Orange chicken is probably the first dish that pops up in your head when I mention Panda Express – and that’s no surprise!
Panda Express’ orange chicken is not only flavorful and tangy but the crispiness is what makes us keep on wanting more.
Well, this is your lucky day because we have finally come up with the classic Panda Express orange chicken recipe that you can make in the comforts of your own kitchen! We have experimented with this recipe to make sure that we deliver the perfect orange chicken experience to you 😉
Fun fact: the original “orange chicken” which inspired Panda express to create this dish was a little different – it doesn’t have the crispy outer layer and lemon is used instead to create the tangy flavor (hence, they are often called lemon chicken). I’ve tried this in several Chinese restaurants and they are as good as the orange chicken we know today!
If you have tried our previous recipes, you probably already guessed that we get that crispy outer texture for our orange chicken from double frying.
Combine that breaded outer layer with the orange sauce, you get the perfect combo! The next time you want to impress your family or friends, have this recipe handy and you’re good to go 😉
ingredients
CHICKEN MARINADE:
- 1/2 lb Chicken leg (no skin)
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp pepper
CHICKEN BATTER:
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 eggs
- 6-7 tbsp Cooking oil
ORANGE CHICKEN SAUCE
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 stalk crushed ginger
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water (make starch water)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp Red pepper flakes (or to taste)
steps:
- First, mince chicken into cubes and then, place the chicken in a bowl and add salt and pepper to marinade evenly.
- On a separate bowl, combine corn starch, flour and salt. Then, whisk the eggs in another separate bowl.
- In a wok or pan, add oil and let it warm. Once the oil is hot enough, one by one, drop chicken in the whisked egg and coat it with the flour mixture before frying it in the oil.
- Fry on medium high heat for 4-5 minutes and take it off the heat. Turn the stove setting to high heat and wait for 1-2 minutes for the oil to get warmer before double frying the chicken.
- Double fry the chicken for 1-2 minutes and take it off heat. Be careful not to burn the chicken. Set it aside.
- Next, we are going to make the orange chicken sauce. The first step is to make starch water by mixing water and cornstarch in an empty bowl.
- Then, bring your stove to medium heat and on an empty pan add orange juice, minced garlic, crushed ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, starch water and red pepper flakes. Keep on stirring for 1 minute.
- Add the fried chicken on the pan and mix with the orange chicken sauce for about another minute.
- Finally, take the orange chicken off heat and serve it with rice.
Looking for more Panda Express recipes? Click the pictures below!
Panda Express Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1/2 lb chicken thigh (without skin)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Orange chicken batter
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 6-7 tbsp cooking oil
Orange Chicken Sauce
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 finger ginger crushed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- First, mince chicken into cubes and then, place the chicken in a bowl and add salt and pepper to marinade evenly.
- On a separate bowl, combine corn starch, flour and salt. Then, whisk the eggs in another separate bowl.
- In a wok or pan, add oil and let it warm. Once the oil is hot enough, one by one, drop chicken in the whisked egg and coat it with the flour mixture before frying it in the oil.
- Fry on medium high heat for 4-5 minutes and take it off the heat. Turn the stove setting to high heat and wait for 1-2 minutes for the oil to get warmer before double frying the chicken.
- Double fry the chicken for 1-2 minutes and take it off heat. Be careful not to burn the chicken. Set it aside.
- Next, we are going to make the orange chicken sauce. The first step is to make starch water by mixing water and cornstarch in an empty bowl.
- Then, bring your stove to medium heat and on an empty pan add orange juice, minced garlic, crushed ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, starch water and red pepper flakes. Keep on stirring for 1 minute.
- Add the fried chicken on the pan and mix with the orange chicken sauce for about another minute.
- Finally, take the orange chicken off heat and serve it with rice.
