Ground Orange Chicken is made in one pan and only takes 20 minutes using a Panda Express copycat sauce. So much healthier than the original!
I love Chinese Chicken Recipes, especially ones that give a healthier option than just grabbing take-out on the way home. For more healthier meal options like this, try my Ground Sesame Chicken and Ground Chicken Stir Fry.
Why You’ll Love This Ground Orange Chicken?
- It is so much healthier than the fried version.
- It comes together in just 20 minutes!
Sabrina’s Ground Orange Chicken Recipe
A dinner that is fast, delicious, and healthy all at the same time? That’s what I have for you here with this ground chicken recipe. Ground Orange Chicken was born in my head one evening when I was preparing Korean Ground Beef as I have for years. I had a package of ground chicken and I was about to suggest making Korean Ground Chicken when I thought, “ooooorrrrrrrrrrrrr….” and a whole new world of ideas came flooding into my head. Get ready to add this to your regular dinner rotation and be prepared for the family to ask for seconds.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger root , minced
- 2 teaspoons garlic , minced
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 5 tablespoons white vinegar
- zest of ½ orange
- 3 tablespoons water , divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- To make the sauce combine the rice wine, 2 tablespoons water, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, white vinegar, and orange zest.
- Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in the remaining 1 tablespoon of water and set aside.
- To a large pan add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and ground chicken.
- Cook until a good crust forms before breaking apart, then finish cooking by breaking it apart with a spatula and cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked add the ginger, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook for about 10 seconds.
- Add the orange sauce and bring to boil.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and cook for just a few seconds, stirring until it thickens.
Video
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tips
Set your rice to cook in the rice cooker, start cooking the chicken, and wash and cut up some broccoli to steam in the microwave (glass bowl, a bit of water and a wet paper towel over the top for 3 minutes). By the time the rice is done cooking, so is dinner.
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
This dish is amazing because you still get a crisp texture because I brown it well before breaking the chicken apart. And of course there is that addicting Panda Express Orange Chicken sauce that we all love. The only thing missing is the deep fat frying. Plus, it takes literally 20 minutes to make, and that is at a leisurely pace.
Ingredients
- Soy Sauce: I always recommend reduced sodium.
- Sesame Oil: The flavor of sesame oil in this dish is unmistakable and not really able to be substituted. Some grocery stores will try and sell less expensive options that aren’t actually sesame oil, so just be sure the one you’re buying is authentic sesame oil.
- Rice Wine: Adds an authentic flavor to the sauce, in a pinch if you absolutely can’t find it you can substitute white wine, but it will make it taste slightly different.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Wok: Great for high heat, quick cooking. This wok is a great addition to your kitchen if you love cooking Chinese food or stir fries in general.
- Large Frying Pan: If you don’t have a wok, you can use a large stainless steel frying pan or skillet, preferably with tall sides.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, this is a great meal option that you can prep ahead for busy weeknights or take for lunch in the office. After cooking, allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. It will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days. Heat it up on the stove top or in the microwave. You can also freeze chicken for up to 3 months. Take it out and set it in the fridge to allow to thaw before reheating. As an added bonus, making it ahead of time also lets the flavors meld together to enhance the flavor.
Pairing Suggestions
This dish pairs well with so many things. You can keep it classic and serve it on top of White Rice with Easy Chinese Broccoli. You can also get creative and make other tasty Chinese sides like Egg Rolls, and Crab Rangoon with Duck Sauce for a full take-out meal made at home.
How to Store
- Serve: You can keep chicken at room temperature for up to 2 hours before storing it in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Store: Cool the chicken before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop for the best sauce consistency and taste.
- Freeze: Once cooled, transfer chicken to a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stovetop.
Frequent Questions
If you don’t have any rice wine, you can replace it in this recipe with pale dry sherry, gin, dry white wine, sake or mirin, or even apple or grape juice.
No, rice wine and rice vinegar are different. Rice vinegar is a variety of vinegar you’ll find with the other vinegars in the grocery store. Rice wine is actually a type of wine, has alcohol content, and you’ll find it in the wine and spirits section of the store.
Variations
- Meat: You can use other lean meat, like ground turkey or ground pork. If you use ground beef, make sure to drain it before seasoning it with the garlic and red pepper flakes.
- Stir-Fry Veggies: Once the meat is cooked, transfer it to a plate. Stir fry veggies like snow peas, sliced carrots, bell peppers, and broccoli until crisp-tender. Add the ground chicken and sauce to the pan, tossing until hot.
- Seasonings: Asian flavorings that taste great with orange chicken sauce are hoisin sauce and chili garlic sauce. For a Kung Pao Chicken kick, add diced dried chiles!
Related Recipes
More Ground Chicken Recipes
These photos were used in a previous version of this post
This is so good and flavorful!! Very easy to throw together!!!! Serve over white rice or fried rice. Great meal!!!!
This recipe came out delicious and so fast! Definitely a great weeknight meal and so flavorful. Thank you!
You’re welcome Sulay! Thank you for enjoying this dish, and for the 5 stars.
This was absolutely delicious! The only changes I made were swapping the sugar for honey and using the juice from the orange in place of the water for the sauce. Everyone loved it! Definitely a keeper!
Great ideas and feedback Brittany! Thanks for taking the time to write and I appreciate the five star review.
I made this without having a few key ingredients, and it was still excellent! People can of course adjust the sugar to their taste, but it shouldn’t be construed as a complaint because this designed to be a sweet Panda Express sauce replica. I’m getting the ingredients I was missing and I’ll be making it again!
Thank you Heather, tastes do vary when it comes to sweet and salty so I hope people adjust to their preferences. I’m happy that you enjoyed this dish even with some changes. Thanks for the 5 star review.
The liquid evaporated really quickly so it was dry and too sweet. I should’ve read the comments first.
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out as planned. If the heat is too high, or if it’s cooked for too long, that can be a reason for it to evaporate and change the overall taste of the chicken.
This is so good! I had to run a repeat of it the very next day because there were no leftovers! The second time around, I made a few adjustments. A little more crushed red peppers, more garlic (because you could never have too much), and added some juice from the orange in the sauce. This is a keeper and will stay in rotation.
Yes, yes, yes to all of this! I agree, you can never have too much garlic, and I love that you made it spicier to your desired taste. Thank you for the positive review, and I’m overjoyed that it’s got a space in your rotation.
Will definitely be making this again the use of orange zest was perfect for a great orange flavor without needing orange juice.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Kim and thanks for the five star review!
Do you have any suggestions for cispy ground chicken with NON Asian flavors? Maybe something more generally umami or perhaps Mediterranean?
Maybe not what you are looking for…if you browse our recipes and type in “crispy ground chicken” you will notice several recipes for your review! Thanks for asking 🙂
We really love this recipe. We substitute all water with the juice of the orange and reduce the sugar….so favourful!
So glad you guys enjoy the recipe and great idea! Appreciate the great review Tracy!
Excellent!! Only sub I made was white wine for rice wine. Making it again tonight.
Thank you for this recipe. My kids love Panda Express so naturally I needed to find a copycat. I didn’t have rice wine so I substituted juice from a jar of artichoke hearts (NOT marinated kind). I also used the juice of a mandarin orange plus 4 T raw honey instead of sugar. Yum yum yum!
Wow Anna! Amazing subs! Thanks for the five star review.
so good! thank you, I always enjoy your recipes
You’re welcome Carolyn. Thanks for being one of our loyal readers and for the five star vote of confidence.
I suppose I can use ground turkey ?
Yes ma’am! and please let us know what you think of the recipe!
This was SO good!
I replaced most of the liquid in the recipe with orange juice (half of the vinegar, and all of the water and wine), since I didn’t want to waste the orange. Used less sugar, since the juice was sweet.
I also added a red bell pepper and an onion in chunks, because I like my veggies?.
Thank you for a great recipe!
You’re welcome Synnove and thank you for your great feedback!
Too much sugar and Where’s the orange Juice? To me this shouldn’t be called Orange Chicken when no Orange exist except for a bit of orange rind.
I was surprised as well Sami! Did you try the recipe and if so, what did you think!
It was quite good but I, like many others, decreased the sugar. I believe it would have been way too sweet otherwise (& I substituted 1 TBS orange juice for 1 TBS of the sugar).
After reading many of the comments, I have a suggestion, Sabrina: in the ingredient list, next to rice wine, add “(NOT rice wine vinegar)”. I am certain that’s what people who had a major fail did (because they said it was too tart, & inedible). I myself had only RCV, but had read your response to someone saying they were not interchangeable, and knew not to use it. (Can’t recall what i subbed with, maybe just more water).
Good point and thanks for the kind review!
Really good. I would just more orange zest and a splash of orange juice.
Fast, easy, and delicious! I used the juice of the orange I zested and some honey instead of sugar. I also went a little heavy on the ginger and garlic and very heavy on the red pepper flakes. I loved this recipe and will definitely make again.
Thank you Gina and thank you for the five star review!
Delicious high protein dish. I also used the juice from the orange instead of the sugar. Very delicious and will be making again. I served over cauliflower rice or have just eaten this alone as a high protein meal. Great flavor thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome Sherry and thank you for the five stars.
So good that the 4 suggested servings only served 2!
Thank you for the feedback. I will look into this!
Is rice wine vinegar the same as rice wine?
No, they are different.
I have made this countless times and it is so delicious. Served with rice and broccoli.
Great to hear Laura and thanks for the five star review.
Great use of ground chicken! My family has allergies so I did a bunch of modifications, coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and no garlic. I also didn’t add sugar, just used the juice from the orange I zested, turned out great! Stir fry sauces can be a pain in my house so glad the ginger orange combo was satisfying.
Thanks for sharing the modifications Abby! Appreciate your feedback and glad your family enjoyed the recipe.
I really liked this! I had to sub sesame oil as I have a sesame allergy but mine was no where near as dark as yours. Mine was very pale. Still great flavor so not sure when I did wrong.
Very yummy ! Thought I had broccoli but it was chopped collards . Used them & mixed them in . This dish has great flavor ! Thanks !
Oh Wow! Amazing to hear as chopped collards have a very distinct flavor. Glad you enjoyed the recipe with chopped collards!
Instructions say cook chicken in 1 tablespoon oil but this is not in ingredient list.
I’m guessing it is be in nutritional information bc with oil addded in chronometer it’s very close to what you have for the nutritional information.
Just an fyi
Thank you Connie for bringing this mistake to our attention. The Recipe card has been updated. Glad you enjoyed the Ground Orange Chicken and thank you for the five star review.
This is SO yummy. I usually use a little apple juice in place of the rice wine bc I never have it. I’ve added this in to my rotation and my husband loves it too!! I pair it with jasmine rice and broccoli.
Even though I didn’t have the rice wine, it was easy and fast and delicious!
So glad you enjoyed the Ground Orange Chicken Angella!
Can you make it without the rice wine? I’m having trouble finding that
Some substitutes for rice wine can be Pale Dry Sherry, Gin, Dry White Wine, Sake or Mirin or even Apple or Grape Juice. Please let us know what you decided to use and how your Orange Chicken turned out!
I made this then put it over Jasmine rice and the Asian salad mix from Aldi. 10/10! Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome and thank you for the five star review Kyla!