Master the Art of Homemade Orange Chicken: Your Go-To Panda Express Copycat Recipe
Craving that irresistible sweet, tangy, and perfectly crispy Orange Chicken from Panda Express? Look no further! This comprehensive guide reveals the secrets to making an authentic copycat version right in your own kitchen. Prepare yourself for succulent pieces of boneless chicken breast, deep-fried to golden perfection, then generously coated in a vibrant, from-scratch orange sauce. This recipe captures the beloved flavor profile of the Panda Express classic – not too spicy, incredibly flavorful, and surprisingly easy to achieve at home.
The beauty of homemade Chinese-American cuisine lies in its freshness and the ability to customize flavors to your preference. Many home cooks, just like my husband, find that recreating restaurant favorites at home often surpasses the takeout experience. We’ve successfully perfected staples like a Chinese Fried Rice Recipe, savory Chicken Lo Mein, and flavorful Shrimp Fried Rice. These dishes make fantastic accompaniments to your homemade Orange Chicken, allowing you to create a complete and delightful Chinese feast right in your dining room.
This particular Orange Chicken recipe has garnered immense popularity and positive feedback across platforms like Pinterest, where countless home cooks have shared their delicious results and rave reviews. We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has tried and loved this dish!
The Secret to Authentic Panda Express Orange Chicken at Home
This highly-acclaimed Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe is rooted in insights shared by a former Panda Express employee, revealing the true essence of their preparation methods. The secret to achieving that signature crispy texture lies in a meticulous breading and deep-frying process. Each piece of chicken is heavily breaded, creating a light, airy, and incredibly crispy coating that perfectly withstands the rich sauce.
Following the frying, the sweet and tangy orange chicken sauce comes together. It’s crucial to whisk this sauce thoroughly, ensuring no cornstarch lumps remain, resulting in a beautifully smooth, thick, and glossy finish. Our insider tip revealed that Panda Express traditionally utilizes orange extract for its potent, consistent citrus flavor. However, for home cooks, readily available orange zest (from the peel) or a good quality orange juice concentrate can deliver equally delightful results, offering flexibility without compromising taste.
This crowd-pleasing Orange Chicken recipe is a hit with everyone, including the kids, thanks to its balanced flavors and tender chicken. Its ease of preparation makes it a weeknight favorite. For those looking to minimize mess, preparing the chicken in an Instant Pot on sauté mode for frying significantly reduces oil splatters. This versatility even allows you to prepare this delicious dish while camping, bringing gourmet flavors to the great outdoors!
Planning a gathering? This recipe is perfect for making ahead. Simply prepare the crispy chicken and the savory orange sauce, then keep them warm in a slow cooker until serving. Slow-cooker orange chicken is an ingenious solution for potlucks and parties, ensuring your dish is hot and ready when your guests arrive. Smart planning makes for effortless entertaining!
Understanding Orange Chicken: A Chinese-American Culinary Gem
Orange Chicken is a quintessential Chinese-American dish, beloved for its distinctive flavor profile. It takes classic fried chicken and transforms it into a saucy, sweet, and tangy sensation with a refreshing citrus twist. While it contains chili flakes, it’s generally not overly spicy, striking a perfect balance between sweet and sour notes. The addition of orange juice concentrate or zest introduces a bright, zesty taste that cuts through the richness of the fried chicken, making it incredibly addictive. For those who prefer a milder flavor or cannot consume chili flakes, sesame seeds make an excellent substitute, adding a nutty aroma and a pleasant textural contrast.
This dish is a testament to the innovation of Chinese-American cuisine, which adapts traditional Chinese cooking techniques and flavors to suit American palates, often leading to unique and highly popular creations. The original Orange Chicken dish from Panda Express, which has become an icon, further exemplifies this delicious culinary fusion. You can delve deeper into Panda Express’s food philosophy and the origins of their signature dishes here.
Watch How to Make Orange Chicken at Home!
Essential Ingredients for Your Easy Orange Chicken Recipe
Crafting this delicious Orange Chicken requires a few simple, accessible ingredients. A dash of sesame oil can impart a tremendous amount of flavor, and common pantry staples like apple cider vinegar can easily stand in for rice vinegar if needed. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need:
- Chicken: While Panda Express traditionally uses chicken thighs for their succulence, boneless chicken breasts work beautifully and are often preferred for their lean texture. If you opt for chicken breasts, a quick tenderizing trick from Chinese restaurants involves marinating them in 1 teaspoon of baking soda, two tablespoons of white distilled vinegar, and 1-2 cups of cold water for 30 minutes. This method breaks down the muscle fibers, ensuring incredibly tender, juicy chicken. Remember to rinse the chicken thoroughly before cutting it into bite-sized pieces.
- Panda Express Orange Chicken Sauce: The heart of this dish is its perfectly balanced sauce. It’s typically created with equal parts vinegar and sugar, and four parts water and soy sauce. For dietary considerations, I’ve successfully used coconut liquid aminos as a gluten-free and soy-free alternative to soy sauce, without any noticeable difference in the final taste.
- Breading: The crispy coating is achieved with a simple yet effective combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For a gluten-free version, you can substitute the flour with additional cornstarch, tapioca starch, or potato starch, ensuring your chicken is just as crunchy and delicious.
- Wet Batter: This crucial layer consists of beaten eggs, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. A little-known hack for an even lighter and crispier coating is to add a tablespoon of neutral-flavored oil (like sunflower oil) to the egg batter. This creates a delicate, airy breading that makes all the difference.
Adding oil to the egg batter for breading will help create a lighter, crispier, and more delicate coating.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Perfect Orange Chicken
The key to mastering homemade orange chicken lies in proper preparation and timing. It’s best to have your chicken fully prepped and fried before you finalize the sauce. You’ll need two mixing bowls for the breading process (one for the egg batter, one for the dry flour mixture), a medium saucepan for the orange sauce, and a deep skillet or pot for deep-frying. I highly recommend using an electric skillet with a lid, as it allows for easy temperature control and can even be used outdoors to minimize any oily mess in your kitchen!
- Prepare the Chicken: Start by cutting your chicken into uniform bite-sized pieces, roughly 1 inch thick. Consistency in size ensures even cooking. While you’re doing this, begin heating about 2 inches of neutral oil (like sunflower, canola, or vegetable oil) in your deep pot or skillet over medium heat. Aim for a frying temperature of 350°F (175°C), which you can monitor with a kitchen thermometer.
- Create the Wet Batter: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the egg with the tablespoon of oil, salt, and pepper. Whisk vigorously with a fork or whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and the mixture is smooth. The added oil helps achieve that desired light and delicate crispy coating.
- Prepare the Dry Breading: In a separate, larger mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and all-purpose flour until well integrated. This dry mixture will form the crispy exterior of your chicken.
- Breading the Chicken: Take each piece of chicken and first dip it entirely into the egg mixture, ensuring it’s fully coated. Then, transfer the egg-coated chicken directly into the flour and cornstarch mixture. Toss or roll the chicken vigorously to ensure a thick, even coating. Shake off any excess dry mixture before frying to prevent flour clumps in your oil.
- Deep-Fry to Perfection: Carefully lower the breaded chicken pieces into the preheated 350°F (175°C) oil. Fry in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, which can lower the oil temperature and lead to soggy chicken. Fry for about 5-7 minutes per batch, or until the chicken is golden brown, light, crispy, and cooked through, with an internal temperature reaching 165°F (74°C). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried chicken to a large plate or tray lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Craft the Orange Chicken Sauce: While the chicken is frying, or immediately after, combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk everything together thoroughly until the cornstarch is completely dissolved and no lumps remain. Bring this mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for at least 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency and becomes glossy. Boiling it down slightly is essential to mellow out any acidic notes from the vinegar and create a rich, sticky glaze.
- Combine and Serve: Once your sauce is ready, add the crispy fried chicken pieces directly into the saucepan or a large mixing bowl. Toss vigorously to ensure every piece of chicken is evenly coated in the sweet, tangy, and aromatic orange sauce. Serve immediately with your favorite sides and prepare for a flavor explosion!
Expert Tips for Reheating Orange Chicken
Leftover orange chicken, while still delicious, can lose some of its crispiness. The best way to revive its texture and the lusciousness of the sauce is through oven steaming. This method gently reheats the chicken while rehydrating the sauce, preventing it from drying out. Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water into a baking dish, then arrange your sauced leftover orange chicken on top. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is steaming hot and the sauce is bubbling.
While microwaving or pan-frying are quicker alternatives for reheating, they often result in a softer coating. The oven steaming method remains my top recommendation for truly bringing leftover orange chicken back to life with a satisfying texture.
What to Serve with Your Homemade Orange Chicken
Orange Chicken is incredibly versatile and pairs wonderfully with a variety of side dishes, transforming a simple meal into a delightful feast. Here are some of our top recommendations:
- Perfectly Cooked Rice: A steaming bowl of white rice is the quintessential accompaniment. The fluffy grains absorb the sweet and savory orange sauce beautifully, creating a harmonious bite. Jasmine rice or short-grain sticky rice are excellent choices for their texture and aroma.
- Noodle Dishes: For a heartier meal, serve your orange chicken alongside classic Chinese-American noodle dishes. Vegetable Lo Mein or even simple stir-fried noodles make fantastic partners, offering another layer of flavor and texture.
- Steamed or Sautéed Vegetables: Balance the richness of the chicken with fresh, vibrant vegetables. Steamed broccoli, crisp snap peas, tender cauliflower, or a colorful medley of stir-fried vegetables (like bell peppers and carrots) complement the sweet chicken perfectly and add essential nutrients to your meal.
- Appetizers for a Chinese-Themed Spread: Elevate your dining experience by pairing orange chicken with traditional Chinese appetizers. Crispy Egg Rolls, spring rolls, or even some homemade crab rangoon can complete your Chinese-themed party menu, offering a variety of flavors and textures for your guests to enjoy.
Q&A About Orange Chicken
What Does Orange Chicken Taste Like?
Orange chicken is a delightful fusion of sweet, tangy, and savory flavors. The crispy, deep-fried chicken pieces are coated in a vibrant orange-flavored sauce that is typically both sugary and slightly sour, often with a subtle hint of spice from chili flakes. The orange component is refreshing and zesty, rather than overpowering, providing a bright citrus note that elevates the classic sweet and sour profile. It’s a balanced and incredibly satisfying taste experience.
Panda Express Recipe For Orange Chicken: The Insider Scoop
Ever wondered how to replicate that authentic Panda Express Orange Chicken taste? According to a former employee, the key steps involve first ensuring the chicken is heavily breaded and deep-fried until it achieves maximum crispiness. This crunchy exterior is vital for the signature texture. The orange chicken sauce is then carefully prepared by combining ingredients in a bowl and whisking thoroughly to prevent any cornstarch lumps, resulting in a perfectly smooth consistency. While you might use orange zest or concentrate at home, Panda Express originally uses orange extract for a consistent flavor. The trick is to have your perfectly fried chicken ready, then cook the sauce until it’s thick and glossy (aim for a sticky consistency after boiling on high for 1-2 minutes). Finally, toss the crispy chicken pieces directly into the sauce to coat them evenly. At Panda Express, they manage enormous batches, but this recipe is meticulously scaled down for home cooks to achieve the same great results.
Is Orange Chicken Spicy?
Orange chicken typically has a mild spiciness, which is carefully balanced by the sweetness of sugar and the tanginess of vinegar, creating a complex sweet and sour sauce with just a touch of kick. It’s designed to be flavorful rather than intensely hot, making it appealing to a wide range of palates, including children. If you prefer an even more subtle flavor, you can easily halve the amount of crushed red pepper flakes in the recipe, or substitute them entirely with a sprinkle of sesame seeds for a nutty, less spicy alternative.
Does Orange Chicken have Dairy?
Good news for those with dairy sensitivities! This Orange Chicken recipe, as outlined, does not include any milk products or dairy-derived ingredients. Therefore, it is considered a dairy-free dish, making it suitable for individuals avoiding dairy in their diet.
General Tso’s Chicken vs. Orange Chicken: What’s the Difference?
These two popular Chinese-American chicken dishes share many similarities, often leading to confusion. Both feature hot, crispy fried chicken coated in a rich, savory-sweet sauce and are mainstays on takeout menus. However, the fundamental difference lies in their sauce preparation and flavor profile. General Tso’s Chicken typically emphasizes a bolder, spicier, and more savory flavor, often with notes of ginger, garlic, and chili. Orange Chicken, as its name suggests, incorporates the distinctive addition of citrus, usually orange juice concentrate or zest, which imparts a refreshing, bright, and tangy fruitiness that sets it apart from General Tso’s more robust and umami-driven sauce. While both are incredibly delicious, the presence of that signature citrus zest is the defining characteristic of Orange Chicken.
Can I Freeze Homemade Orange Chicken?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze homemade Orange Chicken! To do so effectively, allow the cooked chicken and sauce to cool completely. For best results, it’s often better to freeze the fried chicken pieces and the sauce separately, if possible, to maintain crispiness. Store them in airtight containers or freezer-safe bags for up to 2-3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat using the oven method for best texture, or gently warm the sauce and combine with chicken right before serving.
What Kind of Oil is Best for Deep Frying Orange Chicken?
For deep frying, it’s crucial to use an oil with a high smoke point and a neutral flavor. Excellent choices include sunflower oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil. These oils can withstand the high temperatures required for frying without burning or imparting unwanted flavors to your chicken. Avoid olive oil or butter, as their smoke points are too low for effective deep frying.
Pro Tips for Making Your Best Homemade Orange Chicken:
- Chicken Type & Tenderizing: While chicken thighs are naturally juicy, boneless chicken breasts can be just as tender with a simple marinade. Follow the Chinese restaurant hack mentioned in the ingredients section: soak chicken breasts in baking soda, white distilled vinegar, and cold water for 30 minutes. This ensures perfectly tender, succulent pieces every time.
- Effortless Breading & Cleanup: Streamline your breading process and make cleanup a breeze by using a large Ziplock freezer bag for the dry flour and cornstarch mixture. Simply add the egg-coated chicken pieces to the bag, seal it, and shake vigorously until evenly coated. Dispose of the bag afterward for minimal washing.
- Smart Sauce & Toss Method: To save on dishes, consider cooking your orange chicken sauce in a large pot. Once the sauce has thickened and the chicken is fried, you can add the crispy chicken pieces directly into the same pot and toss to coat, eliminating the need for an extra mixing bowl.
- Orange Flavor Substitutions: No orange juice concentrate on hand? No problem! You can easily substitute it with three tablespoons of regular orange juice for a fresh citrus kick. Alternatively, a reader once shared a great tip: using one tablespoon of orange marmalade also works wonders, adding a lovely depth of flavor and sweetness.
- Gluten-Free Option: To make this a delicious gluten-free orange chicken recipe, simply replace the all-purpose flour in the breading with an equal amount of cornstarch or potato starch. These starches will still provide that satisfying crispy exterior.
- Make-Ahead & Keep Warm: For entertaining or meal prep, you can prepare the chicken and sauce ahead of time. Keep the finished orange chicken warm in a slow cooker on the “low” or “warm” setting. This is fantastic for potlucks or ensuring a hot meal is ready upon arrival. Just be mindful not to exceed 4 hours on the warm setting to maintain optimal quality.
- Outdoor Frying for Less Mess: If you’re concerned about oil splatters or the lingering smell of frying indoors, utilize an electric skillet or even an Instant Pot (on sauté mode) outdoors. This keeps the mess out of your kitchen. If using an Instant Pot, you can even make the sauce right in the pot after frying and then toss the chicken in it.
- Don’t Overcook the Chicken: For the most tender chicken pieces, cook until just done. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat should read 165°F (74°C). Overcooked chicken can become dry and chewy, detracting from the overall experience.
More Irresistible Chinese Chicken Recipes to Make:
Discover more homemade Chinese dishes you can rely on! Recreate your favorite Chinese restaurant classics right at home with these fantastic recipes.
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Chinese Chicken Fingers
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General Tso’s Chicken
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Teriyaki Chicken Wings
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EASY Orange Chicken Recipe
We invite you to try this incredibly delicious homemade Panda Express-style Orange Chicken recipe. Don’t forget to leave a rating and share your feedback below to let us know how your culinary adventure turned out!
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Panda Express Orange Chicken
Equipment
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1 deep skillet or pot (for deep frying chicken)
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1 medium saucepan (to make the sauce, use a pot if you wish to add the fried chicken pieces to the pot)
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1 slotted spoon to remove fried chicken pieces
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1 Set of mixing bowls (for breading and beaten egg mixture)
Ingredients
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2 lbs boneless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs)
Egg Mixture:
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1 egg
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1 Tbsp sunflower oil (or any neutral flavored oil)
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1 1/2 tsp salt
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1 tsp pepper
Dry Breading:
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3/4 cup cornstarch
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1/3 cup all-purpose flour (heaping)
Orange Chicken Sauce:
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1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
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1/2 cup cane sugar
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1/4 cup water
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1/4 cup soy sauce (or coconut liquid aminos)
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1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
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2 cloves garlic (crushed)
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1/2 tsp zested ginger root (peeled)
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1 Tbsp orange juice concentrate (or 3 Tbsp orange juice)
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1 Tbsp cornstarch
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1 tsp sesame oil
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1 tsp rice wine (or apple cider vinegar)
Instructions
Directions:
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Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (about 1 inch thick). Then, preheat 2 inches of oil in a large pot or deep skillet. -
Whisk together the egg, oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. -
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and cornstarch. -
Dredge the chicken in the beaten egg mixture and then into the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour. -
Deep fry the chicken in batches in 350°F oil until crispy, and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Transfer to a large plate lined with paper towels. -
To make the orange chicken sauce, Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan or large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer to desired thickness (1-2 minutes). -
Add the fried chicken pieces to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a Ziplock bag to dredge the chicken for easy cleanup.
- I like to use a large pot when making the orange chicken sauce so that I can add the fried chicken pieces directly to the pot.
- If using boneless chicken breasts, marinate them in 1 teaspoon of baking soda, two tablespoons of white distilled vinegar, and 1-2 cups of cold water for 30 minutes. This is a Chinese restaurant hack for tenderizing meat quickly. Rinse before cutting.
- Substitute 3 Tbsp of orange juice for the concentrate if needed. You can also use 1 Tbsp of marmalade.
Nutrition per serving