Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe Video

Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe

I’ll admit, even devoted home chefs have our weaknesses. My kids beg to stop at Panda Express at least once a week, and I’m usually all too happy to accommodate their requests. However, although it’s cheap and convenient (and tasty), I love the idea of having more quality control over certain dishes, especially the deep-fried foods. Panda Express Orange Chicken is their most popular dish, and one of our favorites to enjoy. But we felt we could do just as well, if not better, at home. The result? Seriously the BEST crunchy fried orange chicken coated in a tangy and perfectly sweet sauce. Our version is just as crispy, saucy, and savory-sweet as the Panda Express recipe for Orange Chicken, but has much more flavor: More ginger, more garlic, and most importantly, more orange!

What Ingredients You Need

Although our easy Orange Chicken recipe is still deep fried and therefore not at all what you’d call “healthy,” you do feel good serving something slightly more wholesome when you know exactly what ingredients are being used. This copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe includes mostly basic pantry staples. To make the fried chicken pieces you need:

Boneless skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breast) Cornstarch All purpose flour Salt and white pepper Egg Water Fry oil

Here are the ingredients for the homemade orange chicken sauce:

Sesame oil Fresh grated ginger Minced garlic Orange juice Brown sugar Low sodium soy sauce Cornstarch Rice vinegar Naval orange Crushed red pepper flakes Chopped scallions

How to Make Panda Express Orange Chicken

First, prepare the chicken by chopping into 1-inch bite-size pieces. Next set out a large mixing bowl and add the cornstarch, flour, salt, and white pepper. Mix well. Then add in the egg, 3 tablespoon oil, and 6 tablespoons water. Mix into a thick, smooth batter. Stir the chicken pieces into the batter and coat them well. Chill the chicken in the batter for at least 20 minutes, either on the counter or in the fridge. This ensures that the batter really sticks to the chicken pieces. Meanwhile, set a large sauce pot on the stovetop and pour in the remaining oil. Clip a cooking thermometer to the side of the pot, with the end submerged in the oil. Turn the heat on medium and bring the temperature of the oil to 350-375 degrees F. Go ahead and set a paper towel-lined plate to the side for draining the fried chicken.

How to Make Orange Chicken Sauce

Then set a large sauté pan (or wok) on another burner to make the orange sauce. Turn the heat to medium and add the sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Sauté for just a couple of minutes to soften. Then whisk in the orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, rice vinegar, orange zest, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and continue to stir. The sauce will thicken into a heavy syrup. Once the desire sticky consistency is reached, turn off the heat. By now your oil should be hot and ready. Carefully drop the chicken pieces, one at a time, into the hot oil. Add about one-third of the chicken to the pot at a time. Stir with a skimmer and cook for 5-7 minutes, until light-gold in color. Watch the thermometer and adjust the temperature if needed to keep the oil just over 350 degrees. Use a skimmer to move the cooked chicken pieces to the holding plate. Repeat the frying process in two more small batches. Once all the chicken is cooked, turn the heat back on to medium low for the orange chicken sauce. Stir until warm, and then toss the fried chicken pieces in the sauce. Stir to coat all of the fried chicken pieces evenly in the orange sauce. Then remove from the heat and sprinkle with chopped scallions. Serve warm.

What to Serve with Orange Chicken

Saucy, sweet, and bright Panda Express Orange Chicken is perfect to enjoy over a fluffy bed of white rice or brown rice. For a low-carb side dish to balance the fried goodness, serve with Roasted Cauliflower Rice or even Broccoli Rice. We recommend serving with a green veggie as well, like Panda Express Super Greens or steamed broccoli.