DISH RESEARCH · Main dish
Australian Chinese Lemon Chicken
Also known as: Chinese Takeaway Lemon Chicken
Crisp battered chicken with a sweet, tangy lemon sauce and sesame garnish.

About Australian Chinese Lemon Chicken
This lemon chicken comes from Gawler Palace, a longstanding family restaurant in South Australia. Published in the Chopsticks or Fork? cookbook extract, its version represents the familiar Australian Chinese restaurant dish.
Salted chicken contrasts with a sweet, tangy sauce combining lemon juice, essence and cordial. White vinegar sharpens it, with sesame and white pepper around the chicken.
The battered pieces are particularly crisp beneath their sauce. Sesame seeds finish the sliced chicken, with lemon wedges alongside; yellow colouring is an optional sauce ingredient.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Sesame, Wheat (gluten), Celery.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Australian Chinese Lemon Chicken
Gawler Palace's South Australian lemon chicken.
- Chicken breastProtein
- SaltSeasoning
- MSGSeasoningIngredient page not linked
- White pepperSeasoning
- Sesame oilSeasoning
- Cornflour (cornstarch)Binder · Chicken coating
- Canola oilCooking medium
- Sesame seedsGarnish
- Lemon wedgesAccompaniment · Serving
- Cornflour (cornstarch)Binder · Batter
- Self-raising flourBinder · Batter
- WaterLiquid · Batter
- Lemon juiceLiquid · Lemon sauce
- SugarSweetener · Lemon sauce
- WaterLiquid · Lemon sauce
- White vinegarSeasoning · Lemon sauceIngredient page not linked
- SaltSeasoning · Lemon sauce
- Fresh celery leavesAromatic · Lemon sauce
- Lemon essenceSeasoning · Lemon sauceIngredient page not linked
- Lemon cordialSweetener · Lemon sauceIngredient page not linked
- Yellow food colouringSeasoning · Lemon sauce · OptionalIngredient page not linked
- Cornflour (cornstarch)Binder · Cornflour slurry
- WaterLiquid · Cornflour slurry
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Chicken breast: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Salt: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- MSG: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. No exact MSG candidate verified; do not infer a compound seasoning.
- White pepper: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Sesame oil: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Cornflour (cornstarch): Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Canola oil: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. Canola selected from explicit vegetable-or-canola oil option.
- Sesame seeds: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Lemon wedges: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. Broader whole lemon candidate; wedges retained.
- Cornflour (cornstarch): Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Self-raising flour: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. Normal self-raising wheat flour identity; complete raising-agent formula unresolved.
- Water: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. Required explicitly in batter method.
- Lemon juice: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Sugar: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Water: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- White vinegar: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. Source does not establish grain or other base; no forced species mapping.
- Salt: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Fresh celery leaves: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. Leaves steeped in sauce and explicitly discarded; their recipe presence retained.
- Lemon essence: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. Essence formula unspecified; not equated with whole lemon or a specific extract.
- Lemon cordial: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. Full cordial formula unspecified; no exact candidate verified.
- Yellow food colouring (optional): Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.. Explicitly optional; exact colouring/additive formula unspecified.
- Cornflour (cornstarch): Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
- Water: Positive labels reflect the selected recipe ingredient; compound formulas remain unresolved where noted.
Origins & food traditions
Countries
- Australia
- AustraliaCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- Australian Chinese Cuisine
- Chinese Australian cuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.