Try this Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Lemon inspired by Chinese and Thai flavors that will constantly be in your meal rotations. The chicken is juicy and flavorful (even without marinating!), and takes 30 minutes to make using pantry ingredients!
🔍 Quick Look:
- What is it? Juicy chicken thighs pan-fried in a traditional Chinese marinade. Adding sliced lemon and thai chilis give the dish a nice hint of spiciness and acidity to balance the sweetness, which gives that Thai inspired flavor.
- Why you’ll love this recipe: The dish takes 30 minutes to put together from start to finish. The chicken flavor is great for meal prep and for busy weeknight dinners!
- 🕒 Total Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Method: The chicken is seasoned and pan-fried on each side until golden, then quickly stir-fried with thai chilis, lemon, and cilantro.
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: The sauce tastes savory, sweet, a little spice from the Thai chili peppers. The lemon is very mild and helps take away the gaminess of the chicken! Think takeout Kung Pao Chicken with a zesty twist.
- ⭐ Difficulty: This chicken stir-fry is made in one pan! The chicken thighs are easy to cook and remain juicy so the recipe is hard to mess up. Looking for more one pan dinners, check out One Pan Indonesian Fried Rice or One Pot Creamy Salmon.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Lemon is inspired by the easy stir fry recipes found on the popular Chinese app, Red Note. Chinese netizens loved this viral spicy lemon chicken recipe for how easy the recipe is to prepare and of course, how yummy the chicken tastes with a hot bowl of white rice. You can even add in different vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms, or bok choy. The chicken stir-fry is great for weeknights and holds flavor and structure well in meal prep as well.
If you’re into easy healthy chicken recipes, you’ve got to try my Chinese Steamed Chicken With Ginger Scallion Sauce, One Pot Chicken Rice – Hainanese Chicken Rice and my Easy Chinese Chicken and Broccoli.
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Key Ingredients
Here’s a look at what you need to make this Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Lemon. The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
- Chicken thigh – skin on chicken thigh is recommended to ensure that the chicken is extra juicy. You can use skin-less or chicken breast, but the meat might taste more dry.
- Soy sauce and dark soy sauce – use low sodium soy sauce so the chicken is not too salty. The dark soy sauce really gives the golden caramel color in your stir fry without making the dish overly salty.
- Oyster sauce – the main base flavor of the marinade. Don’t skip this if you want tasty chicken!
- Corn starch – the corn starch is added to the chicken so the meat is soft and juicy. When stir fried, the corn starch can give a nice crust to the chicken as well.
- Garlic and onion – the main aromatics of the chicken stir fry. The more aromatics you use for the stir fry, the better the recipe tastes!
- Lemon – adding thinly sliced lemon to the stir fry at the end gives the unique zesty flavor. The lemon doesn’t make the chicken taste sour in any means.
- Thai chili or jalapeño – if you want some extra spice, I recommend adding thai chilis. The flavor is extra delicious, but jalapeno or other chili peppers works too!
Substitutions and Variations
- Add more vegetables – add some mushrooms, bell pepper or bok choy to soak up the delicious sauce and make a fiber rich meal!
- Switch up the herbs – instead of cilantro, you can add thai basil for a super fragrant stir fry!
- Nutty crunch. Top the dish with toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, or cashews for added texture and flavor.
How to Make One Pan Lemon Chicken and Rice
Step 1: Slice chicken in 2 inch pieces.
Step 2: In a bowl, add sliced chicken, sake (optional), low sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, black pepper and corn starch. Mix together.
PRO TIP: Adding sake helps with the gaminess of the chicken and make the sauce a little bit sweeter!
Step 3: Heat pan on medium heat. Once hot, add some neutral oil. Then, add chicken in the pan.
Step 4: Cook chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on one side until golden. Then, flip over and pan fry the other side for 2-3 minutes.
Step 5: Add chopped garlic and sliced onion in the pan. Stir fry for one minute.
Step 6: Then, add sugar and sliced lemon. Give it a stir.
Step 7: Turn off heat and add your chopped Thai chili (optional) and chopped cilantro. Mix together.
Step 8: Serve with rice and enjoy while the chicken is hot!
Expert Tips
- Marinate for extra flavor. Let the chicken sit in the sauce mixture for 15–30 minutes before cooking to enhance flavor and tenderness.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. If your pan is smaller, pan-fry your chicken in batches to ensure we can get the golden brown color on both sides. If too much chicken is in the pan, the juices can start steaming the chicken instead.
- Add the lemon and cilantro last! This way the lemon and cilantro doesn’t wilt while cooking.
Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Lemon FAQs
Yes you can! You can use pork, beef or even extra firm tofu instead of the chicken. Make sure you use the same quantity that is recommended in the recipe card to ensure that the flavor is not compromised. If you want a spicy beef dish, try my Mongolian Beef recipe!
Using chicken thighs will ensure that the chicken is not too overcooked! Adding the cornstarch, oil and water also helps trap in the juices of the chicken when you are stir-frying.
Lemon chicken and rice pairs perfectly with simple sides like Lotus Root Cakes, Wood Ear Mushroom Salad, Stir Fried Chinese Green Beans or roasted asparagus. Light, and crisp sides complement the bright, zesty flavors of the chicken.
Spicy Chicken Stir Fry with Lemon
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 chicken thigh (roughly 1.25 pound) skin on cut in 2 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon sake (optional)
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon corn starch
Pot
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil (avocado oil)
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- Half purple onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 lemon sliced
- 1 Thai chili or jalapeño sliced
- cilantro or parsley chopped
Instructions
- Slice chicken in 2 inch pieces.
- In a bowl, add sliced chicken, sake (optional), low sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, black pepper and corn starch. Mix together.
- Heat pan on medium heat. Once hot, add some neutral oil. Then, add chicken in the pan.
- Cook chicken for 3 to 4 minutes on one side until golden. Then, flip over and pan fry the other side for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic and sliced onion in the pan. Stir fry for one minute.
- Then, add sugar and sliced lemon. Give it a stir.
- Turn off heat and add your chopped Thai chili (optional) and chopped cilantro. Mix together.
- Serve with rice and enjoy while the chicken is hot!
Notes
-
- Marinate for extra flavor. Let the chicken sit in the sauce mixture for 15–30 minutes before cooking to enhance flavor and tenderness.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. If your pan is smaller, pan-fry your chicken in batches to ensure we can get the golden brown color on both sides. If too much chicken is in the pan, the juices can start steaming the chicken instead.
- Add the lemon and cilantro last! This way the lemon and cilantro doesn’t wilt while cooking.
Sam says
Love this recipe! The chicken turned out juicy with a perfect balance of savory, zesty lemon, and just the right amount of spice. It was easy to cook and full of flavor, definitely a new favorite for weeknight dinners!