Culinary creator Peter Som is the mastermind behind our absolute favorite lemon chicken recipe — and here’s why: His version has been tested, re-tested, and carefully perfected by his own grandmother.

“My mom tells me that Grandma tested her recipe for weeks,” Som writes in his book Family Style: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage. “Each time, she would tweak the recipe a bit, and together Grandma and Grandpa would eat the dish and brainstorm.” Clearly, this was a serious commitment: “Mom recalls the family eating lemon chicken for five nights straight when Grandma was working on it. So, no surprise it’s since become a family staple that’s been passed down.”

Here, Som has made a couple of key adaptations to make the dish weeknight-ready: “The original recipe calls for the whole bird, but I’ve adjusted it to chicken thighs, which cuts down on cooking time.” Plus, he’s added extra lemon to execute the perfect amount of tartness (don’t worry — honey tempers the citrus and will keep your lips from puckering).

“The result is a satisfying yet light dish,” Som continues. “The sauce is zingy, a touch sweet and a touch sour, and the lemon slices are cooked down and tender and so utterly delicious.” In other words, the urge to make this immediately is not unfounded. “Serve with steamed jasmine rice to soak up all that sauce,” Som recommends. Don’t mind if we do!

Famous Lemon Chicken

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 lemons
1 tablespoon neutral oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, thinly sliced
¾ cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Use a vegetable peeler to peel 1 lemon and reserve. Juice that lemon, plus a second lemon (you should have about 1/2 cup). Thinly slice the third lemon and set aside.
In a large cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof pan large enough to fit the thighs in a single layer, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the scallions, ginger, and reserved lemon peel and sauté until the scallions and lemon peel start to turn deep brown on the edges and the ginger is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and 1 cup water. Season with salt and pepper, stir to combine, and let simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon slices, then place the chicken thighs skin side up in the pan. Transfer to the oven and roast for 35 minutes, or until the chicken skin is golden brown and the internal temperature is 165°F.
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 1 ½ tablespoons water. Remove the pan from the oven and use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to a serving platter with sides. Use a spoon to skim the fat off the surface of the pan juices. Place the pan over medium-low heat, add the cornstarch mixture, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and glossy, about 2 minutes.
Transfer some of the sauce and the lemon slices to the platter, making sure to spoon some sauce on top. Garnish with additional scallions and serve.

Reprinted from Family Style: Elegant Everyday Recipes Inspired by Home and Heritage by Peter Som. Copyright © 2025 by Peter Som. Photography by Linda Xiao. Published 2025 by HarperCollins Publishers.