Deliciously tasty and a make at home takeout recipe, this Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken is a flavorful and easy dish that takes no time at all to whip up!

I’m a huge lover of takeout but I’m even more in love with copycat recipes that I can make at home. Not only do they save you money you can have your favorite restaurant foods without having to leave the house.

I love food obviously and I really love ordering from our favorite restaurants but I’m also a homebody who loves to cook at home, and so over the years we have adapted so many of our favorite takeout foods.

This Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken is one of our favorites, I’m a huge Asian food lover and that is one of our most ordered takeout foods ever so I had to make sure I could make it at home.

This copycat recipe tastes just like the real deal, or as close as I could get it. It is so so so delicious that it is one of my most requested recipes in our household.

The kids love chicken and especially this recipe and that is what really matters, they are always the toughest critics so if they really like something then I know that it is a hit.

Some of my other favorite copycat recipes that we have on our site include Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup, Copycat Crunchwrap Supreme and Copycat Cracker Barrel Meatloaf.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

With easily available ingredients at your local grocer this is quick to put together.
You can double the recipe to serve more people.
With a light batter on the outside it gives each piece a nice little crunch.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM):

Chicken breasts
All-purpose flour
Cornstarch
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Orange juice
Granulated sugar
Chicken stock
Soy sauce
Rice wine vinegar
Garlic chili paste
Minced ginger
Garlic
Orange zest
Oil

HOW TO MAKE PANDA EXPRESS ORANGE CHICKEN, STEP BY STEP:

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes, set aside. In a large plastic baggie place the flour cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Shake to combine.
Add the chicken.
Shake to coat the chicken, set aside.
In a small bowl, add the orange juice, sugar, chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, chili paste, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and orange zest.
Whisk until the cornstarch and sugar are dissolved, set aside.
In a large skillet with deep sides, add about ½ inch of oil up the side of the pan over medium heat. Once hot, test a piece of chicken, if it sizzles immediately add the chicken pieces one at a time into the pan, shake off any excess flour. The chicken pieces should not be touching, you will need to fry in batches. Turn the pieces over when they start to brown, the chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Place the chicken pieces onto a plate lined with a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the sauce, stirring constantly once it starts to bubble a little.
Add the chicken to the pan, and coat in the sauce.
Once coated and the sauce has thickened slightly, you can serve.

IS ORANGE CHICKEN SPICY?

Orange Chicken is a nice balance of sweet and spicy, it has a little spice from the garlic chili sauce but it is not overpoweringly spicy. This recipe is safe and loved by kids.

If you want to make it more spicier you can add some red pepper flakes to your liking and heat level, we do this when we want this dish but are wanting something more spicy and sweet at the same time.

CAN I USE CHICKEN TENDERLOINS?

Absolutely! I love using chicken tenderloins for this recipe since they are already cut smaller it makes them easier to cut into chunks as well.

So if you do not want to buy a large pack of chicken breasts, tenderloins would be a great substitution for this dish.

CAN I USE FROZEN BREADED CHICKEN?

If you want to cut down on the time and ingredients in this Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe you can use the breaded frozen chicken chunks.

This makes a great crunch if you want a really crunchy chicken for this recipe! You can bake in the oven and then toss in the sauce mixture to coat.

HOW TO STORE:

Although this is best eaten when it is first made you can store this Orange Chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

The breading on the chicken may get a little soggy, but this has a light breading so it really won’t affect the texture too much.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

You can use chicken tenderloins or frozen breaded chicken for this recipe if you like.
This recipe can be easily double to serve larger families or for a get together.
You can serve this with your favorite side dish, we love it over rice with some broccoli.
If you want to make this spicier, just add some red pepper flakes to your liking.

Looking for a delicious copycat recipe that you can make at home that everyone loves then you have to make this Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken!

If you like this recipe you might also like:

If you’ve tried this COPYCAT PANDA EXPRESS ORANGE CHICKEN or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY, 2021

Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken