CopyCat Panda Express Orange Chicken

 INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CHICKEN FRY INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Chicken Thighs (boneless, skinless cubed into chunks)
• 1 large Egg
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• 1 pinch Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Oil (peanut or vegetable – divided into two ½ tablespoon portions – plus oil needed for frying)
• ¼ cup Corn Starch (plus ½ tablespoon for 2nd portion)
• ⅛ cup All-Purpose Flour

PANDA EXPRESS ORANGE SAUCE INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon Ginger (fresh, minced)
• 1 teaspoon Garlic (minced)
• ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• ⅛ cup Water (plus 1 ½ tablespoon for 2nd portion)
• ½ teaspoon Sesame Oil
• ¼ cup Sugar
• ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)
• ¼ cup Orange Juice
• ¼ cup Distilled White Vinegar
• 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 large Orange (zested)
• 2 Green Onions (optional garnish – green portion only, chopped)

🔪 HOW TO MAKE PANDA EXPRESS ORANGE CHICKEN

After cleaning your chicken thighs and removing the excess fatty pieces, make a dredging station for the chicken. Coat the chicken and fry it up, then make the orange sauce.

Once the orange sauce thickens, you’re ready to combine everything and enjoy this fabulous dinner!

MAKE THE DREDGING STATION

1. Start your dredging station. Whisk together the egg, one portion of the oil (peanut oil or vegetable oil), salt, and pepper in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Combine dry ingredients. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the second portion of cornstarch and flour.
3. Dredge the chicken. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture followed by coating them in the flour and cornstarch mixture.
4. Fry until golden. Transfer coated pieces of chicken into your heated frying oil and cook in batches, as needed until done.

FRY THE CHICKEN PIECES

• I used my electric fryer to cook the chicken pieces. Then drain on a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet. *This prevents the fried chicken from ‘steaming’ and continuing to cook while you finish your batches.
• However, you can also heat your cooking oil to 350ºF (175ºC) and cook the chicken in a deep frying pan, skillet, Dutch oven, or a wok.
• Depending on your method of cooking the chicken (the fryer may cook a bit faster), it should be about 3 – 5 minutes of cook time on the chicken pieces until they are golden and crispy.

MAKE THE ORANGE SAUCE

1. To make the Panda Express orange sauce. First combine the soy sauce, water, sesame seed oil, sugar, light brown sugar, orange juice, distilled white vinegar, and freshly grated orange zest.
2. Fry ginger and garlic. Heat your wok or large skillet to medium-high heat and add the second portion of oil, ginger, and garlic and cook for a few seconds before adding the red pepper flakes and the cut green onions.
3. Add orange sauce. Cook for about 20-30 seconds before adding the combined orange sauce, then add the sauce and bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Make your cornstarch slurry. Start by dissolving the first ¼ cup portion of cornstarch in the first ⅛ cup portion of water. Stir them together until the cornstarch is fully dissolved while the sauce heats.
5. Cook until thickened. Once a rolling boil is reached, add the cornstarch slurry mixture (give it a quick stir before adding). Then, cook until the sauce starts to thicken which will only take a few seconds.

ASSEMBLE THE PANDA EXPRESS ORIGINAL ORANGE CHICKEN

1. Toss with chicken. Turn off the heat and add fried chicken pieces into the skillet, stirring in the chicken to coat thoroughly with the sauce.
2. Zest it up. Add fresh orange zest, stir again, and serve immediately.

This delicious Panda Express orange chicken is wonderful when served over some simple steamed Jasmine rice.