High Protein Lemon Chicken
Seared chicken thigh tossed in a sticky honey lemon sauce, served with bright blanched broccoli and bok choy over rice. It’s a proper takeaway-style meal prep with a genuinely fresh, citrusy edge.
Shocking the broccoli and bok choy in ice water straight after blanching is what keeps them bright green and crisp instead of dull and soft. The chicken gets the same care — spread out and left undisturbed in the pan for most of the cook time, which is what actually builds a proper golden sear.
Portion it into five containers and it keeps well through the week, fridge or freezer, ready whenever lunch needs sorting.
High Protein Lemon Chicken
CHICKEN · MEAL PREP · EASY
Sticky, citrusy, and properly high protein
Blanching the broccoli and bok choy, then shocking them straight into ice water, keeps their colour vivid and their bite crisp — a small step that makes the whole meal look and taste fresher.
Letting the chicken sit undisturbed in the pan instead of stirring it constantly is what actually builds a proper sear, and once the honey lemon sauce goes in, keeping it moving stops it from catching and burning.
At close to 50g of protein a serve, it's a genuinely solid meal prep option that doesn't skimp on flavour to get there.
High Protein Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
- Avocado Spray Oil
- 2 heads Broccoli Trimmed
- 200 g Bok Choy Chopped
- 1 kg Chicken Thigh, Boneless & Skinless Diced
- 125 ml Chicken Stock
- 5 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 2 Lemons Juiced
- 80 g Honey
- 4 g Onion Powder
- 22.5 ml Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 10 ml Sesame Oil
- 15 g Cornflour Cornstarch
- Salt & Pepper
Basmati Rice
- 300 g Basmati Rice Washed
- 600 ml Cold Water
- Salt To Taste
Garnish
- Spring Onions (Scallions) Sliced
- Black and White Sesame Seeds Optional
Method
- Combine the chicken or vegetable stock, grated garlic, lemon juice, honey, onion powder, soy sauce, sesame oil, and corn flour in a bowl. Mix well, season to taste, and set aside.
- Add the washed basmati rice, cold water, and a pinch of salt to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low, and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 4 minutes. Fluff and set aside.
- Boil a pot of salted water. Blanch the broccoli for 1.5 minutes, then add the bok choy for a further 30 seconds. Transfer both immediately to ice water to stop the cooking and retain their colour.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and spray with avocado oil. Sauté the drained vegetables for 2 minutes, season with salt and pepper, and remove.
- In the same pan, spray with more oil and add the diced chicken thigh. Spread it out in a single layer and cook undisturbed for most of the 10 minutes, until golden. Add the lemon sauce and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add sesame seeds (optional) and adjust seasoning.
- Divide into five 750ml meal prep containers: rice, vegetables, then chicken. Garnish the rice with black sesame seeds.
Why blanch and shock the broccoli and bok choy?⌄
Blanching cooks the vegetables just enough to soften them slightly while keeping a good bite, and the ice bath straight after stops them cooking further so they hold their colour and crunch through the week.
Why does the chicken need to sit undisturbed in the pan?⌄
Moving it around too early stops a proper crust from forming. Leaving it mostly undisturbed lets it develop a golden sear before the sauce goes in.
Can I use chicken breast instead of thigh?⌄
Yes, though thigh tends to stay juicier through the sear and the sauce simmer. If using breast, keep an eye on it so it doesn't dry out, and cook to an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) either way.
Can I freeze this?⌄
Yes, it freezes well for up to 4 months in an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat with a small splash of water if the sauce has thickened.
