Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe [Copycat]
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
50 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
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Servings
2 servings
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Calories
493 kcal
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Course
Main Course
Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe [Copycat]
Description
This copycat recipe begins by battering bite-sized boneless chicken pieces in beaten egg and a flour-corn starch mixture seasoned with salt and pepper, then deep-frying them in hot oil until golden and crispy. The oil temperature is monitored to ensure proper frying without burning.
The orange sauce is prepared by sautéing chopped green onions, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes in oil, then adding fresh orange juice and zest, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and Chinese cooking wine. The sauce is thickened with a corn starch slurry toward the end of cooking until it reaches a sticky consistency that clings to the chicken.
After frying, the chicken is drained on paper towels to remove excess oil, then combined with the warm sauce and garnished with a drizzle of sesame oil for nutty aroma. The dish balances sweet, tangy, and spicy notes with a crispy texture, replicating the restaurant-style orange chicken.
Fresh, untreaded orange should be used for zest to avoid pesticide residues. Skipping rice wine or vinegar is possible but reduces complexity in flavor. Careful temperature control during frying is important to avoid soggy or burnt chicken. The cornflour slurry for thickening can be omitted by reducing the sauce to a sticky finish instead.
Ingredients
For the crispy Chicken:
- 2 cups chicken boneless
- 1 large egg
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper ground
- ⅓ cup corn starch
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
For the orange chicken sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- 2 green onions aka Spring Onions
- 1 Tablespoon ginger see Notes
- 1 Tablespoon garlic see Notes
- 1 Teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- orange juice of one
- orange zest of one orange
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar optional
- 1 Tablespoon Chinese cooking wine aka Shaohsing, optional
- ½ cup water
- 1 ½ Tablespoon corn starch this is the cornflour slur, mixed in 1-2 tablespoons warm water
- drizzle sesame oil to garnish
Instructions
- First, keep all the ingredients ready. That means scrape your orange skin and keep in a bowl. Juice the same orange and keep the juice at the side (with pulp it's great!).
- Slice your spring onion bulbs, keep aside. Cut your spring onion stalks and keep aside in another container as well.
- Next, you will prepare the chicken by cutting the boneless chicken into bite-sized pieces. Then keep two bowls or shallow plates ready. Break the egg into one bowl and scramble it. Into the other bowl add the cornflour, all-purpose flour and season with salt and pepper if you want, mix well.
- Now drag each chicken piece through the egg first and then through the flour mixture so that the chicken is coated and covered on all sides with the flour mixture. Place the chicken into a plate until we fry it and do the same again with all chicken pieces.
- Keep a bowl or some large container ready and place a paper kitchen towel into it. This will be the container in which we add the fried oily cooked chicken. The paper will absorb the excess oil after frying.
- To deep fry use a wok because the wok can heat up the oil evenly. Pour enough cooking oil into the wok and heat up. Wait for the oil to get hot. Use a thermometer to check once the oil reaches 325-350 Fahrenheit/160-175 Celsius.
- Slide your chicken carefully from the side into the hot oil so that the oil doesn't splash up. Don't overcrowd the wok/pan as this will complicate the deep frying. An overcrowded pan reduced the heat of the oil and the chicken won't fry golden but get soggy. Keep about 6 chicken pieces at a time in the pan to deep fry. Cook on all sides golden and take out each chicken piece and place on the paper towel into the container. Repeat this until you have cooked all the chicken.
- For the orange chicken sauce. Mix in a bowl the following sauce ingredients together: orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, red wine vinegar and Chinese red cooking wine. It's ok if the sugar doesn't dissolve, it will dissolve in the pan.
- In another small bowl mix the warm water with the cornflour to create a cornflour slur which we will need to thicken the sauce.
- Now grab another pan or the same wok (but cleaned) from earlier and add your oil. Stir fry your sliced spring onion bulbs for a minute on high heat, then add the ginger and garlic and stir fry further for a moment before adding in the red chili flakes and orange zest
- Then reduce the heat and pour in your mixed sauce from the bowl and stir cook for a little until all ingredients are mixed. Let the sauce simmer down for 2-3 minutes or until it has thickened a bit. Next, pour in the cornflour-water mixture slur and mix the whole sauce again and allow the sauce to thicken. The sauce consistency at the end should be sticky and thick.
- Toss your crispy fried chicken pieces through the sauce so that the chicken is properly covered. Garnish with chopped green spring onion and a drizzle of sesame oil and serve hot over rice or with chow mein noodles.
Notes
- Prefer boneless chicken breast for ease or chicken thighs for richer flavor when preparing the chicken.
- Use organic or untreated oranges for zest to avoid pesticides and always use juice from the same orange including pulp for best flavor.
- Monitor oil temperature carefully to avoid frying the chicken at too low or smoky temperatures; this helps achieve crispiness.
- Rice vinegar and Chinese cooking wine add complexity but can be omitted if unavailable.
- The thickening cornflour slurry can be skipped by reducing sauce to sticky consistency.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 2servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 493 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 273g | |
| Calories | 493kcal | 25% |
| Carbohydrates | 48g | 16% |
| Protein | 38g | 76% |
| Fat | 13g | 20% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 177mg | 59% |
| Sodium | 1240mg | 52% |
| Potassium | 676mg | 14% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 9g | 18% |
| Vitamin A | 580IU | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 4mg | 4% |
| Calcium | 36mg | 4% |
| Iron | 2.5mg | 14% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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