously a success.
Despite
the fact that Frankie's range of meals outnumbers mine by about 250 to
1, this
recipe is frequently requested by the kids on special occasions.
[Note:
Viv also makes great cappuccino].
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