Panda Express Orange Chicken Copy Cat Recipe

As I promised here is my recipe for Panda Express Orange chicken!! I have been dying to post this recipe and have finally perfected it I think!! I hope you all love it and try it. This recipe took me about 45 minutes from start to finish!! Not quite 30 minutes, sorry, but I do have some some quick 30 minute recipes coming up this week! By the way my husband LOVES  this recipe, he said it was better than Panda, I'm not quite sure about that (I am a HUGE Panda fan), but I'll let you decide!

Copy Cat Panda Express Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

  

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
pepper
oil (for frying)
1/2 cup cornstarch, plus
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger (or fresh; ground is sometimes easier to find)
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I use the dried flakes; more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Slurry

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Orange Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons of brown sugar
5 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate

1 tablespoon Orange zest (optional) plus some for garnish  

Directions:

1. Place chicken pieces in large bowl. Then (in a separate bowl) stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well.

2. In a separate bowl mix cornstarch and flour together.

3. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Then, add chicken pieces, stirring to coat. Stir until all the chicken is coated well. Some pieces will stick together. Pull them apart so that each piece is covered well and not attached to any other pieces of chicken. This will make them easier to fry and better to eat. 

                                                

4. Heat oil for deep frying in a sauce pan so that you have enough oil to cover the chicken completely. I usually use about 4 inches of oil in the pan. Heat the oil to about 375 degrees or until it reacts to chicken when the chicken is put in.

Don’t let the oil smoke, the oil is too hot if the chicken browns on the outside and it isn’t cooked inside. This step take a little trial and error, you have to get a feel for the heat of the oil. You want the inside and the outside of the chicken to cook at the same rate. I recommend trying a piece when you think your oil is hot enough, when the test piece looks cooked take it out and cut it open. This will help you see if the inside and outside are cooking the same. If your oil is too low the chicken will soak up too much oil and will take a REALLY long time to cook. You should get it to the right temperature pretty quick, don’t worry, it isn’t as hard as it sounds. You will pick it up rather easily.

5. Cook small batches of chicken at a time, frying should take about 3 to 4 minutes each or until golden crisp and cooked all the way through. Try not to overcook your chicken, but just do your best! This isn’t a test! P.S. failure is the best way to learn in cooking. Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside.

                                              

                                             

6. In a separate saucepan combine the ingredients for the orange sauce. Put this pan on the heat and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Set aside.

7. In a clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil add garlic and green onions. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add ginger and crushed red pepper; let cook for a few seconds. Then add the rice vinegar and stir for 3 seconds. P.S. take a whiff at this point! It smells amazing and SUPER strong!

                                             

                                             

8. Add Orange Sauce and bring back to a boil. Then, add the cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.

9. In a small bowl stir water into 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth and then add to chicken mixture. Stir continuously until sauce thickens. Stir orange zest if desired.

                                             

                                           

                                            

                                           

TADA!!! I hope you enjoy this! It is SO yummy!!! Make it and let me know how it went! I would love to hear about some of your experiences with this dish!

Happy Eating!!