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Ingredients
All the ingredients for this democratic entree are easy to find at your local grocery memory. The sambal oelek and the sesame oil will be in the Asian or international section.
Reading: Panda Express Orange Chicken
- Meat: boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast
- Aromatics: ginger, garlic, and green onion
- Spice: red pepper flakes and sambal oelek
- Sweetener: white and light brown sugar
- Oil: a high smoke point oil and sesame oil
- Vinegar: white distilled vinegar
- Citrus: no pulp orange juice and freshly grated orange zest
- Thickener: cornstarch or arrowroot
- Soy Sauce: reduced sodium soy sauce, liquid aminos, or tamari
- Dry Pantry Staples: all-purpose flour (or your favorite gluten free flour) and baking soda
- Spices: salt and white pepper
- Dairy: egg or flax egg replacement
Questions
What is Panda Express orange chicken made of?
In Panda Express ‘ own words their signature dish is “ crisp chicken wok-tossed in a fresh and hot orange sauce. ”
Is this Panda Express entree healthy?
even though it ‘s the most democratic detail on the menu, it ‘s not the healthiest choice. For a serving size of 5.2 ounces, Panda Express ‘ entrance has 490 calories, 51g carbs, 23g fatness, 19 gram sugar, and 25g protein .
For a one cup serving size, our copycat translation has 582 calories, 45.5g carbs, 35.9g adipose tissue, 21.6g boodle, and 20.5g protein. For more nutritional information, coil to the end of the recipe card .
What does this popular American Chinese restaurant’s best seller taste like?
In one son, it tastes delicious, that is why it ‘s so fabulously popular. The orange sauce is lemony and gratifying with a moment of inflame and hints of citrus and umami .
Is orange chicken real Chinese food?
Like many other chinese takeout dishes, this entree is very popular in America, but it ‘s not authentic chinese food, and you wo n’t find it served at restaurants in China. Panda Express says on their web site that their recipe for orange chicken was inspired from the cuisine in the Hunan province of China .
How to Make
To start, let ‘s gather the ingredients for the dinge .
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together then make a well in the center and crack an egg into it. Whisk merely the testis then pour in the oil and water. Whisk until combined. If necessary, add more water. You ‘ll want a pancake like dinge .
Submerge the wimp into the clobber and mix it around with your hired hand for a infinitesimal. Cover then chill for a minimal of 30 minutes .
Gather the ingredients for the celebrated orange sauce .
In a little heavy bottomed saucepan, heat the petroleum over medium high heat until it shimmers then add in the garlic, ginger, crimson pepper flakes and the sambal oelek. Cook until fragrant while constantly stirring .
Add in the two sugars and the orange juice. Cook until the sugars have dissolved, roughly 2 minutes while occasionally stirring. Reduce the heat to medium .
Add in the vinegar and soy sauce sauce, raise and cook for a minute. Make the cornstarch slurry and add 1 tablespoon then stimulate and then add another tablespoon. ( You ‘ll have leftover slurry. ) Stir constantly until it ‘s thickened like maple syrup then remove from the inflame and stimulate in the orange gusto .
Gather ingredients for the bass electrocute .
In a large wok, heat up the high smoke luff oil until it ‘s 350F. You do n’t have a thermometer, you can test by sticking in a wooden chopstick. If there are bantam bubbles near the chopstick, then the vegetable oil is hot and ready to use .
carefully place one piece of meat into the hot oil until ¼ of the pieces are in there. Use the chopsticks to move the meat around in the wok to prevent over browning .
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the kernel is a decent aureate brown. Remove the kernel from the wok and drain it on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all the kernel is done then pour the extra oil into a bowl, and wipe the wok out with paper towel .
Add all the fried chicken back into the wok. Add the sesame vegetable oil to the orange sauce to give the entree more of a slick look then pour the sauce over the chicken, and gently stir to coat .
garnish with green onions and serve hot with other Panda Express sides like steam rice, fry rice, super greens, and zhou mein .
Variations
- Need this gluten free? Use liquid aminos or tamari, arrowroot, and gluten free flour.
- Need this keto friendly? Omit the cornstarch and use ½ teaspoon xantham gum to thicken; also, use monkfruit or maple syrup as a sweetener.
- Need this vegan? Use tofu cubes, shiitake mushrooms, cauliflower florets, and a flax egg.
Pro Tips
- Like it extra crispy? Use the double fry method. Fry for 2 minutes, chill for 20, then fry again for 3-5 minutes.
- Don’t own a thermometer? Test the oil with a wooden chopstick. If tiny bubbles appear near the chopsticks, the oil is ready.
- Like puffy breading? Baking soda is the secret ingredient.
- Like heat? Increase the red pepper flakes by ¼ teaspoon.
- Like more orange taste? Add another teaspoon of orange zest to the sauce after cooking or as a garnish.
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Recipe
Panda Express Orange Chicken
Skip the takeout and make this copycat version of Panda Express orange chicken. Learn how to make the crispy chicken and the sweet and spicy orange sauce for an unforgettable meal you’ll want on repeat.
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Prep Time:
27
minutes
Cook Time:
30
minutes
Total Time:
57
minutes
Servings:
5
cups
Calories:
386
kcal
Ingredients
For the Batter
-
▢
¼ cup general-purpose flour
-
▢
½ cup cornstarch
-
▢
¼ teaspoon baking sodium carbonate
-
▢
2 teaspoons salt
-
▢
1 teaspoon white pepper
-
▢
1 large egg
-
▢
2 tablespoons olive anoint
-
▢
¾ cup body of water
For the Orange Sauce
-
▢
1 tablespoon olive oil
-
▢
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
-
▢
¼ teaspoon sambal oelek
-
▢
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
-
▢
½ teaspoon ginger, grated
-
▢
¼ cup white sugar
-
▢
¼
cup darkness brown boodle
-
▢
¼ cup no pulp orange juice
-
▢
4-5 tablespoons white vinegar
-
▢
2 tablespoons reduce sodium soy sauce
-
▢
2 tablespoons cornstarch
-
▢
2 tablespoons water
-
▢
1 teaspoon orange zest
For Deep Frying
-
▢
1 ½ cups gamey smoke oil
-
▢
1 british pound boneless skinless chicken thigh, with fat trimmed and cut in one-inch cubes
For Finishing
-
▢
1 teaspoon sesame vegetable oil
-
▢
2 tablespoons greens onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and crack an testis into it. Carefully whisk in the egg, then add the vegetable oil and the water. Whisk until well desegregate. The batter should be pancake-like in consistency. Submerge the thighs and mix it with your hand for a infinitesimal. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes .
- In a heavy bottom saucepan over medium high heating system, inflame up the petroleum until shimmering, then add the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and the sambal oelek. Stir with a wooden smooch for 30 seconds, then add the sugars and the orange juice. Cook for 2 minutes until boodle dissolves reducing the heating system to medium and stirring occasionally, then add the vinegar and soy sauce .
-
Make the slurry by stirring the cornstarch and water together, then add 1 tablespoon of slurry and whisk. Add more slurry as needed. You’ll have leftover slurry, and cook it until it has thickened to a maple-syrup like consistency. Remove from the heat and add the orange zest and cover to retain the heat.
- Pour in 1 ½ cups of high smoke charge oil into a big wok and let it heat up to 350 F. Drop the dinge pieces into the hot vegetable oil one at a time until approximately ½ cup of kernel is in the wok. Cook until gold brown, roughly 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the kernel with chopsticks so it does n’t burn. Drain it on a wallpaper towel-lined baking tray, then repeat these steps with the pillow of the kernel. Pour the vegetable oil into a bowl to allow to cool, and wipe out the wok with paper towel .
-
Add all the deep fried meat back into the wok. Stir in the sesame oil into the orange sauce for taste and extra sheen, then pour it over the meat. Stir gently to coat each piece. Garnish with green onion. Serve while still hot with steamed rice, fried rice, chow mein, or super greens.
Notes
- Want the meat extra crispy? Double fry it. First, fry for 2 minutes, then chill 20 minutes. Second fry 3 minutes.
- No thermometer? Test with a wooden chopstick. If tiny bubbles surround the chopstick, the oil is hot and ready.
- Want puffy breading? Add baking soda to the batter.
- Need this spicier? Increase the red pepper flakes or the sambal oelek by ¼ teaspoon.
- Want more orange flavor? Increase the orange zest by 1 teaspoon.
Nutrition
Serving:
1
cup
Calories:
386
kcal
(19%)
Carbohydrates:
43
g
(14%)
Protein:
20
g
(40%)
Fat:
14
g
(22%)
Saturated Fat:
3
g
(19%)
Polyunsaturated Fat:
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat:
8
g
Trans Fat:
1
g
Cholesterol:
123
mg
(41%)
Sodium:
1319
mg
(57%)
Potassium:
312
mg
(9%)
Fiber:
1
g
(4%)
Sugar:
22
g
(24%)
Vitamin A:
142
IU
(3%)
Vitamin C:
8
mg
(10%)
Calcium:
36
mg
(4%)
Iron:
2
mg
(11%)
