Tender chicken fried crisp and tossed in a magical copycat Orange Chicken sauce! You’ll save a fortune and skip the lines!
If your family loves this incredible recipe, they’ll also enjoy these other unbelievable Copycat Recipes, like our homemade In-N-Out Double Double Animal Style, the flavorful Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande, and the mouthwatering Cheesecake Factory Tex Mex Egg Rolls!
Panda Express Orange Chicken is the most popular recipe on the Panda Express menu, and for good reason! Sweet and zesty citrus coated chicken covered in a thick and tangy sauce have become a standard of flavor in the food world. This recipe will make you dance a little in your chair as you eat it because it tastes just like your favorite restaurant, some even say it’s better!
While there are a few steps to make this recipe at home, once you’ve done it you’ll be amazed at how simple the process really is. You’ll be making the sauce in one batch, then frying the chicken, and then the grand finale of putting it all together and serving with a side of rice or noodles.
This recipe is different than our 3-Ingredient Orange Chicken recipe 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.
How to Make Panda Express Orange Chicken
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. 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! Check out how to make Panda Express Orange Chicken at home!
- The Sauce: Mix all the sauce ingredients together and let the sauce sit while you’re making the chicken.
- The Chicken: To make the fried chicken, mix the breading ingredients together, coat the chicken pieces, and fry the chicken in batches. Set to the side until the very end.
- The Finale: This step is where the magic happens! Fry the fresh garlic and ginger and optional red pepper flakes in the bit of oil that is left over from cooking the chicken. Make sure to drain most of the oil first. Add in the orange sauce and bring it to a boil then immediately turn the heat off. Carefully add in the chicken making sure to not splatter the sauce. Dinner is served when the chicken is fully coated in the sauce! Enjoy!
More Homemade Panda Express Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! Just put the raw chicken 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 to thicken.
Yes, absolutely. Make the small chicken nuggets, bread them in panko or flour, then freeze them and cook them the same way described below. The sauce can be made a few days in advance and kept in the fridge. Once you’re ready, reheat the chicken, sauté the fresh ginger and garlic, add in the sauce and heat to a boil. Then add in the chicken, mix, and serve!
Orange Sauce is a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, orange zest, and crushed red peppers that thicken in a pan with deep fried battered chicken with cornstarch that will help thicken the sauce. As you can see from the recipe below, it is super easy to make!
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 including soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch as well as dried red chili peppers and garlic. It is tossed with deep fried chicken pieces as well. So good!
Sesame Chicken definitely has a similar flavor profile to Orange Chicken, but it is normally made with chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil which is cooked down in the pan to thicken before being added to the chicken.
Orange Beef is the far less known version of Chinese food with orange flavors. Since Orange Chicken is so popular, most people don’t order the beef version. Simply purchase the best beef you are comfortable buying (I prefer ribeye. Chuck roast works good too.) and freeze for 30 minutes. Slice VERY thinly against the grain and cook it just like you would the Orange Chicken.
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Key Ingredients in Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken
While most, if not all, of these ingredients can easily be found in the international section of large local grocery stores, if you have trouble find anything, the local Asian store will have them for sure, like the Wok which is the perfect stir fry pan and the best way to cook quickly and over high heat for Asian dishes.
- Chicken: We are using boneless and skinless chicken thighs that we cut into 1-inch pieces. You can use any cut of chicken though, as long as it is cut into pieces.
- Flour: Regular all purpose flour is great for this recipe.
- Orange Zest: Fresh orange zest is what makes this recipe so yummy. You’ll want to get a dedicated Citrus Zester which makes the process so much easier. This zests your citrus perfectly without getting any of the bitter white pith in the recipe.
- White Vinegar: Surprisingly, this is the secret ingredient that makes this recipe so addictive. And yes, we are using a full 10 tablespoons! The vinegar cooks down and blends with the other ingredients to make the perfect sauce.
- Rice Wine: Rice wine is NOT vinegar. It is a fermented rice beverage, or condiment. Look in the Asian section for rice cooking wine or mirin.
- Soy Sauce: Nothing much to say here except we think Kikkoman has the best flavor overall.
- Sugar: You can use any sugar, like granulated sugar or even brown sugar which gives a deeper flavor.
- Oil: There are two kinds of oil used in this recipe. One is sesame oil to add a depth of flavor, and the other is regular cooking oil. You can use canola or vegetable oil. Peanut oil is great too.
Substitutions for Panda Express Orange Chicken
- 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 white cooking wine, Japanese mirin, or Japanese saké. If you prefer to have nonalcoholic then try white grape juice or apple juice which are both good substitutes for this recipe 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. Also, distilled white vinegar (which can be made from any type of sugar) works great too.
- Ginger: You can use equal parts ginger purée 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 the 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.
Variations on Panda Express Orange Chicken
- 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 is quite possibly the king of all pre-made hot sauces. It adds heat without overwhelming you and can be used in almost every cuisine. Try mixing with mayo to make a perfect spicy mayo!
- Ground Orange Chicken: If you’re looking to make your Orange Chicken healthy we have the exact same Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe adapted for a much healthier meal in our Ground Orange Chicken.
- Sautéd Orange Chicken: If you prefer to not deep fry your chicken, you technically don’t have to bread it and fry it. A simple sauté 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. Either way, it will be delicious!
- Orange Chicken Burrito: Most people make a version of baked/sautéd Orange Chicken to lighten the calories. You can do it instead with ground chicken which is browned really well first to give the crispy texture without the breading. Then just roll it into a burrito for on the go!
More Incredible Copycat Recipes
How to Store Panda Express Orange Chicken
- Serve: Serve your Orange Chicken while it is hot and ready. Refrigerate any leftovers within two hours.
- Store: You can keep any leftovers in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Be sure to reheat fully to 165ºF internally before eating.
- Freeze: You can freeze extra Orange Chicken for up to 3 months. Simply thaw and reheat to an internal temperature of 165ºF or more. You can also make and freeze the chicken separately and the sauce separately and then cook and combine them when ready.
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 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, 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 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 375ºF.
- 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, add cooked chicken, and stir until well mixed.
Video
Nutrition
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This is way too good! Great recipe! Do you have any recommendations for dessert for this dish?
I would go with some thing lighter, since the chicken is fried. Maybe a light Coconut Cake, Angel Food Cake or Rice Pudding.
Excellent recipe! I’ve tried other orange chicken recipes that had orange marmalade and orange juice in them but this is far superior to those. Sweet, tangy, slightly spicy sauce but I did put in a little bit more red pepper flakes because we like a little more heat in it, but we really enjoyed this!
So glad you liked it! I’m all about adding more red pepper and kicking up the heat! 🙂
Directions don’t match video…just wasted one round on this.
So sorry it didn’t turn out! In the video, the only real difference is that I make the orange sauce in the pan instead of ahead of time like the recipe card instructions, but that shouldn’t change the meal. If you try again, I’d follow the recipe card, same ingredients but you don’t have to rush making the sauce in the pan and risk burning or wasting food. 🙂
You video also showed the addition of something green in the sauce (looks like sliced green onions/scallions, perhaps?) which isn’t mentioned in the recipe. It also shows what looks to be like a slurry for the corn starch…is that added to the 1/4 cup water?
Green onions were added. It’s optional. At the end, a slurry was made to thicken the sauce but again, not necessary if you bring the sauce to a boil. It just helps the process along. The slurry is water and cornstarch.
Excellent recipe!! I used only 8 tablespoons of vinegar and sugar , I left the rest of the ingredients as they are and the recipe was perfect. Similar but better than Panda Express recipe! Thanks so much for your recipe. It was delicious, I was truly surprised by how good it was.
So happy to hear that you liked it. Yay for pleasant surprises! 🙂
Hello Sabrina. Would you please send me the exact recipe for Panda Express Sesame Chicken? I love their Orange Chicken, but I love, love, love their Sesame Chicken.
Thank You
I’m sorry, I don’t have a copycat recipe for Panda but I do have a sesame chicken that is really good:
https://dinnerthendessert.com/crispy-sesame-chicken/
Her recipes are excellent they just like the ones they are copying.
As a shortcut, I bought Chicken Tenders from my local Wal-Mart Deli, cut them up and then made the sauce recipe as written! It was wonderful !!!! Thank you !!!
I am not much for cooking, but I can definitely throw together a sauce recipe with store-bought tenders! So simple and YummY!!!!
Love your recipes (at least the one’s I’ve tried), but would really like to see a good color photo of the finished dish on your printable recipes…
The best recipe I’ve ever try .. thank you !!
where is the orange in the recipe?
It’s in the sauce. 🙂
I’ve never thought pandas orange lacked an orange flavor, I made orange chicken with orange juice and was way better than pandas.
I guess my comment didn’t post, so I will try again. I would love to make these for a family reunion, but I was hoping to do some of the steps ahead of time. You told another commentor that if they were fried and then put in the freezer to use later, they would lose some of the crispiness. What if one were to just bread them and then freeze them, but not fry them yet. Could that work? So just coat the chicken with the cornstarch and flour and then freeze to be pulled out to fry the night of consumption.
I’ve not tested it so I’m not comfortable giving a recommendation. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Good luck!
We made it before going to the reunion. We didn’t bread the chicken ahead of time for dinner, but we will for the reunion.
We liked it a lot. We didn’t have any rice wine though. The link that you have in your recipe takes you to an Amazon product for white wine, not rice wine. I found some Eden foods Mirin Rice Wine. Is that what I should use?
We liked the meal a lot; we just thought the orange chicken was too strong, and when we made it we didn’t have rice wine and my hubby only did 9 TBS of sugar and 9 TBS of vinegar because he was scared 10 would be too sweet. Will the rice wine make it have less of a punch and dull the flavors a bit? Or maybe it was because we used bone-in chicken thighs on accident, so 2 pounds wasn’t really 2 pounds once you took the bone away. SO maybe it was just too strong because we had too much sauce for the amount of chicken.
Anyway it was AMAZING; we just want to make it less strong for the reunion.
I’m so glad everyone loved it! Eden foods mirin rice wine would work perfectly for this recipe. I think it does help marry the flavors.
So in an earlier comment you indicated it would cause the chicken to lose its crispiness if one were to make ahead and freeze, but what if you just cut and bread the chicken (not fry it yet), and then freeze?
I ask because I want to make this at my family reunion, but it would help if I could have some of it done already. My mom has instructed us to make sure our dinner doesn’t take forever to cook. haha. So I was thinking I could cut and bread the chicken the night before and freeze, and then take it a cooler as we make the 6 hour drive. Then fry and add the sauce once its time for dinner. Would that be OK? If not, my mom will just have to deal with me making a dinner that takes a bit. 😀
Yes, I think that would work. The flour might end up a bit pasty from freezing so it’ll absorb more oil while cooking and make it a little heavier. You also might need to use more oil during frying. Enjoy!
I used lemon and honey instead of orange and sugar. 9 yr old and 13 yr old approved!
Love it! Anytime I can get the little ones to enjoy something I feel like I have won the lottery!
The flavours are very nice, but ten tablespoons of sugar in the sauce is way too much and it overwhelms everything else. I have had desserts less sweet than this.
My family loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing it. I used to have a hard time making this until I found your recipe. It’s definitely one I’ll be keeping on my Pinterest ??
Thanks for pinning!
Can you make this in an air fryer?
I’ve not tested it using one. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how they turned out. Thanks!
Just wondering if you ever tried it in the air fryer?
We made this for dinner last night and it was honestly BETTER than Panda Express! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My soon-to-be husband begged me to start making this at least once a month!
You’re welcome! So glad you all enjoyed it!
I want to try this without frying the chicken, using grilled chicken instead. How does the sauce come out when not mixed with breaded chicken?
As long as you cook it together until it thickens, you should be fine. It’ll have a different texture from not being fried but it’ll still taste good. Enjoy!
Can this be prepared in an Instant Pot? And how would I do it. Thanks
I haven’t tested it so I’m not comfortable giving a recommendation, sorry.
We love Panda Express orange chicken at my house so I was excited to try this so I could make it at home since it can expensive eating out with a family of 4. While it does taste really good, it is nothing like Panda orange chicken. And it took me almost an hour to make it and uses a lot of dishes for the preparation as well. Asian food tend some to me more labor intensive though. I do really love the mushroom chicken and noodle copycat recipes though.
Absolutely wonderful recipe for the chicken! I tried it before adding the sauce and it was a big win! I will definitely be keeping this recipe for future use! =)
Sounds amazing! Can you use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
It will change the flavor but it would definitely be healthier.
How do you make sweet-and-sour sauce for and sour shrimp
Here’s a great recipe for you, just swap shrimp for the chicken: Sweet and Sour Chicken
This is a delicious recipe. My husband made it for me this afternoon and it was the best I have had. He increased the orange zest because he knows I love orange zest especially in deserts. We always use chicken breast in our recipes but he knows I prefer the thighs. So this was a nice surprise and so tender. Thank you for a great flavorful recipe that I know I will have him make for me often. 🙂
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
In your ingredient list you ask for 2 tbsp oil divided, plus more for frying. I only see you using 1 tbsp of oil in your directions … where do you use the second tbsp?
Also, there is no mention of how deep the oil should be in the skillet or wok. As I have never made a deep fried recipe before I don’t know what that amount should be ?
If you want your chicken to be light and crispy, you’ll want your chicken to be floating in oil usually around 3 inches deep. Enjoy!
Little sweeter than I like but still very good! Next time I’ll probably cut down on the amount of sugar. Still enjoyed very much!
Made this last night but cheated and bought Panda Express sauce! Yes! They make their sauce for sale at grocery store near you, it’s a great short cut for a week night meal!
Thanks !
Quite simple recipe. I was worried there wouldn’t be enough sauce for the chicken, but there was the perfect amount. The orange flavor was not too strong neither was it too weak. Definitely a keeper!
Yay!!
This recipe is so good! My coworkers loved it and family did too and it was really easy to make… Now it’s my 4th time making it, my co-workers and family are always requesting this orange chicken! I love it!!!
Yay!!! So glad everyone is enjoying it!
What oil do you use for coating and frying the chicken?
I prefer to use canola but you can use vegetable oil or whatever oil you have on hand.
Yes yes yes! Followed recipe as is and it was amazing!!
Yay! So glad to see this! Thank you so much for leaving a review after trying it!
Hi. Would LOVE to try this recipe since I just had orange chicken at Panda Express at the airport in Houston and we don’t have Panda Express here in Denmark unfortunately. However, am I the only one who can’t see the orange sauce mentioned in the list of ingredients but only in the recipe itself? Is it just sauce from squeezed fresh oranges and how much (metric measurements)? Thanks!
I’m so glad you found this recipe! Step 1 in the instructions explains what ingredients to use to make the orange sauce. Those ingredients are included in the ingredient list. Hope this helps! Enjoy.
Made this tonight for the fam and all agreed it’s even better than Panda Express! Thanks so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
You’re welcome, Amy! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Can you make this recipe in an instant pot? If so, how?
I haven’t tested it using one so I’m not comfortable giving a recommendation. You might be able to find a recipe online using similar ingredients and follow that as a guideline. Sorry.
2nd time making this and it is awesome! Love that I know what is in and who made it!
So glad you love it, Lisa! Thanks for the 5 stars.
You mentioned using sriracha in the “tools used in making this orange chicken”, but I don’t see sriracha in the ingredient list. Where does it come in?
Sorry about that. It’s not used in this recipe but you can add it at the end if you prefer a bit of a kick.
This is a great recipe! I made this today and I didn’t have any rice wine, but the sauce came out fine! I have to say the orange flavor is VERY strong but I like it (I used the zest of a whole orange – maybe my orange skin was very flavorful). I also used a little bit over a pound of chicken and then added steamed broccoli and sauteed mushrooms which I tossed in the sauce. It tastes AMAZING!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
If you don’t have cornstarch you can use ground/milled flax seed. It adds a nice nutty flavor.
Thanks for the suggestion, Brittany!
Can you make this with chicken breast instead? Or does it need the fat from the thighs?
I would recommend using thighs.
so they taste good. want to try to make her, thank you for sharing
You’re welcome, Deliana!
I made this recipe for my first daughter and her husband after their baby was born and they raved about it. When my second daughter came home with her new baby, she and her husband requested this recipe. I make it just as it’s written. Everyone loves it!
It is a keeper!
I’m so glad everyone enjoys it!
Sorry I’m not sure if I forget to click on the stars so I’m sending another posting I give it 5 stars all the way. Even if I had made it without substitutes I’m sure it would be the best. Thank you again. Yes I made this recipe
Thanks, Paulette!!
I usually don’t rate the recipes I make but I just had to rate this one
because it was so simple to make and was ABSOLUTE the best. I
wanted you to know just how much my family and I enjoyed your
recipe it was so tasty I didn’t have an orange so I use OJ and added a little to the egg mixture also I used agave THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. All the best to you and yours.
Now I’m going to try some of your other recipes.
You are so sweet, Paulette! I’m so glad your family enjoyed this so much!
Made this last night and it was wonderful! The only thing I changed was I added the juice of the orange as well. Had a great orange flavor that’s even better than what Panda Express offers! ?
How can I freeze and reheat recipe
I wouldn’t recommend it. The chicken will lose it’s crispiness.
95% of the ratings are from people who haven’t even made the recipe; they just mostly say it LOOKS good and they can’t wait to try it. it really throws off the ratings, and because i’m looking for copycat recipes, i’d like a comparison to the original recipe. there was only one person that stated it was very close to Panda Express.
I’d love to know what you think after trying it. 🙂
Unfortunately, I followed a comment and added orange juice. Way way way too citrusy. Makes me sad because this recipe took quite some time – that’s what I get for changing it up before even trying it! Will have to try again lol
Can I use breast instead of thighs?
Yes, but it will change the flavor.
Done this recipe before I’m going to use thawed orange juice concentrate for a stronger flavor 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion, Kayla!
Recipe was delicious! My son is a picky eater and he asked for seconds and thirds! I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand so I had to substitute the orange zest for 2teaspoons of Orange juice and less white wine vinegar since I added OJ instead of Zest. I also added less sesame oil and ginger because I find it too overpowering and less crushed chili pepper since my son doesn’t really like spicy food.
I will definitely be making this recipe again .
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This was amazing! I made this for my family tonight! So so good!! Thank you!