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Copycat Panda Express™ Orange Chicken

Name: Copycat Panda Express™ Orange Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 cup brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced; 3 eggs, beaten; 1 1/2 cups cornstarch; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper; 1 cup coconut oil (for frying); 2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)

53 Ratings

52 Reviews

Prep 20 min
Total 40 min
Servings 4

Take control of your takeout spending by making your favorite on-the-go recipe right at home. This Panda Express™ orange chicken recipe has a touch of sweet, a bit of spice and lots of sticky—it’s crunchy, saucy and delicious in all the right ways.

By Cheeky Kitchen

Updated November 28, 2019

Ingredients

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 cup coconut oil (for frying)
2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)

Steps

1

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a pot, combine orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and red pepper flakes. Heat until boiling. Set aside.
2

In a large wok or skillet, heat coconut oil and vegetable oil to medium.
3

Add beaten eggs to a large bowl. In another bowl, combine cornstarch, salt and pepper. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, then in cornstarch, twice, finishing with a cornstarch layer.
4

Fry the battered chicken pieces in hot oil until golden brown. Transfer to a 9 x 9-inch baking dish.
5

Drizzle sauce over chicken. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to coat. Serve over sticky rice, if desired.

Crank up the spice-o-meter by increasing the amount of red pepper flakes.
Serve this copycat orange chicken with fried rice, plain rice or chow mein for an authentic Panda Express™ experience at home.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories: 610

Calories from Fat: 110

Total Fat: 12g; 18%

Saturated Fat: 3g; 14%

Trans Fat: 0g

Cholesterol: 190mg; 64%

Sodium: 1210mg; 51%

Potassium: 360mg; 10%

Total Carbohydrate: 101g; 34%

Dietary Fiber: 0g; 0%

Sugars: 55g

Protein: 24g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 6%; 6%

Vitamin C: 4%; 4%

Calcium: 8%; 8%

Iron: 10%; 10%

Exchanges:

1 Starch; 0 Fruit; 5 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 3 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choice

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The secret to why this copycat Panda Express™ orange chicken recipe is so good has to do with the battering. Normally a deep-fried piece of chicken would be covered in flour—not so in this recipe. Instead, we use cornstarch and egg for a lighter tempura-style coating.