This Orange Chicken recipe tastes just like the popular Panda Express dish, but made with simple ingredients right at home! Tender chicken in tangy sauce beats restaurant take-out any day!
Panda Express Orange Chicken
Orange Chicken takes center stage whenever we decide to have a Chinese food night. We rarely get take-out anymore because it’s so much easier and cheaper to make it at home. The tangy orange sauce is made with pantry staples you already have on hand, and complements tender chicken chunks perfectly. Whip up a batch for your next Chinese feast and turn take-out into take-in!
Andrew Cherng, the founder and CEO of Panda Express (thank you Wikipedia) said that Orange Chicken is a variation of General Tso’s Chicken (which IS an authentic Chinese dish). Orange Chicken is definitely “Americanized”. If you are able to find an Orange Chicken in China, it will probably be “Orange PEEL Chicken” which is a similar dish that is flavored with orange rinds, creating a much tangier flavor. Authentic or not, this dish is certainly popular and oh so delicious!
Suggestions for this Recipe
- We got the idea for this recipe from blogchef.net. It’s delicious on its own but I decided to kick up the heat a little. If you like things nice and spicy too, add some Sriracha Sauce or red pepper flakes. That way you can control the spice depending on taste.
- As the recipe is written, no it’s not. However, it’s really simple to convert this recipe to a GF one. Just replace regular soy sauce with a gluten-free brand. As always, check labels on everything to make sure you’re working with gluten free ingredients.
- Because this recipe is fried, it may not be considered the healthiest Panda Express copycat recipe (see our other options below). If you are looking for a healthier alternative, instead of frying, heat a little oil in a large skillet and cook chicken on each side for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through and THEN add the sauce. You will still get a little bit of a crispy texture and still have all the flavor! You can also reduce the sugar amounts or even use a sugar substitute.
- Box up leftovers and store in the fridge for up to four days. The great news is you can freeze this chicken and store it for a couple of months in the freezer. Thaw by microwaving and enjoy!
What to Serve with Orange Chicken
We pull out all the stops when putting together a Chinese feast. Sure, you can make things simple by serving this dish alongside some steamed rice, but if you’re wanting to wow friends and family with a scrumptious Asian spread, try a few of these delightful recipes:
- Restaurant Ham Fried Rice
- Panda Express String Bean Chicken Breast (Copycat Recipe
- Panda Express Chow Mein (Copycat Recipe)
- Jared’s General Tso’s Chicken
- Pork and Veggie Potstickers
- Low Calorie Sesame Chicken Stir-fry
How to Make Panda Express Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breast) cut into 1-1/2” cubes
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 eggs beaten
- Oil for frying
Orange Sauce:
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons FRESH orange juice
- 1/4 cup FRESH lemon juice
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon orange zest grated
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ginger root minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons green onion chopped
- red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Combine cornstarch salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in beaten eggs and shake in cornstarch mixture to coat.
- Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 cup water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.
- Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens.
- Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions.
sarah johnson says
This is so good, I had a hard time not eating it all before serving it to my husband. So much better than take away.
Caitlyn Erhardt says
This tasted just like Panda Express! My family thought I got take out haha. Thanks for a great dub for the real thing.
Gail Montero says
Glad I can make this delicious orange chicken at home and no need for me to rush to the mall to get my Asian food fix! YUM!
Mary says
This is so good! Better than takeout!
Suzy says
This is exactly what we were looking for! It’s so tasty and taste better than take out!
Denay DeGuzman says
My family loves Chinese food and all things chicken! This copycat orange chicken recipe is a real winner!
Amy says
Can you make the sauce and refrigerate for several days before using?
Favorite Family Recipes says
I don’t see why not!
Erin M says
How do you think this would be with half the sugar? We’ve cut out most sugar and wondering if 1/2 cup would still taste ok?
dezi says
SHA-ZAAM, this is off the chart fantastic. We just finished having it for dinner. Thank you sooooo much!
Lori says
Used an orange off my tree, didn’t have fresh ginger so used ground and didn’t have green onions so threw in some dehydrated. I fried the chicken in my big skillet all together, just kept turning until done, drained the oil and poured the sauce on and stirred. I don’t like it hot or spicey so didn’t add the pepper flakes. So yummy and better than Panda ???? Will make again!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yum! That all sounds delicious. Fresh oranges from your own tree? Yes please! That sounds amazing!
Jaynann says
I got everything to make this recipe but don’t have a deep fryer or wok. Suggestions?
Erica says
A large skillet would work 🙂
Nancy Vega says
I made this and I have to say I was VERY impressed. Never new I could make something like this in my own kitchen and it taste as if I ordered it in a 5* restaurant. Everyone thought I’d ordered out. Thank you. It will BE made often.
Linda Berglund says
I am not sure how I happened to come upon this website/blog? But I am excited to try the orange chicken. I have looked at some of these question/answers and glad to see that you are a part of them. That is something I always hope to see! I will look at your whole blog tomorrow (when then the sun is new for me 🙂 ) and enjoy it all then, I am sure. Thank you very much! From an old lady and her husband. Linda B
Echo says
Hi Linda, Thank you for visiting our site! We hope you enjoy it!
Teresa Cribbs says
The link for the Restaurant fried – rice did not work. Do you have another link? Thanks!
Emily says
Here it is: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/restaurant-ham-fried-rice/
Nadia Cabrales says
Hi, do you think I could bake the chicken just to cut on the frying and calories ? Thank You
Emily says
yes, definitely!
April Van den Hoven says
Thank you for sharing your recipes, they are so much easier to access this a must try.
Erica says
Thanks so much! We hope you will keep coming back for more recipes! We will do our best to keep crankin’ em out. 🙂
Ericka says
Great recipe again! As with the Chicken Coconut Curry recipe, we were impressed and are keeping these recipes for the long run! I feel like my chicken wasn’t as crispy as what you would find at Panda Express lol, so maybe next time I might try adding a little bit of buttermilk to the flour to make it crispier (see Pioneer Woman’s fried chicken strips). But the recipe, as is, was great and so yummy! Thank you!
Kay-M says
If you use cornstarch instead of flour, your chicken will be nice and crispy
Jo says
I’ve been collecting orange chicken recipes for a while, and this is the first one I’ve tried- I don’t think I need to try any of the others 🙂 This one was so good! Even my hubby liked it, and he typically doesn’t like sweet/fruity meats.
Chrislo says
I made this and used duck…it is soooo good ..poured it over white rice ..I didnt have scallions but I used leeks!!!
Alta Roberts says
Silly question probably, but does the chicken need to be pre-cooked, or can it be raw?
Erica says
It’s supposed to be raw.. It cooks through in the recipe. 🙂
Cherie says
I’ve made this several times and it’s fantastic!! Thanks!
Matt and Lisa says
I just made this last night and it was a hit. I left off the red pepper flakes for my kids and used it for the adults. It was gobbled up.
Laura says
Sauce is delicious! I kept dipping things into it because it was so good !
Erica says
It's 1 cup, but if you find that its too thick use 1 1/2.
Sarah Irvin says
you say in the recipe to have 1 cup water but below it say 1 1/2 c water. Which is it??
Erica says
About 6 servings. 🙂
Burton Fam says
mmmm looks so yummy! how amny people does it serve though?! 🙂
preparednesspro says
I’m really digging this food blog of yours, this orange chicken dish looks absolutely delicious!
http://preparednesspro.wordpress.com
Carol says
I made your recipe tonight and it was absolutely delicious!! Thanks again.
Heidi says
YUMMY!
Donna-FFW says
WOW!! This sounds like a GREAT recipe. Delicious, vibrant flavors and the photo speaks even more.. Love your blog just stumbled upon it!
Carol says
OOOOH! This looks so yummy. I definitely plan to make it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Carrie says
This looks so delicious and I’ve been getting so many oranges in my co-op! I can’t wait to make this! Yummy!!