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
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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:
Is this deep fried? It’s not clear how much oil is going into the wok. 🙂 I would like to try this
Yes, this is deep fried. You need about 3 inches of oil in your pan.
This recipe was the bomb.com! My kids thought I bought it from Panda Express. I will be looking for more from you. The only change I made was using orange juice (1 cup) because I didn’t have the orange zest. Superb!
This recipe was spot on and easy to follow!!! The chef KILLED this!
Yay!!
Decent recipe, very tasty but if you’re not a big fan of orange you won’t like this. My dish turned out to be super orange tasting, overpowering orange tasting. I followed the recipe to a T, didn’t use any substitutes and didn’t leave anything out. I am going to try this again in a few weeks and only use half of the orange zest. I’m also going to guess the size of the orange may dictate how much zest to use, which totally flew out of my head while cooking. (I did use a pretty large navel orange. Is there another type of orange that isn’t as strong, maybe? I figured orange zest is orange zest no matter the type, and that I could have a snack later lol. Navels are great eating oranges.)
I usually grab naval oranges too. It is a sweet, orange-y dish. You can definitely adjust to fit more to your liking.
Great!!! My family devoured it!!!
This Recipe Was The Best. It was even better than Panda Express. Everyone loved it. Thanks?????
Thanks for the 5 stars, Sayantan!
Bu-BAM! This recipe was the bomb! My husband and I devoured this in bliss. Thank you!
Amazing!!!!!taste just like panda!!!
Delicious, and fun to make! To make it gluten free, we substitute all-purpose GF flour and coconut aminos (for the soy sauce) 1:1. Turns out great, every time!
I made this..with several substitutions, because I didn’t have everything handy but, it turned out DELICIOUS! I used orange juice instead of water and orange zest, I made my own sesame oil and I didn’t have rice wine so I used gin! All substitutions were suggested on Pinterest. It was even better as a leftover!
How much orange juice?
This was amazing!!! Loved it.
I have tried other orange chicken recipes. This one is by far the best and easy to follow.
My daughter loves the orange chicken from Panda Express and she loved this recipe. The whole family did.
I will definitely make it again. Thank you for a full proof recipe!
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Liz. I appreciate the 5 star rating.
I made this recipe a few days ago and we’re still talking about how DELICIOUS it was! I can’t believe how perfect it came out. Thank you sharing! We’ll never go out and buy it again.
Hi Sabrina
I just wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe, my wife and I live in Australia and we first got to taste Panda Express back in 2009 on one of our trips to the USA, we make Panda Express one of our must haves when we visit the USA as it does not exist in Australia.
Now with your help we can have this delicious meal when ever we want at home. The Orange Chicken is my wife’s favourite dish and mine in Beijing Beef which we also cook very regularly. These recipes are so tasty and better than anything from a restaurant.
Once again thank you for sharing these recipes. We will look forward to trying many more in the future.
Thank you
Paul
I’m so happy to have helped with satisfying the craving! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know, Paul.
Omg. Me and hubby is making this right now and the chicken is good even before the orange sauce and maybe it’s just me but this taste better than said restaurant. I’m going to make this again definitely.
The family loved this dish. Didn’t have oranges so I used clementines and red wine vinegar instead of rice wine.
Its definitely going in to the recipe book
Very impressed with this recipe. Very, very good and delicious. Hit my orange chicken craving better than takeout. Make it, it’s worth it. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for letting me know, Kristina. I appreciate the 5 stars.
Doubled the recipe and would cut back on vinegar and orange zest if doubled again.. Great flavor just too much vinegar.
Can you do this without frying the chicken? Grilled chicken then adding the sauce at the end to coat with the chicken?
Sure
I subbed apple cider vinegar for rice wine and it was excellent. Many steps but did not find it difficult. I used breasts also.
Will rice vinegar work instead of rice wine ?
No, you’re better off using a white wine or white grape juice instead.
Thank you for this recipe Sabrina! I have just discovered your page and this recipe was SO GOOD! Loved it exactly as written (except using chicken breast since that’s what I had!). Thank goodness I only made a small portion, since I 100% would have eaten the entire batch no matter how big! Yum 🙂
So happy you found the site, Natalie.
My 12 year old son just made this by following the directions. The only thing is we didn’t have rice wine so we used white cooking wine. Everything else was the same. It had a GREAT flavour!! I only wished it was more crunchy but the flavor is very good. The whole thing was good actually, I’m just being picky. My son said he wouldn’t do it again because it was “too much work.” Welcome to cooking from scratch!!! Haha
Better than Panda Express! Thank you.
Thanks for the 5 stars, Shanti! Glad you enjoyed it.
I say the same.
I loved this you should try it.It is awesome
What kind of oil is the best for frying the chicken in this recipe. Lately I’ve been reading that Canola oil is not good for frying (what I’ve always used) Also, one time I made this the cornstarch mixture came off on the oil and it was still good, but I had a big mess. Thank you.
I use canola oil for frying.
Did you ever make the recipe for the orange chicken in crockpot?
No, but thanks for the reminder.
I have never left a review for a Pinterest recipe before but this causes for a review because it deserves it! This is literally the BEST recipe I have ever tried from Pinterest. It is amazing. Tastes exactly like real Chinese. The ONLY thing I did different is I used white grape fruit juice vs rice wine because I didn’t have any. Everything else I followed exactly like the recipe. 5 stars!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! I appreciate the 5 stars.
Thanks for sharing! Made it tonight and it was a big sucess ? shared this to some of friends who are fans of panda express orange chicken.
I didn’t use the vinegar at all. Instead, I used lemon juice and lemon zest and mixed them with everything listed in the sauce ingredients into a measuring cup.
I just made this and it taste EXACTLY like the Panda Express orange chicken! I’m so excited because I live in Amsterdam and craved Panda Express. Thank you so much for this recipe! I followed the recipe except used 6 tablespoon white vinegar and 7 tablespoons of sugar.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars.
This is a great alternative and the best copycat recipe I’ve found for orange chicken so far. I found the sauce to be a bit too zesty – too vinegary – so I would cut that down a bit if making again. Further, I would use mandarins instead of orange and use the juice of the fruit to reduce the water amount (dislike having wasted ingredients). The time to prepare and cook are grossly underestimated – not a quick weeknight meal. Estimate altogether a 2 hour prep/cook time – perhaps even a bit longer to prepare side dishes to accompany. I needed to triple the egg wash and starch/flour mixtures to coat 2.32lbs of chicken thighs. Oh, I doubled the sauce mixture as I tend to like things a bit saucy and I added a couple dashes of sriracha as well as a pinch of red pepper flakes and it was the perfect amount. Perhaps I’d also saute in a shallot with the garlic and ginger and then use an immersion blender to blend then add the orange sauce to simmer. Thanks for sharing.
Made this as the main dish with the ragoons as the appetizer. Both recipes are perfect. Spot on in flavor to those from Panda. My son who loves eating out says this was the best chicken he has ever tasted. I used 3 chicken breasts instead of thighs. Thanks!
This recipe is fantastic and instructions easy to follow. Thank you so much for supplying – we don’t have Panda Express is Australia and this recipe is a great reminder of the Orange Chicken we fell in love with on vacation.
Okay, this is phenomenal. Takes just a bit of time and SO worth it. Easy to make in a small college apartment kitchen. This will be one of those recipes that is committed to memory and a staple in my repertoire in no time!
Tried this recipe because my son wanted orange chicken and I didn’t feel like eating at this crappy Chinese fast food chain down the street from our place. I followed this recipe except I decreased the white vinegar to half and I chopped the ginger root instead on mincing it. It turned out amazing. Better than the restaurant. My husband is a huge critic of my cooking and he loved it. The most important critic of mine is my son. After one bite he tells me I am the best cook. Even better than dads. Aww…
Can i make this sauce a day in advance?
Sure
My kids and husband LOVE it! Second time I am making it in a week. So glad I found a chicken recipe the whole family enjoys
Yum! Do you have the noodle recipe for the pictures that are older? Looks delish.
I’m sorry but this recipe doesn’t have noodles. I’m not sure what you’re referring to.
Your pictures from 2015 the meat is sitting on top of noodles. They asked for a separate recipe, not about this recipe?
The high marks is what made me choose this recipe, and now I know why! This recipe and all of Sabrina’s Panda Express Copycat Recipes will be my go-to recipes to satisfy my family’s PE cravings. I only purchased the chicken thighs and I had all the other ingredients in my home, so it made for a very inexpensive dinner. We didn’t have an orange at the house, but we used the zest from a couple of mandarins (Cuties) instead. The orange flavor is more intense in these mandarins which I loved! The sauce was PERFECT and the coating on the chicken held up under the glaze. There wasn’t anything left. The next recipes I want to try are the Beijing Beef and the Honey Sesame Chicken because those are my personal favorites. Thanks so much for such amazing, spot-on recipes!
Very tasty. Especially love the corn starch / flower breading. My only changes were: half the sugar and double the chicken.
Hey thanks for posting Dave! I was totally put off by the amt of sugar it calls for, so I’ll give it a try your way! (Jeez, no wonder it’s so good at Panda! ?)
Thanks so much for this! I love orange chicken but I’ve been eating low carb so finding a recipe I could alter was fantastic. It didn’t even need much changing – I just swapped out the sugar for erythritol and liquid stevia, and switched out corn starch with xantham gum. The sauce came out tasting exactly as I remember! tossed over freshly baked chicken wings, it was so perfect!
You’re welcome, Rebecca.
I love Panda Express´ orange chicken and I wanted to try making it by myself. Great recipe but I wonder if there’s been a mistake in the ingredients list. 10 tablespoons of vinegar left my chicken tasting horrible! I cut the vinegar flavor with even more sugar, and it worked but it wasn’t what I hoped for. I will definitely try it again, but not with all that vinegar!
Also it took me way longer than 30 mins.
Excellent! My family loved it. Very Panda Express flavor – but better. We had it with white rice and a side of sauteed Gai Choy which is similar to Bok Choy only with a spicy mustard taste. Very good with the sweet and tangy orange chicken.
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it, Linda.
Omg it was sooooo good. I couldn’t stop eating it. I was scared at first because of the amount of vinegar but I didn’t even taste it. Panda Express will no longer see me in their restaurant.
I’ve been looking for a good Orange Chicken recipe cause in Germany we don’t have a lot places who offer it. This is absolutely amazing. I brought my parents a plate and my mom loved it so much she asked me to make it for her birthday next year 😀
Thanks for this, really appreciate it!
How awesome! Thanks for coming back to let me know.
This was really easy to put together and very tasty! My whole family loved it. The only change I made was subsituting 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper for the red pepper flakes, because I didn’t have those. Will definitely make this again.
Hello,
Can I use orange juice instead of orange zest?
You could substitute orange juice for the water in the sauce. That isn’t tested so I can’t speak to if it will give you the exact same flavors, but I bet it will still be pretty delicious. Just don’t add both the water and the orange juice or you’ll thin the sauce too much.
I subbed Orange juice for the wine and it was so good. Also I used rice vinegar instead of white. Both worked great.
Thanks for the feedback.
Hey, me and my mom were going to make this for dinner tonight, I was wondering, can we replace the rice wine with Orange Juice or Apple Juice? Preferably orange juice cause that’s what we have, and if so, do we have to give more of it or less of it? Thank’s best regards, Nathaniel
A dry sherry or white wine would be a better alternative.
Can I omit the wine, we don’t have it in our home? What can use in it’s place?
If you want non-alcoholic, you can use white grape juice or apple juice. Keep in mind it will be slightly sweeter but it will still be good 🙂
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs for the orange chicken?
It won’t be a copycat of the original as they use thighs but yes you can. Be aware of how long you’re frying because breast meat will dry out faster than thigh meat.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it for my boys today and they loved it. I usually ask them when I try something new. Is this a keeper recipe? They both shouted yes! It’s so good! Thank you Sabrina for sharing and making this Dad Look like a great Chef.
My pleasure! Thank you so much for trusting me with dinner!
Could we use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs?
Certainly. You can also use chicken tenders.:) Let me know how you like it!
Was there a particular reason why you went with chicken thighs as opposed to, lets say, chicken breasts? Are chicken thighs softer, do they taste better, cheaper at the supermarket? I’m new to cooking so I’m clueless 🙂
Chicken thighs have a lot more flavor, have higher fat content (meaning the stay moist better) and they are budget friendly. Always my top choice unless I’m cooking breasts with something that will keep moisture in and/or adds a lot of flavor like wrapping them in bacon. 🙂
Feel free to ask as many questions as you need – I love helping those that are new to cooking 🙂