Ground Orange Chicken (1 Pan!)

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!

Ground Orange Chicken was born in my head one evening about a month ago when we were preparing Korean Ground Beef as we 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. In the last month we’ve made them in four different flavors (which are all coming soon).

This Ground Orange Chicken is amazing because it still has the crisp texture because we brown it well before breaking the chicken apart and it still has that amazing 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. Maybe we can start a write in campaign to Panda Express and say hey, make this version for when we want the sauce but not the breading!

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.

Want more Chinese Food Recipes?

• Honey Orange Firecracker Shrimp
• Cheesecake Factory Mandarin Cashew Chicken
• PF Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken
• California Pizza Kitchen’s Kung Pao Chicken Spaghetti
• General Tso’s Chicken
• Easy Mongolian Beef
• Panda Express Recipes… every single one in fact: Panda Express Recipes Index
• Many more Chinese food options…

Tools Used in the making of the Ground Orange Chicken:
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: I use this Cuisinart for most of my non cast iron cooking unless I am going with a stainless steel option, then I choose my All Clad.
Soy Sauce: Nothing much to say here except Kikkoman has the best flavor overall and I always recommend reduced sodium.
Sesame Oil: The flavor of sesame oil in this dish is unmistakeable and not really able to be substituted. Some Asian 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.

Recipe

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Ground Orange Chicken

4.83 from 29 votes

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Course: Main Course
• Cuisine: Chinese (sort of...)
• Author: Sabrina Snyder

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!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 tablespoons ginger root minced
• 2 teaspoons garlic minced
• 1/4 tsp hot red chili pepper crushed
• 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 1/2 orange
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

1. To make the sauce combine the rice wine, 2 tablespoons water, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, white vinegar, and orange zest.
2. To make the cornstarch mixture, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in the remaining 1 tablespoon of water and set aside.
3. To a large pan add 1 tablespoon oil and ground chicken.

4. 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.

5. Once the chicken is cooked add the ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for about 10 seconds.

6. Add the orange sauce and bring to boil.
7. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan and cook for just a few seconds, stirring until it thickens.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 4 servings, Amount per serving: 248 calories, Calories: 248g, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 405mg, Potassium: 604mg, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin C: 0.5g, Calcium: 10g, Iron: 1.1g

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Keyword: Ground Orange Chicken (1 Pan!)

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