Copycat Orange Chicken, Inspired by Panda Express
Chicken thighs soaked in a sparkling-water batter, deep-fried golden at 350°F and tossed in a sticky, sweet and spicy sauce of orange juice and zest, two sugars, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Inspired by, not official.
Inspired by Panda Express. This is not an official Panda Express recipe, and nothing here claims to reproduce the company's own. Panda Express says its executive chef Andy Kao developed orange chicken in 1987, around the time its Honolulu restaurant at Ala Moana Center opened, and Wikipedia says the chain now sells more than 100 million pounds of it a year. For the history and a Cantonese chef's restaurant version, see American Orange Chicken.
This copycat is from Taste of Home, written by Lauren Habermehl and tested by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, and it chases the food court version on purpose: dark thigh meat, a thick batter with chilled sparkling water as its secret ingredient, and a sweet, sticky sauce with a little heat from red pepper flakes. Habermehl writes that when she ordered the real thing the week before, she could barely tell the difference. That is her tasting, not ours, and not the company's.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Chicken thighs soaked in a sparkling-water batter, deep-fried golden at 350°F and tossed in a sticky, sweet and spicy sauce of orange juice and zest, two sugars, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Inspired by, not official.
🇨🇳 The original
Chenpi chicken is seasoned with dried tangerine peel, which gives a fragrant, slightly bitter citrus note instead of a sweet glaze. See the Tangerine Peel Chicken (Chenpi Chicken) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Resting in the batter
30 minutes lets the flour fully hydrate, Taste of Home says, so the batter clings evenly and fries up crisp all over.
Chilled sparkling water
Cold, bubbly water keeps the batter light; the bubbles expand in the hot oil and help it puff and crisp.
Step by step
- Step 1
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then whisk in the egg, sparkling water and sesame oil until smooth, like thick pancake batter.
- Step 2
Fold in the chicken until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- Step 3
Heat 1/2 to 1 inch of oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 350°F. Fry a few pieces at a time, turning now and then, 5 to 6 minutes per batch, until deeply golden and the thickest piece reads 165°F. Drain on a paper towel-lined sheet pan.
- Step 4
As the last batch fries, heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger and cook 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant; don't let the garlic burn.
- Step 5
Add both sugars, the rice vinegar, orange juice, soy sauce and zest and stir until the sugars dissolve and the sauce bubbles.
- Step 6
Whisk the water and cornstarch together, stir it in and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of honey.
- Step 7
Add the chicken and toss gently to coat. Serve with rice, green onions and sesame seeds.
Copycat Orange Chicken, Inspired by Panda Express
Serves 8 · 1 1/2 lb chicken in sauce (about 8 servings) · 1 hr 30 min total
Chicken and batter
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sparkling water, chilled
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Oil for deep-frying
Sauce
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp grated orange zest
- 1 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp cornstarch
To serve
- Hot cooked rice, sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds
Method
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then whisk in the egg, sparkling water and sesame oil until smooth, like thick pancake batter.
- Fold in the chicken until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- Heat 1/2 to 1 inch of oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 350°F. Fry a few pieces at a time, turning now and then, 5 to 6 minutes per batch, until deeply golden and the thickest piece reads 165°F. Drain on a paper towel-lined sheet pan.
- As the last batch fries, heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger and cook 30 to 60 seconds, until fragrant; don't let the garlic burn.
- Add both sugars, the rice vinegar, orange juice, soy sauce and zest and stir until the sugars dissolve and the sauce bubbles.
- Whisk the water and cornstarch together, stir it in and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of honey.
- Add the chicken and toss gently to coat. Serve with rice, green onions and sesame seeds.
Adapted from Taste of Home (Lauren Habermehl; tested by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen), "Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken" (published November 1, 2024; updated December 6, 2024), 8 servings. We follow it as written: a batter of 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 egg, 1 1/4 cups chilled sparkling water and 1 tbsp sesame oil; 1 1/2 lb chicken thighs in 1-inch pieces rested in the batter at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator; 1/2 to 1 inch of oil at 350°F, about 5 to 6 minutes per batch; and a sauce of canola oil, red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger cooked 30 to 60 seconds, then 2 tbsp each sugar, brown sugar, rice vinegar and orange juice, 1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp orange zest and a cornstarch slurry cooked 1 to 2 minutes. The 165°F check is ours. Inspired by, not official. Taste of Home. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Taste of Home uses thighs to match the chain's juicy pieces; breast works if you prefer white meat.
- Too thick a batter? Add sparkling water. Too thin? Add flour 1 tbsp at a time.
- Thin an overthickened sauce with orange juice, water or chicken stock.
- Leftovers keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer; reheat on the stovetop, Taste of Home recommends.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- This tastes just like the chain's. Folklore: the writer's own comparison, not a blind test, and not the company's recipe.
- Panda Express orange chicken is made with dark meat. Folklore as far as we know: Taste of Home uses thighs "to replicate the tender, juicy pieces"; we did not read the company's ingredient information.
- Orange chicken was invented by Panda Express. Disputed: see American Orange Chicken.
- The secret is sparkling water. Folklore: it is Taste of Home's secret, not a known chain method.
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