Orange Chicken (Panda Express Copycat)
Orange Chicken (Panda Express Copycat) has tender chunks of pan fried chicken that are smothered in a delicious orange sauce that has a kick of heat! The perfect quick night dinner option that’s ready in just 35 minutes!
Craving more mouthwatering Asian cuisine that you can make right at home? My Mongolian Beef – P.F. Chang’s Copycat Recipe that’s ready in only 40 minutes or slow roasted Lemon Chicken Thighs are both must-try recipes as well!
This Orange Chicken (Panda Express Copycat) is great served with rice and steamed broccoli or green beans for a dinner that will surely satisfy that hankering for take-out! You’ll love how the homemade orange chicken sauce is perfectly balanced in flavor between sweet with a slight tinge of heat while still bursting with incredibly tasty orange flavor!
What I Love About This Recipe!
- You Control The Heat! If you don’t prefer any spice in your orange chicken you can simply leave out the red chili pepper flakes in the sauce. However, if you do love a bit of heat, feel free to increase the amount or even swap it out for red pepper flakes!
- Quick To Make! An easy-to-make dinner option that’s this good yet is ready in only 35 minutes is one you know you’ll add into your weekly dinner rotation!
- Orange Flavors! The base of the sauce is orange juice so you know this dish is going to be packed with the best orange flavor!
- Double It Up! If you need a larger batch for a big crowd (or if your love of orange chicken just runs deep!) then this is a recipe that doubles up easily!
Ingredient Notes
Begin making this Orange Chicken Recipe by cutting up boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite sized pieces. To do this, I like to butterfly the chicken then cut each half into strips, then smaller chunks so the pieces aren’t as thick.
You’ll then coat the chunks of chicken in beaten eggs before dipping them in a mixture of all-purpose flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Once the chicken has been thoroughly coated you’ll deep fry it in vegetable oil.
After the chicken is cooked you’ll smother it in the delicious orange chicken sauce! To make this you’ll need: orange juice, cornstarch, granulated sugar, white vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger, minced garlic, and red chili flakes.
When its ready to serve you can garnish it with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds!
How To Make Orange Chicken
Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.
Mix together flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a medium-size bowl and set it aside.
Beat the eggs in a shallow dish and place it beside the cornstarch/flour mixture.
Stir 1-inch chicken pieces into the egg mixture, remove them and place on a paper towel, then coat them in the flour mixture.
Cook the chicken in the heated skillet until there is no pink left and is golden brown.
Measure out 1 cup of orange juice while the chicken is cooking. Then remove 2 tablespoons of orange juice to a small bowl and mix with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Set this aside.
Whisk together the remaining orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes.
Remove chicken from skillet once it’s finished cooking and discard the contents of the skillet including the oil.
Pour the orange juice mixture into the same skillet to begin making the orange sauce. Gradually stir in the orange juice/cornstarch mixture and allow to cook until thickened, stirring often.
Add the chicken back to the pan once the sauce has reached the desired thickness, stirring to coat the chicken well.
Garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds then enjoy with white rice!
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Store
Store any leftover Orange Chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Enjoy for up to 5 days!
You can also freeze this for up to 6 months!
Substitiutions
- Chicken Breast – Use any boneless, skinless chicken that you have on hand. Thighs would work well too!
- Granulated Sugar – Swap it out for brown sugar if you need to but keep in mind it may slightly change the flavor.
- Cloves Of Garlic – You can use 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder if you don’t have garlic cloves!
What’s The Best Way To Heat Up Loveftovers?
Reheat leftovers in a skillet on the stove or in an air fryer. You can also heat them up in the microwave but the texture wont be as good!
Can The Chicken Be Baked Instead Of Frying it?
Absolutely! To do so just spread the chicken out onto a large, greased baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for about 10 minutes.
Then you’ll broil it for another 2-3 minutes to brown up the chicken before tossing it in the skillet with the sauce!
This Panda Express Orange Chicken is the perfect go-to recipe when you want take-out taste without having to go anywhere or if you simply just have chicken on hand that you need to use up! Here are more chicken recipes that you may love just as much as this one!
- Bourbon Chicken (Better Than Takeout) – Tender chunks of chicken smothered in a homemade bourbon sauce, ready to enjoy in just 30 minutes!
- Easy Chicken Tikka Masala – Rich, creamy tomato sauce loaded with bold spices and chicken!
- Ranch Chicken – Chicken breasts covered in a package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dry Drip and Ranch dressing that can then be grilled or baked!
- Honey Ginger Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner – Moist chicken and fresh veggies covered in a tangy homemade sauce!
- Baked Cajun Chicken Skewers – Marinated in zesty cajun flavors before being baked and served with a creamy, cool mint yogurt sauce!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
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Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Sauce:
- 1 cup orange juice divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons white vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- chopped green onions optional garnish
- toasted sesame seeds optional garnish
Instructions
- Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. I like to butterfly my chicken, the cut each half into strips, then smaller chunks so the pieces aren’t as thick.
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Beat the eggs in a shallow dish and place next to the bowl with the flour mixture.
- Pour the oil into a heavy skillet and heat over medium-high until it reaches approximately 350°F.
- Stir the chicken pieces into the beaten eggs. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the egg wash and place them on paper towels.
- Then transfer the chicken pieces into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir to coat well.
- Transfer the coated chicken to the skillet. Cook the first side undisturbed for about 5 minutes, then using tongs, turn each piece over and cook the other side.
- While the chicken is cooking, measure out 1 cup of orange juice. Remove 2 Tablespoons of orange juice to a small bowl and mix it with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch. Set this aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes.
- Once the chicken pieces have reached an internal temperature of 165°F, transfer from the skillet to a paper towel lined plate. Safely dispose of the oil in the pan.
- Return the skillet to the stove and pour the orange juice mixture into it. Gradually stir in the orange juice/cornstarch mixture. Allow this to cook for about 5 to 10 minutes or until thickened. Make sure to stir often, bringing up any bits that may be stuck on the pan from cooking the chicken.
- Once the sauce has reached the desired thickness, add the chicken back to the pan and stir to coat well.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve with rice.
Notes
- How To Store: Store any leftover Orange Chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Enjoy for up to 5 days! You can also freeze this for up to 6 months!
- Substitutions:
- Chicken Breast – Use any boneless, skinless chicken that you have on hand. Thighs would work well too!
- Granulated Sugar – Swap it out for brown sugar if you need to but keep in mind it may slightly change the flavor.
- Cloves Of Garlic – You can use 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder if you don’t have garlic cloves!
- What’s The Best Way To Heat Up Leftovers? Reheat leftovers in a skillet on the stove or in an air fryer. You can also heat them up in the microwave but the texture wont be as good!
- Can The Chicken Be Baked Instead Of Frying it? Absolutely! To do so just spread the chicken out onto a large, greased baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Then you’ll broil it for another 2-3 minutes to brown up the chicken before tossing it in the skillet with the sauce! Just note that this will give the chicken a completely different texture.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Is there an air fryer cooking option? If so, please outline. Thx
Absolutely amazing! This recipe has bright flavor and the chicken is very tender. Will definitely make this again!
This recipe is absolutely delicious!! I have made it a couple of times – once with fresh squeezed oranges thinking the flavor might be even better and then again with orange juice out of a carton and it turned out SO good, too! (And it’s way faster than squeezing oranges by hand.) Thanks for sharing, this is one of my family’s favorites!