Panda Express Orange Chicken with tender chicken thighs fried crisp and tossed in a magical perfect-copycat sauce!
This recipe is different than the orange chicken recipe with orange marmalade that is SUPER popular online because the sauce in that recipe is based on a mixture of barbecue sauce and orange marmalade. While some of the pictures may look slightly similar, this Panda Express Orange Chicken is going to taste a lot different.
Looking for the ENTIRE Panda Express Recipe List? I have recreated the entire menu on the blog and have a Panda Express Recipe Index so you can easily access them! I have an entire section of the site dedicated to your favorite copycat recipes too!
Want some of the most popular Panda Express recipes?
- Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
- Panda Express Chow Mein
- Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken
- Panda Express Beijing Beef (Copycat)
It may seem like there are a lot of ingredients at play here and a lot of dishes to dirty, but it really does come together pretty quickly and at the end of the cooking when you have a plate of this chicken waiting to be eaten you’ll forget all about that pile of dishes left behind!
If you would like to kick up the heat a little bit and make this a spicy orange chicken, I suggest about ½ tablespoon of Sriracha mixed into the sauce. Any additional heat you can add with crushed red peppers.
If you’re looking to make your Orange Chicken healthy I have THE EXACT SAME Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe on the blog adapted for a much healthier meal. Look at Ground Orange Chicken (1 Pan!) and I even make it into a burrito (which was AMAZING) —> Orange Chicken Burrito. Most people make a version of baked orange chicken to lighten the calories, I do it instead with ground chicken which is browned really well first to give the crispy texture without the breading.
You all have loved this recipe so much since I posted it originally in 2015, I made a Q&A section of the most popular questions I was asked:
Orange Chicken Recipe for Crockpot/Slow Cooker?
I used to actually make this recipe in the slow cooker when Tyson made raw chicken tenders. I’d just put the tenders in the slow cooker with the sauce, cook on low for 3 hours, then add in a bit of cornstarch/water slurry and cook an additional hour. Now, I make small nuggets, bread them in panko then freeze them and cook them the same way. This recipe is coming soon on the blog.
What is in General Tso’s chicken?
Wok: The best way to cook quickly and over high heat for Asian dishes, this wok is the perfect stir fry pan.
Sriracha: Quite possibly the king of all pre-made hot sauces as far as I’m concerned. Adds heat without overwhelming you and can be used in almost every cuisine. Try mixing with mayo to make a perfect spicy mayo!
Citrus Zester: This zests your citrus perfectly without getting any of the pith in the recipe.
Soy Sauce: Nothing much to say here except Kikkoman has the best flavor overall and I always recommend reduced sodium.
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 tbsp oil divided, plus more for frying
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup flour
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 10 tablespoons sugar
- 10 tablespoons white vinegar
- zest of 1 orange
TO FINISH:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ginger root minced
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp hot red chili pepper crushed
Instructions
- To make the sauce combine the 1 tablespoon cornstarch, rice wine, water, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, white vinegar and orange zest.
- To coat the chicken add the egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil into a bowl and whisk together in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, add ½ cup corn starch and flour and mix well.
- In a large frying pan or a wok, heat oil in a wok 375 degrees.
- Dip chicken pieces in the egg mixture, then dredge in the flour mixture.
- Fry the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and repeat with remaining chicken.
- When you are done with the chicken, drain most of the oil from the pan (leave about a tablespoon).
- Add the ginger, garlic and crushed red peppers, cooking for about 10 seconds.
- Add the orange sauce and bring to boil.
- Turn off the heat, and add cooked chicken and stir until well mixed.
Video
Nutrition
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The pictures above are from a newly photographed, but here were the originals from 2015:
I. Am. In. Shock.
Everything was perfect. So easy for a beginner like myself. Tastes amazing and I cannot wait to try again. Entire family loved it and went back for seconds!
Delicious but SO HARD TO MAKE. dear lord. I just started cooking and this was my first time frying something.
Did not find recipe for Orange Chicken using orange marmalade and BBQ sauce.
Could you please supply? Love your recipes!!9
Georgene,type in “3 Ingredient orange chicken” in search bar
Made this for my husband who loves PE orange chicken and his response, “This is better than PE!!” Thank you for the recipe. I served it with steamed rice which was excellent.
Question: How could I make this without corn starch? Some members of my family can’t eat corn starch
Hey Kathy.
I made this today and I didn’t have cornstarch. I just used flour (cornflour amount x 2). It tasted great!
Delicious! My only substitute was orange juice for water.
I usually don’t post on recipes that I try but this one was too good not to. The entire family love it. I was shocked how good the sauce was. We thought it tasted better than Panda Express! Not exactly like it but fresher with a lot of orange flavor. Do not use orange juice and trust Sabrina! Only improvement for next time is getting a better fryer. I couldn’t keep the temp at 375 degrees once the chicken went in so it wasn’t as crispy as it should have been. Still delicious though. Thank you for sharing this with us!
I made this today- I found out I was gluten free 3 years ago so I hadn’t had Chinese since. This hit the spot more than you know. I ended up using ginger/garlic paste in the sauce (because I didn’t have fresh), and I added about 2 cups of orange juice because it was in my fridge. The chicken I made was disappointing, but that was me not the recipe. I have enough to freeze, and I WILL make this again bits so good I think I’m going to add it to my hand written recipe book.
Oh I a so happy you enjoyed it Lindsey! May I ask why the chicken was terrible? Maybe I can help.
I’m going to try this recipe this weekend. However, I have a question: the recipe calls for 10 Tbsp of vinegar for the sauce. Is this correct or a mistake?!?
This is correct
Hi, Sabrina, I did it for my kids. One of their favorite chicken at Panda Express and they love it! Made it several times now. Thanks for sharing. I love it as well. We give it five stars.
Thank you!
The blog was to long even with the jump to recipe button, I did like the list though to keep track of what you need. The recipe should add orange juice to it not just water. It was an ok recipe, I’ve made better orange chicken off of male cooks but this wasn’t bad.
Absolutely Gorgeous ? taste very very good ? tender and delicious
Thank you, Gustavus! so glad to hear this!
Made this for dinner we really enjoyed it . My husband and I thought the sauce was slightly too vinegary. Thank You for the recipe.
Thank you, Kat!
It was amazing and so easy. The only thing I changed was to use fresh orange juice in place of the water and to add the last 3 ingredients at the same time. Brought it to a boil and let it thicken.
Can you use chicken breasts
This recipe is better than Panda Express. I add some broccoli and sweet red pepper for some vegis and color, but other than that, the basic recipe here is perfect as is. Thanks.
Hi! I am planning on making this for dinner tonight but do not have any oranges on hand. I do have Natalie’s organic orange juice. Could I use this instead? And if so, how much?
Can you use chicken breasts
Hello, I am planning on making this tonight but don’t have any oranges, however I do have some Natalie’s Organic orange juice. Could I use this instead– and if so how much should I use?
I would recommend not using orange juice. It will not give the same flavor and the sauce will get too thin.
Perfection ?
Val delicious! Easy to follow instructions and was pretty quick and easy to make. It turned out delicious! I served over plain rice and it was perfect. My hubby, who is a huge fan of PE’s orange chicken, loved this. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Nicolette, so happy you and your hubby loved this recipe. Thank you for your support!
Do you use 10 Tablespoons white distilled vinegar and 10 Tablespoons regular white sugar in this recipe?
Yes! you can also find this information in the recipe in the blog. Just hit the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top.
Loved it!! Can I make sauce a day ahead?
Do you use 10 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar? And 10 Tablespoons of regular white sugar in this recipe?
Absolutely incredible! I omitted the chili flakes and added brown sugar as well as a splash of orange juice. The taste was phenomenal!! Printed and saved in my recipe book! Yum!
Thank you for your support Mariamada, so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
A winner all around in my family! Love it. Better than Panda Express.
Better than Panda Express, no way!? my family enjoys it too. Thank you for trying my recipe, Carolina!
This was amazing, I used sake instead of rice wine because I couldn’t find it in the store. I think they are kinda the same though ????. I also sprinkled toasted sesame seeds and green onion on top. My whole family loved it which is saying something in this house because my kids are 10, 12, and 14 year old picky girls.
I have made this twice in three days. It’s amazing. The first time I accidentally used rice wine vinegar instead of rice wine, so it was a bit off but still fabulous. The second time I made it I used orange extract instead of zest because I’m an impatient zester and always get a lot of pith. I also left out the rice wine the second time because I forgot to pick it up from the store. This is my kids’ new favorite! Thanks!
hello your original photos of the orange chicken did you serve them on the chow mein noodles?
No, we served them on rice in the pictures.
In the middle of making.
Thought I’d give you a little heads up on a possible correction (grammar- not to police, but for functionality.)
I got a little stuck reading over a couple times step #2… Then realized it could use a comma or colon. #1 as well.
I’ll be back with my picture when I’m done! Looking good!
• Substitutions:
– dry vermouth for rice wine
– juice from the orange for water
– powdered ginger for fresh (1/2 the called for amount)
– The Resourceful Cook “)
Always turns out so good! For some reason I can’t seem to find rice wine at my local grocery store. So I substitute with a white cooking wine and it still turns out awesome. Even a big hit with the 4 and 1 year old!
Thanks Sarah!
Question, would it still taste as good with the sauce if you didn’t fry the chicken. Instead just sauté the chicken and add the sauce in?
I haven’t tried that so I don’t know how different it would taste, sorry!
Instead of minced ginger root could ginger purée be substituted?
It could.
During this Pandemic, I have had a chance to sharpen my cooking skills, which has kept me from being totally bored, encouraged & motivated to feed my family, friends and others!
Always a hit at my house…. to the point where there’s no leftovers (oops)
I would love to make the sauce and can it (jar it?). Is it ok to just make the sauce, including the last step before adding the cooked chicken where you cook the peppers, ginger and garlic and can that? Would i need to do anything different?
That should be fine so that the veggies stay fresh.
Made this for dinner last night in the air fryer – I think next time I’ll just fry the meat, but now I know! The orange sauce is fantastic and my son couldn’t tell the difference from the real Panda Express orange chicken! Definitely planning to make more of your copycat recipes!
Love to hear that, thank you!
How much oil should you use for frying?
You’ll want about 3 inches of oil in your pan to fry it. Enjoy!