Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe [Copycat]

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5 from 21 votes

Panda Express Orange Chicken recreates crispy battered chicken pieces coated in a bright, tangy orange sauce featuring fresh orange juice and zest, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and optional rice vinegar and Chinese cooking wine. The chicken is deep-fried after coating in egg and a seasoned flour mixture, then tossed in a sticky sauce thickened with a corn starch slurry. Sesame oil and green onions finish the dish with aroma and flavor.

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 493 kcal

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese, American

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

Cup of Yum

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

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%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 493

% 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.