Recipe: World's Greatest Lemon Chicken

WORLD'S GREATEST LEMON CHICKEN

2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut in 1-inch cubes
FOR THE MARINADE:
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon potato starch or corn starch
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon water
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon fermented black beans, coarsely chopped*
grated zest of medium lemon
2 teaspoons hot bean sauce*
FOR THE SEASONING LIQUID:
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup pineapple juice, unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
FOR THE THICKENER:
2 tablespoons potato starch
4 tablespoons water
FOR THE BATTER:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, hot
MISC:
2 cups vegetable oil for deep frying
4 lemon slices or lemon zest for garnish (optional)

TO MARINATE THE CHICKEN:
Combine chicken and marinade in bowl; marinate for 1 hour or up to 24 hours, covered in the refrigerator.

TO PREPARE THE SAUCE:
(Sauce may be done a few hours ahead and set aside.)

Combine together in a bowl the seasoning liquid ingredients. Set aside.

Combine together in another small bowl the thickener ingredients. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in small, non-aluminum saucepan. When hot, add garlic ginger, black beans and grated zest. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds; add hot bean sauce. Stir in seasoning liquid; bring to a boil.

Re-stir thickener; pour into sauce, stirring constantly until thickened.

WHEN READY TO COMPLETE DISH:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix batter dry ingredients in medium bowl.

Add water; stir with chopsticks until combined but do not over-mix. It will be a thick batter. Add chicken to batter; stir to mix.

Heat wok on high heat. Add 2 cups oil; heat to 375 degrees F. Add 1 tablespoon of hot oil to batter; stir.

Using a tablespoon, spoon out batter-covered chicken pieces; deep fry in two batches for 3 minutes or until golden brown, reheating oil to 375 degrees before adding the next batch. Remove to paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

Transfer chicken to a platter; place in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 3 minutes -- this ensures a crisp batter.

TO SERVE:
Drizzle sauce over chicken, garnish platter with lemon slices or top with zest if using, and serve.

Note from source: This translucent sauce is lovely and tart with pretty flecks of garlic, ginger, black beans, lemon zest, and chilies showing through. But the really exciting outcome is the batter! It means the chicken can be deep-fried up to a day ahead, refrigerated, and then reheated in a 400 degree F oven for about 7 minutes, or until crisp, before saucing, with a result that's almost as good as freshly fried. This is terrific if you don't want to fill the air with deep-frying aromas while your guests await dinner -- or if you're cooking several dishes at the same time. Just make the sauce and set it aside before guests arrive, reheat batter-covered chicken on heatproof platter in the oven, reheat sauce, and drizzle over.

*Available in Asian or Oriental markets.

Serves 4 as part of a multi-course Chinese meal.
Adapted from source: A Taste of Chinatown by Joie Warner