Orange Chicken Recipe – Panda Express Copycat

Tender crispy chicken fries up in a deliciously crispy batter and then gets coated in a sticky, sweet orange glaze with just a tiny kick from red pepper flake. Just like, or maybe better, than Panda Express make it! You’ll love this copycat Orange Chicken Recipe – Panda Express.

Everybody loves Panda Express Orange Chicken, it is the best. Now you can make this 30-minute Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken right at home with just a few simple ingredients and minimal prep time!

Serve it over rice or lo mein and tonight you get yourself the perfect Panda Express copycat in less than what it takes to hit the drive-thru or get a Chinese take-out!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Easy and quick to make: only 30 minutes from start to finish and a few simple steps.
• Asian take-out at home with no waiting in lines, and much cheaper.
• A delicious combo of sweet, salty, and zesty.
• Leftovers can be frozen for months or used in wraps and burritos.

Ingredients Notes

The list may seem long but once we break it down, you’ll see it is only basic ingredients and some Asian staples to make this easy recipe.

Fried Chicken

• Chicken tenderloins, cubed into bite-sized pieces 1×1-inch. We need a skinless cut to make sure the coating batter will stick well. Boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts can also be used.
• Coating: All-purpose flour, egg, cornstarch, and oil.
• Light vegetable oil for frying the chicken. Olive oil or canola oil works great.

My Copycat Panda Express Tangy Orange Sauce

• Orange juice. The best option is to have some freshly squeezed orange juice as it has less sugar and additives, but store-bought, as organic as possible, will work too.
• Distilled white vinegar, or rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. Rice vinegar is one of the staple sauce ingredients but substitutes work great and you may not notice the difference. Don’t worry, it will cook down completely and only leave the hint of tang behind.
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Soy sauce is the base for many Chinese sauces.
• Minced garlic
• Sesame oil, add just a bit as it is a very powerful deep flavor but so so tasty!
• Ground ginger or fresh ginger grated or ginger paste.
• Red pepper flakes. White pepper is also often used in Asian cuisine, more often than black pepper since they have milder earthier taste.
• Cornstarch to thicken the sauce. It is a gluten-free thickener for any sauce mixture.

As you can see I don’t need to add any salt and pepper. The sauce mixture will be salty without it and I would even suggest using low-sodium soy sauce if you want to keep overall sodium intake low.

Kitchen Equipment

• Frying pan or a skillet. If you have a wok, you can use it too.
• Mixing bowls.

How To Make Copycat Orange Chicken Recipe From Panda Express

This copycat recipe is really close in flavor to what you get at Panda Express and my whole family loves it.

You simply deep fry the chicken, then make orange sauce and combine the two. Foolproof weeknight dinner recipe that is much healthier than any take-out.

1: Make Batter For Chicken

1. Whisk the flour, water, egg, cornstarch, and oil in a large bowl. Mix until it is sticky.
2. Add the chicken to the batter and stir. 
3. Add the frying oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
4. If you have an oil thermometer, the temperature should be 350-375 degrees F. If you don’t simply insert a toothpick or a wooden chopstick in the oil and the bubbles start to form, the oil is heated enough.

2: Fry The Chicken

1. Drop the coated chicken in the hot oil, working in batches, and fry for 5-6 minutes for each batch until golden brown.
2. Remove the fried chicken with a slotted spoon, place it on a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack to drain all the grease, and repeat until all the chicken is cooked. Set aside.

3: Make Orange Chicken Sauce

1. Combine the orange juice, white vinegar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ground ginger, and red pepper flakes in a large skillet.
2. Whisk over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a bubble, and continue to cook and whisk for 10 minutes or until the sauce reduces a little and becomes thicker. 
3. Combine the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. Whisk until incorporated and then whisk it into the bubbling sauce.
4. Cook the sauce until thickened. Remove from the heat.

4: Assemble

1. Toss the fried chicken pieces with the sauce. 
2. Serve over rice with a side of broccoli. 
3. Optional, garnish with scallions (green spring onions), crushed peanuts, or sesame seeds.

Storage

Store leftover orange chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave for 1.5-2 minutes.

Making ahead: you can coat the chicken bites and freeze them until the time to cook them comes. The sauce can be made a few days ahead and stored in a jar in the fridge.

Freezing: let it cool completely and freeze orange chicken in a freezer bag for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight and then reheat in the oven or over the stovetop for 10 minutes. To make sure the breaded chicken doesn’t soften too much, freeze the cooked chicken and the mixed sauce separately.

Tips And Tricks To Make The Best Orange Chicken Recipe

• Add more or less red pepper flake for more or less spice.  
• When coating the chicken pieces, make sure every side is coated evenly and shake off any excess.
• To add more orange flavor, stir in some orange zest into the sauce after adding cornstarch.
• Add rice wine, sake, or mirin to get a little deeper flavor with some sweetness.
• If you want less orange flavor, add some juice and the rest of the needed amount substitute with water.
• To make the chicken bits crispier, double-fry them.

Popular Questions

Can I Make Orange Chicken In The Slow Cooker?

If using a slow cooker to make this orange chicken recipe, do not pre-cook the chicken and load them raw with all the ingredients to cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Be careful not to overcook the orange chicken or it will be chewy and rubbery.

What Can I Use Instead Of Soy Sauce?

Tamari, oyster sauce, Coconut Aminos, and Worcestershire sauce can work as the orange chicken sauce base as well.

Why Is Panda Express Orange Chicken Sometimes Spicy?

Some versions of orange chicken recipes can have crushed chili peppers that are quite spicy. My copycat orange chicken recipe is not spicy.

What Kind Of Rice Goes Well With Panda Express Orange Chicken?

You can serve orange fried chicken with jasmine rice or fried rice. Panda Express uses long-grain white rice for their dishes.

If you love this orange chicken recipe, you’re going to love these other Chinese food favorites too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Copycat Recipes

Copycat KFC Chicken Pot Pie

Oriental Chicken Salad

Panera Bread Turkey Chili Recipe

Chili’s Southwest Chicken Soup – Copycat Recipe

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