Description
Panda Express Orange Chicken rocks your weeknight dinner game with crispy, tangy chicken that tastes exactly like the restaurant favorite. Recreate this takeout classic right in your kitchen and watch your family devour every last delicious bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 egg
Sauce Ingredients:
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Supporting Ingredients:
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Whisk 1 cup flour, ½ cup cornstarch, 1 egg, and ½ cup water in a medium bowl until smooth and free of lumps.
- Dice 1 pound chicken breast into bite-sized, uniform pieces about 1-inch square.
- Thoroughly coat each chicken chunk in the prepared batter, ensuring complete coverage.
- Pour 2 inches of vegetable oil into a deep skillet, heating to 375°F for crispy frying.
- Carefully drop battered chicken pieces into hot oil, cooking 3-4 minutes until exterior turns golden brown and crisp.
- Transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate, allowing excess oil to drain.
- In a separate saucepan, combine ¼ cup soy sauce, ½ cup orange juice, ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon minced ginger.
- Simmer sauce ingredients over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and becomes glossy.
- Gently fold crispy chicken pieces into the warm sauce, ensuring each piece gets evenly coated.
- Splash 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and 1 tablespoon sesame oil into the pan, stirring for final flavor integration.
- Transfer sauced chicken to serving dish and garnish with optional green onion slices.
Notes
- Whisk the batter ingredients thoroughly to avoid lumps and ensure a smooth, even coating on the chicken.
- Let the chicken pieces rest after battering to help the coating adhere better during frying.
- Use a deep-fry thermometer to maintain oil temperature around 375°F for crispy, golden-brown chicken without absorbing excess oil.
- For a gluten-free version, swap wheat flour with rice flour or a gluten-free all-purpose blend, and use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Chinese-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 560 kcal
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg