Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat)

6 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

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 with tender chicken thighs fried crisp and tossed in a magical perfect-copycat sauce!

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.

This Panda Express Orange Chicken Copycat is spot on and is SO EASY. PLUS theres a video!

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

Can I make Orange Chicken in the Crockpot or Slow Cooker?

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.

Can I make Orange Chicken in advance? 

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! 

How do you make Orange Sauce?

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! 

What is in General Tso’s chicken?

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!

How do you make Sesame Chicken?

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.

What is in Orange Beef?

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.

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. 
      Panda Express Orange Chicken with tender chicken thighs fried crisp and tossed in a magical perfect-copycat sauce!

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      Panda Express Orange Chicken

      Tender chicken fried crisp and tossed in a magical copycat Orange Chicken sauce! You'll save a fortune and skip the lines!
      Yield 6 servings
      Prep Time 15 minutes
      Cook Time 15 minutes
      Total Time 30 minutes
      Course Main Course
      Cuisine Chinese
      Author Sabrina Snyder

      Ingredients
       

      For the Sauce

      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

      Calories: 551kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 1003mg | Potassium: 377mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 214IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg
      Keyword: Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat)
      Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat) PIN 1

      Photos used in a previous version of this post:

      Panda Express Orange Chicken with tender chicken thighs fried crisp and tossed in a magical perfect-copycat sauce!
      Panda Express Orange Chicken with tender chicken thighs fried crisp and tossed in a magical perfect-copycat sauce!

      About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

      Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

      Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

      She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

      She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

      As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

      Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

      As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

      Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

      Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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      Comments

      1. 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!

      2. 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.)

        1. I usually grab naval oranges too. It is a sweet, orange-y dish. You can definitely adjust to fit more to your liking.

      3. This Recipe Was The Best. It was even better than Panda Express. Everyone loved it. Thanks?????

      4. 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!

      5. 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!

      6. 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!

      7. 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.

      8. 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

        1. I’m so happy to have helped with satisfying the craving! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know, Paul.

      9. 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.

      10. 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

      11. 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!

        1. Doubled the recipe and would cut back on vinegar and orange zest if doubled again.. Great flavor just too much vinegar.

          1. Can you do this without frying the chicken? Grilled chicken then adding the sauce at the end to coat with the chicken?

      12. I subbed apple cider vinegar for rice wine and it was excellent. Many steps but did not find it difficult. I used breasts also.

      13. 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 🙂

      14. 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

      15. 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.

      16. 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!!!

      17. 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.

      18. 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.

      19. 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.

      20. 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!

      21. 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.

      22. 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!

      23. 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…

      24. 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

          1. Your pictures from 2015 the meat is sitting on top of noodles. They asked for a separate recipe, not about this recipe?

      25. 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!

      26. Very tasty. Especially love the corn starch / flower breading. My only changes were: half the sugar and double the chicken.

        1. 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! ?)

      27. 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!

      28. 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.

      29. 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.

      30. 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.

      31. 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!

      32. 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.

        1. 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.

          1. I subbed Orange juice for the wine and it was so good. Also I used rice vinegar instead of white. Both worked great.

      33. 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

        1. 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 🙂

        1. 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.

      34. 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.

          1. 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 🙂

            1. 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 🙂