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This Panda Express Mushroom Chicken made at home tastes even better than the restaurant’s popular dish! Tender chicken, hearty mushrooms and signature sauce is done faster than you can get takeout.
Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
Panda Express Mushroom Chicken is so easy to make at home! There’s something so comforting about using fresh ingredients and creating a meal in your own kitchen. It takes less time to throw together than it does to get in your car, drive to the restaurant and pick it up. I drive by a Panda Express every day, and yet I still choose to make this savory meal with fresh vegetables and chicken in my own house. If you’re craving a good homemade Chinese stir fry dish, this is the one to try!
Ingredients in Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
The name alone gives away two key ingredients: chicken and mushrooms. Add in thick slices of zucchini and you’re well on your way to making a healthier, simpler version of the popular chicken recipe. Fresh ginger, garlic, rice vinegar and soy sauce create a simple yet savory sauce that tastes delicious served over steamed rice (if you are a big fan of sauce you will want to double the sauce recipe). You’ll love this meal, and so will your family!
Substitutions and Additions
No zucchini at home? No problem! Try some of these veggies and starches in this recipe and create different variations of a bowl every time!
- broccoli
- carrots
- cauliflower rice
- noodles instead of rice
- garnish with sesame seeds
What Cut of Chicken Should I use in this Copycat Recipe?
Panda Express typically uses chicken thighs for mushroom chicken. The dark meat has more flavor and fat and is actually cheaper to buy. But if you’d like a healthier version, opt for bite size chunks of boneless chicken breasts or tenderloin. I actually prefer chicken breasts in this recipe, but my husband enjoys the darker meat. However, white meat can get a little dry, so make sure not to overcook the chicken. Use canola oil or sesame oil to sear the chicken in a hot pan before adding the marinade and liquid.
Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Sauce
We did a side-by-side comparison of both the Mushroom Chicken and the Panda Express String Bean Chicken Breast recipe and concluded the sauce for both of these recipes is exactly the same! Even on the Panda website, for both recipes they say the chicken is “tossed in a light ginger soy sauce”. The mushrooms may give the sauce for this recipe a deeper flavor but the base sauce recipe is the same. So whip up a double batch of sauce and enjoy two favorite copycat recipes at once!
Is Mushroom Chicken Gluten Free?
Most Panda Express recipes from the actual restaurant are NOT gluten-free. However, if you make these dishes at home they are SUPER easy to make GF! For this recipe, all you need to do is use GF soy sauce and just make sure the broth you are using is gluten free. That’s it!
What Goes Well With Panda Express Mushroom Chicken?
With our simple recipes, you can have an entire Chinese feast in no time. Pair this Mushroom Chicken recipe with a few of our favorites:
- Ham Fried Rice
- Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat
- Pai Mai Chopped Cabbage and Chicken Salad
- Pork and Veggie Potstickers
Other Panda Express Entrée Recipes (and more Asian-Inspired Entrees)
We have created delicious copycat recipes to many of your Asian restaurant favorites. Make them all for your next big bash or Friday night date night.
Panda Express Mushroom Chicken (Copycat Recipe)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breast)
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 lb. zucchini (about 2 zucchini, cut into ½ inch pieces)
Panda Express Ginger Soy Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons white cooking wine
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic crushed
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated or finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss in cornstarch until each piece is well coated.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in large skillet or wok.
- Add chicken pieces to skillet one at a time, spacing them apart far enough that they aren’t touching. Cook for about 5-6 minutes per side or until the outside of the chicken is golden brown and is cooked through all the way.
- Remove cooked chicken from skillet, cover, and set aside. Wipe skillet clean. Place skillet back on stovetop over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil.
- Add mushrooms and soy sauce to the skillet and sauté for about 1 minute. Add zucchini and sauté until the zucchini is just cooked through. Do not overcook- the zucchini should still have some bite to it.
- Add chicken back to the skillet and stir in the mild ginger soy sauce (instructions below) until chicken and veggies are all covered in sauce.
- Serve immediately with rice or chow mein (links to recipes above).
Panda Express Ginger Soy Sauce:
- Combine chicken broth, soy sauce, white wine, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often
- Stir cornstarch and water together forming a slurry. Slowly add mixture to the sauce, whisking constantly until sauce thickens. You may not need all of the cornstarch mixture. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
OMG!!! This is an amazing hidden jewel. My Hubby, who rarely comments on food items, was complimentary!! The picky Granddaughter repeatedly said “So Good!”. Thanks for sharing and I hope more find their way.
Where do you buy “white cooking wine”? Are we talking just regular wine I would drink? I don’t drink so I’m clueless, what could I substitute?
Thanks!!
Any white wine at the grocery store will work! A substitute would be some chicken broth and a squeeze of lemon juice!
Use a white wine you would drink. I have some mirin that I’m going to use.
Added onions with mushrooms. Doubled the sauce. Needed to add more brown sugar to sweeten the sauce. It was something I will make again.
I love this. Just hoping I can make as good as they do
I thought that this was a great recipe. But I too felt it was too salty. I think that next time I am going to have to use less sauce. Also less starch mix. Not quite Panda, but far better for the frugal household. This recipe makes a great amount too.
This was soo good! It did take me a lot longer than 15 minutes, though. I wonder if I could freeze this or make it into a freezer meal of some kind to save time?
Yes, you can freeze the chicken. I would recommend preparing without the vegetables though and cooking them separate after freezing. Mushrooms don’t freeze well. Hope this helps!
Everything looked great until we tasted it and it was way too salty. If I made it again I’d use low sodium soy sauce and half the sauce. Even my hubby who loves salt said yikes.
Oh no LeAnne! I am so sorry to hear this! You can also use low-sodium broth as well. I double-checked the chicken broth I used and I realized I used the lower-sodium broth from Costco so I am guessing why mine didn’t turn out as salty. I made some adjustments to the recipe so hopefully those who try it in the future won’t have the same problem. Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know so I could re-evaluate the recipe!