Kwanghi Chan's lemon chicken on a bed of rice vermicelli noodles

Renowned chef Kwanghi Chan will feature in the February issue of Food&Wine Magazine and we have a preview of his delicious recipes right here for you to enjoy ahead of the magazine's release.

A supermarket might not seem like the most natural place to find a high-quality restaurant, but to our delight, Fresh The Good Food Market in Dublin’s Capital Dock Building is now home to Bites by Kwanghi, an Asian street-food restaurant from Michelin-trained chef Kwanghi Chan.  

Chan, who has worked in the likes of the Cliff House in Ardmore and Söder + Ko on George's Street, is well known for his Asian fusion food and range of ChanChan spices and sauces. While the pandemic caused massive difficulties across the hospitality industry, Chan managed the mother of all pivots, launching a range of popular dumpling meal kits and three Bites by Kwanghi food trucks, before winning the RTÉ Player's inaugural Battle of the Food Trucks competition and taking home the highly commended award for Food Truck of the Year at the 2021 Food&Wine Restaurant of the Year Awards.

The first permanent Bites by Kwanghi restaurant opened late last year in Fresh The Good Food Market and Chan has plenty of exciting plans up his sleeve for this collaboration and the rest of the year - to find out more and to see more of Chan's delicious recipes, you'll need to pick up the new issue of Food&Wine Magazine, free with the Business Post this Sunday, February 6 or subscribe to read online here. 

Ahead of the magazine's release, check out Kwanghi Chan's delicious recipe for lemon chicken on a bed of rice vermicelli noodles below. 

Lemon chicken on a bed of rice vermicelli noodles 

Serves 4 

Ingredients 

• 600g chicken breast, cut into roughly 3cm cubes 
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 
• 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce 
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger 
• 1 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine 
• 300g plain flour, potato starch or cornflour 
• Vegetable oil for frying 

For the lemon sauce 

• 300g chicken stock 
• 3 tbsp honey or sugar 
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce 
• 2 lemons, juice of both and zest of one 
• 3 tsp potato starch 
• 4 tbsp water 

To finish  

• Rice vermicelli noodles  
• 1 tsp sesame seeds 
• Sliced spring onion  
• Lemon slices to serve  

Method 

1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, garlic, light soy sauce, ginger and Chinese Shaoxing wine. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes. 
2. In another bowl, mix together the chicken stock, soy sauce and honey or sugar for the sauce. In a separate bowl, mix together the lemon juice and zest. In a third bowl, mix together the potato starch and water until the flour has dissolved.  
3. Next, place the flour in a large tray or bowl. Add the chicken pieces and marinade then use your hands to pat and press the liquid and flour together around the chicken pieces to form a craggy coating. 
4. Fill a wok, saucepan or fat fryer to about a third capacity with the vegetable oil and bring to a high heat, around 165C. If you don’t have a thermometer, you’ll know the oil is ready when a wooden spoon dipped into the oil forms small little bubbles.  
5. Shake the excess flour from the chicken pieces, then cook the chicken in two to three batches for about 3 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper. 
6. Cook the rice noodles as per packet instructions, then keep warm. 
7. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a clean wok or pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for about 10 seconds or until fragrant. Next, add the chicken stock mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sugar, if using, has dissolved. Add the lemon juice and zest, simmer for 30 seconds, then add the starch mixture. Cook for another 30 seconds or until sauce has thickened slightly, then add the chicken pieces and toss until evenly coated.  
8. Place the cooked noodles onto a serving plate, then top with the coated chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and spring onion, then garnish with lemon slices and serve.  

Photos by Ruth Calder-Potts, click here to see more.

Don't forget to pick up the latest issue of Food&Wine Magazine free with the Business Post this Sunday, February 6. You can also subscribe to The Business Post here to read Food&Wine Magazine online.