Tender chicken fried crisp and tossed in my spot-on copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken Sauce. You’ll save a fortune and skip the lines!
If Orange Chicken is your go-to order at Panda Express, you’re going to love this Copycat Recipe! I’ve got over 15 menu items in my Panda Express Collection, like Chow Mein, Beijing Beef, and Honey Walnut Shrimp, to recreate at home!
Sabrina’s Orange Chicken Copycat
Orange Chicken is the most popular recipe on the menu and for good reason! Crispy chicken covered in that signature thick, tangy, sweet, and slightly spicy sauce has become the gold standard of fast casual food. This recipe will make you dance a little in your chair as you eat it because it tastes just like you picked it up at the restaurant, some even say it’s better!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 10 tablespoons sugar
- 10 tablespoons white vinegar
- orange zest , from large orange
For the Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken thighs , boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil , divided, plus more for frying
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup flour
To Finish
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ginger , freshly minced
- 2 cloves garlic , freshly minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- To make the sauce, 1 tablespoon combine 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 vegetable oil into a large bowl and whisk together.
- In a separate bowl, add ½ cup cornstarch and flour and mix well.
- In a large frying pan or a wok, heat oil to 375 degrees.
- Dip chicken pieces in the egg mixture, then dredge in the flour mixture.
- Fry the chicken in batches 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, add cooked chicken, and stir until well mixed.
Video
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
Table of Contents
About This Recipe
It may seem like there are a lot of ingredients and steps at play here and a lot of dishes getting dirty, but it really does come together pretty quickly. And a big plate of freshly made, hot from the wok, sticky-sweet Panda Orange Chicken is worth any amount of dishes!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, technically you can make parts of this recipe ahead of time, but I recommend cooking it all at once. You could prepare the sauce without the ginger and garlic, then store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. When you are ready to serve it, follow the recipe starting with breading and frying the chicken as normal. Another option is to just make the sauce, cook it with the ginger and garlic, and toss it over cooked breaded chicken pieces (like popcorn chicken or chicken nuggets).
How to Store
- Store: You can keep any leftovers in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat: I like to reheat the chicken and sauce in a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until it’s just heated through so it doesn’t dry out.
- Freeze: You can freeze extra Orange Chicken for up to 3 months. You can also make and freeze the chicken separately and the sauce separately, then cook and combine them when ready.
Alternative Cooking Techniques
- Cornstarch: You can use a different sauce thickener, like cornflour, or substitute equal parts with regular flour. If you prefer to not have any wheat or corn products in the mix, you can try tapioca starch or arrowroot powder.
- Rice Wine: You can substitute with equal parts Japanese sake. If you prefer nonalcoholic then try white grape juice or apple juice which are both good substitutes and add a bit of sweetness.
- White Vinegar: If you just can’t find regular white vinegar (which is specifically made from cane sugar), you can use apple cider vinegar, or even white wine vinegar.
- Ginger: You can use equal parts ginger puree or pre-minced ginger. Also, in a pinch, 4 teaspoons of ginger powder work well. If your paste is a ginger/garlic combo, you can substitute with a total of two tablespoons of ginger/garlic paste instead of the amounts listed in the recipe.
- Water: A great idea is to substitute orange juice for the water in this recipe. It’s not required to get the full Orange Chicken flavor, but if you do you won’t be disappointed.
FAQ’s
Yes, but it’s going to be a bit of a different process. Check out my Slow Cooker Orange Chicken recipe for a complete step by step guide to ensure it comes out just as delicious as the wok-fried version.
General Tso’s Chicken is probably the closest tasting dish to Orange Chicken. Although it doesn’t contain any orange, it does have many similar ingredients. It is tossed with deep fried chicken pieces as well.
Sesame Chicken definitely has a similar flavor profile with some key differences. It obviously doesn’t have orange added, but also it is more mild since it doesn’t have red pepper flakes or ginger.
No. My 3-Ingredient Orange Chicken recipe is SUPER popular online because the sauce is literally just a mixture of barbecue sauce and orange marmalade and it gets tossed over popcorn chicken. This recipe is made with a lot more ingredients and steps but it is so worth it for that spot-on Panda Express flavor!
Variations
- Spicy Orange Chicken: If you would like to kick up the heat a little bit and make this a spicy Orange Chicken, add ½ tablespoon of Sriracha into the sauce. Sriracha adds heat without overwhelming the dish’s flavors.
- Orange Beef: Grab a ribeye or flank steak and freeze for 30 minutes. Slice VERY thinly against the grain and cook it just like you would the chicken.
- Ground Orange Chicken: If you’re looking to make this healthy, I have a Ground Orange Chicken adaptation you will love!
- Sauteed Orange Chicken: If you prefer to not deep fry your chicken, a simple saute with a bit of oil will work great. Just add the cooked chicken to the sauce like you would normally do in the recipe. Keep in mind that it won’t have the same flavor or consistency as the breaded kind but it will still be delicious.
Related Recipes
Photos used in a previous version of this post:
This was good but it had way too much orange zest in it. I used 2 oranges as the directions state and it was overpowering. Perhaps you could make it more clear what size oranges you used or change the measurement to state how many teaspoons or tablespoons to use.
Thats a really good idea Casey. I did use two normal bagged oranges but I will reduce to 1 orange in the recipe and test it again for a specific measurement. Thanks!
Just want to make sure it’s right that the sauce has 10 TABLESPOONS of sugar? That’s a lot of sugar! I’ve never had Panda Express before but my daughter loves it and wants me to try this recipe.
Mindy, I wish I was kidding or wrong about that! Yes, 10 tbsp. This sauce is very sweet. I’ve experimented with less sugar and the flavor is completely off from the original, so to stay true to the copycat, I kept the sugar in. It is a similar sort of thing with the PF Changs Orange Peel Chicken recipe I have on here too. Lots of sugar. A much healthier option I also made were the kung pao and mushroom chicken copycats from Panda Express too. Those are 95% healthier, haha.
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!! When I can get my 3 year old, 6 year old, husband and myself to all agree that we love a meal, it’s a definite winner!! My 3 year old hugged my arm and said, “Mommy, I love this chicken” 🙂 Thank you so much for the recipe. Hubs says to start putting this in the meal rotation!
Thank you so much for coming back and telling me how you enjoyed it! You made my day!
Thank you for the amazing recipe! I am now looking at your site for new, future recipes 🙂 Thanks again!!
Aww thank you! Welcome! I hope you enjoy even more of them. 🙂
How do you read my mind every post I click? I love a great cheesesteak, it’s a weakness in our house. Still new here, any chance a cheesesteak recipe will Surface in the future? ????
Yes!! It is on the short list for ingredient shopping in the next couple of weeks actually! Right now the closest I have is the Cheesesteak Egg Rolls on the blog 🙂
That didn’t take long! Here you go:
//dinnerthendessert.com/pats-philly-cheese-steak-copycat/
Love panda does it take long to make
Nope, if you have cooled, cooked white rice it is done in 15 minutes from beginning to end 🙂
The directions say to add the rice wine and orange sauce, but the ingredient list doesn’t have orange sauce listed. How much orange sauce is needed for this recipe?
The orange sauce is the mixture of the wet ingredients in the first line of the directions: “To make the sauce combine the soy sauce, 3 tablespoons water, sesame oil, sugar, white vinegar, and orange zest.” Sorry for the confusion 🙁
This is great because this way you’ll know that there’s actually chicken in the recipe. I just had the orange chicken from Panda Express tonight and as I bit into every single piece I saw NO chicken. It was clumps of dough! The next time anyone orders the orange chicken cut each piece in half and see if you see any chicken.
I totally agree with you Sharon! Anytime I take a bite of a piece I’m always disappointed to look inside the bite!
Just send that plate over to my house and I’ll eat it right up, thank you.
Haha, on its way!
Looks delicious. I look forward to trying this recipe very soon.
OMG, this looks amazing. I really love their orange chicken. Bookmarked!
What about the type of noodles you use? I can not seem to find the right ones that taste as good as the restauranst serve! Cannot wait to try this recipe !! Thanks so much for all that you do.
I use the dried Yakisoba noodles that you would find near the Cup o Noodles in the grocery store. I have it detailed here: //dinnerthendessert.com/panda-express-chow-mein-perfect-copycat/ and they taste spot on! 🙂 Hope that helps
Orange Chicken is one of my favorites from Panda Express! That and their veggies. You are making me hungry!
Mission accomplished 😉 haha.
We don’t have a Panda Express here but we love their Orange Chicken! Yum!
I live near one but still try and stay away as much as I can!
The orange chicken looks mouthwatering. am definitely trying this.
I’ve never had the pleasure of trying Panda Express, given that they can’t be found in my part of the world. And now that I’m vegan I’ll never get to try them!!!! Still, this copycat recipe looks FANTASTIC!! Very happy to have paid a visit. Thanks for sharing!
I have totally made this with tofu, tofu puffs (not sure if you’ve ever seen those, they look like giant light brown marshmallows) and the vegan chikn at Trader Joes!
I love to try to make copy cat recipes at home. This sounds amazing and I love that you can control what you are putting in it.
Me too! That is my favorite part of copycat recipes!
I must admit I get the orange chicken when I go to Panda Express. What a great recipe and dinner idea!
It is SO hard to resist it!! Now I try and settle for the sample they almost always offer and get the lower fat options to eat, haha.
Wow, this looks delicious. I’ve never tried their orange chicken but I would definitely try yours!
Aww how sweet! Thanks Liz!
I love trying copycat recipes. This looks so delicious i will have to make it this week. I am sure my family will love it.
Me too!
Looks badass Sabrina! Sorry for the bad word 🙂
Hahaha. That was awesome. Thanks 🙂
Oh, I cannot wait to make this! My family loves Panda Express.
Yep! Same here!
What?! 36 WW points?! Glad you found a way to enjoy this w/out so many points 🙂 This looks so amazing! And I’m a huge Rubio’s fan, too 🙂
I know, heartbreaking right? 36 points!
I used to have a Panda Express near my home and loved their Orange Chicken. I will have to give this a try tomorrow as I can’t wait for the weekend to make it! Looks amazing! You did a wonderful job! 🙂
Thanks Nancy! I hope you love it!
This looks so good! I love Chinese food and I love Panda Express too! I’ll have to make this recipe very soon. Chinese is one of my favorite foods. Yum!
Thanks Kathy! I hope you love it!
Sabrina I always get the orange chickened from panda express. I literally live one block walking distance from a huge mall (its a blessing and a curse lol) and I get it all the time I go. My gallbladder hurts as crazy after, probably from all the processed ingredients, thats why I am going to try your homemade version!
I know right? I live less than 2 miles from the mall too and I can’t avoid it every time I go.
I am all over this! Congrats on your five month blog-o-versary!! Nice work. 😉
Thanks Erin! Can’t believe it has been five months already!
Wow, so I can now make most of their recipes at home! I love the addition of the orange chicken.
Thanks Shelley! I have some more to make but this one was already overdue!
Oh my goodness, this is one of my favorite recipes… and I have never made it. I am totally going to try this recipe. thanks for sharing. It sounds delicious.
My pleasure Shauna! I hope you love it!
I love orange chicken. I have to try this recipe some time.
Hope you love it!
Yours looks better than from Panda, thanks for sharing this!
Aww how sweet! Thanks Jennifer!
This orange chicken is one of my favorites. Can’t wait to make this in the comfort of my own home! Thanks for the recipe!
My pleasure! I hope you love it!
I too am a big fan of the Panda Express food. I cannot wait to try this as it is one of my favorites.
Hope you love it!
I am all about orange chicken! In fact it is my son’s favorite dish, but I had no idea how to make it! This is an awesome recipe that I need to try out with my family!
If my mom made this for me that would be major brownie points!
Who doesn’t love Orange Chicken. This looks especially yummy!
Thanks Stacie!
i am starving now after reading this!! I love panda express and now that I can make it at home, I probably will be wayyyy too often! Thank you for sharing!
My pleasure Kristen! Hope you love it!
All of your Panda Express recipes make my mouth water. This one is no different. It looks fantastic.
Aww thanks Donna! That is so sweet!
This orange chicken looks so amazing and delicious! I need to try this.
Awesome! I hope you love it!
I think you just saved me from standing in a few lines – I’m such a sucker for orange chicken! Looking forward to making it at home 😀
😉 I do what I can, haha! I hope you love it!
Yum! I can’t wait to try this. I made the Chow Mein, and it was fantastic!
AWESOME! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
I’m just now tackling how to cook, and I will admit I am a little intimidated, but I absolutely love Panda’s orange chicken! I’m pinning this and gunna try it… someday 😉
Awesome! Thanks so much for the pin! I hope you love it!
Yum! We had panda orange chicken on friday night! We love making it at home too though! We’ll have to try your recipe soon!
Awesome! I hope you like it as much as the original!
Yum, I think I’d eat this every day if I had the ingredients on hand! Their Kung Pao is also one of my favorites- you’re making me hungry over here with your delicious photos!
Aww thanks Jenna! I would totally eat this every day too, haha. I will say I am totally guilty of making this dish too often!
Wow does this look really amazing! I am a sucker for Orange Chicken so this recipe is going to have to be recreated in my kitchen!
Thanks Amy!
This looks delicious! I better not tell my husband I found this recipe or else he will be asking for it all the time! He loves orange chicken. But I like how you can choose your serving size when making it at home vs. served a huge serving at the restaurant!
Yup! That is another awesome thing about it, I load up 80% of my plate with healthy options and take a small portion of the more decadent options.
The orange chicken looks so good. I love Chinese food and would love to make this at home.
Thanks Lisa!
This is more American Chinese. Orange chicken is not real Chinese Food. If you want real Chinese food, take a trip to china
Well, I think “American Chinese” is what many of us here in America actually enjoy. I like authentic and I like the Americanized versions. Variety is the spice of life!
I have been to China, and the food there is not at all what we have in America, and quite frankly, I’ll admit that “Chinese” food in America is geared towards American tastes, and not at all Chinese, thank God! I was at a buffet in Guangzhou and of 30+ items, I could not identify a single one except chicken feet. Lot’s of chicken feet. Yay for Panda Express and copycat recipes!!
I am loving these Panda Express copy cat recipes you’ve been giving us. They are so good!
Thanks Jennifer! Glad you’re enjoying them!
hello. can i use something else instead of the rice wine? perhaps rice vinegar?
No, the rice wine adds a sweet flavor, which you’re not going to get from a vinegar. If you’re having trouble finding it, you can use Mirin, which is a kind of rice wine.
Panda Express is so good, but we always spend so much money there. I can’t wait to try this at home so that we don’t have to go broke eating there! LOL
Seriously!! I can make all four recipes for probably 15$ and it would make 8 or more three item plates!
Oh my goodness this is my husband’s FAV. I can’t wait to make this at home for him!
Awesome! I hope he loves it!
We don’t have Panda Expresses around here, so this is the only way I will get to try it 🙂 Sounds awesome.
Part of me wishes I didn’t leave near one! It is so addicting! But then again you guys have Wahlburgers so that makes me pretty jealous!
Oh yum! This looks so good! I love Panda express myself! I am pinning this recipe and can’t wait to try it later! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome thanks so much for the pin! I hope you love it!
to achive the maximum orange flavor. intead of orange zest. use orange extract. trust me i worked at panda. 2tbs of it would flavor 8qts of the sauce they use.
oh interesting! I will have to give this another shot and test out orange extract instead! Thank you so much for the info 🙂
I made it just as you said and we loved it – and I would use orange zest over extract every time! Won over my restaurant preferring food son. Thanks!
Next up, I’m going to try this sauce as a base for sweet and sour, using pineapple instead of orange, as I’ve yet to like a sweet and sour recipe I’ve tried.
Do u know how much orange extract I? need for this recipe?
I would suggest about 1/4 teaspoon to start and add more to taste from there. Honestly though, I didn’t feel like the flavor lived up to this recipe using the extract so I would recommend sticking with using the zest.
Hey Sal, is there any secret ingredient that is used in the orange chicken at Panda Express? and do you know who their supplier is for their food or what company supplies their food thanks
Instead of soy sauce at Panda we use a “secret sauce” It’s basically soy sauce with other ingredients, it’s what gives it a signature flavor we add it into everything, chicken, rice, etc…can’t really tell you what’s in it though because I don’t know.
I used an orange infused oil.. ( purchased a lemon and orange oils)
A little bit goes a long way.. it’s very potent.
I think it came out awesome. I didn’t have all the ingredients so I asked GOOGLE HOME ™ lol .. and it gave me substitutes for the ingredients I didn’t have. and I improvised on the oil using my orange infused oil.
I just tried this recipe tonight and it was AMAZING!! I have never had Panda Express’ Orange Chicken but, I don’t have to now. My hubby loved it and will be taking leftovers to work tomorrow. This is totally new territory for me and I will be trying more of your wonderful recipes. Thanks again.