Recreate at home everyone’s favorite Chinese takeout dish with our copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe. Its tangy, sweet-and sour orange glaze will completely transform your everyday chicken dinner. You will never need to order takeout again, you’ll be able to satisfy your cravings in the comfort of your own kitchen!
What’s in Panda Express Orange Chicken Glaze?
To make Panda Express’ signature glaze you will need:
- Sesame seed oil
- Minced garlic
- Grated ginger
- Brown sugar
- Orange juice
- White vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Sriracha
- Cornstarch
- Water
How To Make Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken Crispy?
To make the chicken pieces crispy, you need to marinate them in a mixture of cornstarch, flour, egg, water, salt, pepper, and a bit of vegetable oil. Once marinated, you need to remove any excess batter and fry the chicken pieces in very hot oil.
What is The Best Way to Reheat Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken?
For me, the best way to do it is in a skillet. Since the glaze contains sugar, reheating it in the oven can be a bit tricky. You have to be careful not to burn it. By using a skillet you can control it much better and reheat it until crispy but not burnt. The microwave makes it a bit soggy.
Other Copycat Recipes For You:
- Copycat Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli
- Copycat Popeye’s Fried Chicken
- Copycat Red Lobster’s Shrimp Scampi
Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat)
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- ¾ cups water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the glaze:
- ½ tbsp sesame seed oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 -inch piece ginger freshly grated
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup orange juice (no pulp)
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- Sriracha to taste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- Sesame seeds and sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Make the batter: in a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, flour, egg, water, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, salt, and pepper to taste until smooth.
- Add the chicken pieces, make sure they are all covered with batter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 mins.
- Into a large skillet, pour about one inch of oil and heat it over medium-high heat until it sizzles when you drop a bit of batter into it.
- Shake off any excess batter from the chicken pieces and fry them until brown on both sides. You might need to do this in batches. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and keep warm.
- Make the glaze: in a medium sized skillet or saucepan, heat the sesame seed oil and saute the minced garlic and grated ginger until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and sriracha. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved.
- In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with water and add it to the sauce. Cook until slightly thickened.
- Mix the chicken pieces into the glaze and continue cooking until all the pieces are well coated with the glaze and are heated through. Serve over rice with sesame seeds and sliced green onions on top.
Notes
- Make sure to remove the excess batter from the chicken pieces before frying them or your skillet will fill up with burnt pieces of batter.
- Fry the chicken while it is still cold. This will make for crispier chicken.
- Remember to use pulp-free orange juice for a perfectly smooth glaze.
