Panda Express Orange Chicken

Panda Express Orange Chicken Ingredients and Substitutions

Chicken

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs – or use boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg – room temeprature
• 1½ cups water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cups vegetable oil for frying – Use an oil with a high smoking point to fry the chicken, such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil.

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ¼ teaspoon chili flakes – For even more heat, add sriracha sauce.
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic – Use pre-minced garlic or 2-3 minced garlic cloves.
• ½ teaspoon minced ginger
• ⅓ cup brown sugar – light or dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup orange juice – Fresh squeezed or bottled juice. For an extra burst of orange flavor, mix in orange zest.
• ¼ cup vinegar – Rice vinegar offers a mild and slightly sweet tang that is often used in Asian cuisine, but white vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used.
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, optional
• 2 tablespoons water, optional
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?

Just enter your email and we’ll send it to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week!

Email *

Save

How to Make Panda Express Orange Chicken

1. CHICKEN. Cube chicken into 1-inch bite-sized pieces and set aside. Mix salt, pepper, cornstarch, and flour in a medium bowl and whisk the mixture to combine.
   • Add egg, water, and oil until the consistency is like a batter. Add chicken to the batter and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. FRY. Heat oil in a deep fryer or large skillet to 350°F. Add chicken and fry until golden brown (or about 5 minutes). Remove chicken with tongs or a slotted spoon and add to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
   • Fry the chicken in batches so each piece gets crisp; avoid overcrowding.
3. SAUCE. Add oil to a large saucepan (or wok) and cook on medium-high heat. Add red pepper flakes, ginger, and garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and orange juice and stir to combine. Mix in the vinegar and soy sauce until combined.
   • In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch and water. Add to the saucepan and stir. Cook until the sauce thickens.
   • Add chicken and stir to coat. Top with sesame oil and sesame seeds if desired. Serve over white rice or noodles.

Kristyn’s Recipe Tips

• Fry the chicken in batches to maintain the oil temperature. Overcrowding will lower the oil temperature, resulting in soggy, not crispy, chicken
• Taste the sauce as it simmers and adjust, add brown sugar for a sweeter sauce, vinegar for more tanginess, and soy sauce for more salt.
• We like to garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. You can also add extra red pepper flakes and orange zest.
• To make life easy, we love to double the amount of orange sauce ingredients, use half over the fried chicken pieces, and store the other half in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for 2-3 months to use later.

5 from 13 votes

Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe

By: Kristyn Merkley

This easy copycat Panda Express orange chicken delivers that irresistible sweet, tangy, and crispy goodness straight from your own kitchen!

Servings: 8

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Chill: 30 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Equipment

• Deep Fryer

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon white pepper
• ▢ 1 cup cornstarch
• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1½ cups water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 3 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Sauce

• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon chili flake
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ ½ teaspoon minced ginger
• ▢ ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup orange juice
• ▢ ¼ cup vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce, optional
• ▢ 2 tablespoons water, optional
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Instructions 

• Cube chicken and set aside.
• Mix salt, pepper, cornstarch, and flour in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
• Add egg, water, and 2 tabespoons of oil until the consistency is like a batter. Add chicken to the batter and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350°F. Add chicken and fry until golden brown (or about 5 minutes). Remove chicken and add to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Make sauce by adding oil to a pot and cooking on medium-high heat. Add red pepper flakes, ginger, and garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds.
• Add brown sugar and orange juice and stir to combine. Mix in the vinegar and soy sauce until combined.
• In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch and water. Add to the saucepan and stir. Cook until sauce thickens.
• Add chicken and stir to coat. Top with sesame oil and sesame seeds if desired. Serve over rice or noodles. 

Video

Notes

Recipe tips.

• Fry the chicken in batches to maintain the oil temperature. Overcrowding will lower the oil temperature, resulting in soggy, not crispy, chicken
• Taste the sauce as it simmers and adjust, add brown sugar for a sweeter sauce, vinegar for more tanginess, and soy sauce for more salt.
• We like to garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. You can also add extra red pepper flakes and orange zest.
• Double the amount of orange sauce ingredients, use half over your fried chicken pieces, and store the other half in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for 2-3 months to use later.

Place leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days or freeze for 3-4 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating. Reheat leftovers in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400°F, in a pan on the stovetop, or in the microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 556kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 128mg, Sodium: 1241mg, Potassium: 372mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 90IU, Vitamin C: 4.2mg, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 3.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Recipe FAQ

Complete The Meal

Sides

Cauliflower Rice

10 mins

Garlic Noodles

17 mins

Homemade Fried Rice

20 mins

Baked Cream Cheese Rangoon

17 mins

Asian Chicken Dishes

General Tso’s Chicken

20 mins

Honey Chicken

20 mins

Sweet and Sour Chicken

25 mins

Easy Teriyaki Chicken

30 mins

Collections

Asian Dinner Ideas

Chicken Dinner Ideas

Family Dinner Ideas

Summer Dinner Ideas

This recipe was originally published February 2016.