I can see why it’s one of the most popular dishes on the Panda Express menu! Being in the UK, we don’t actually have Panda Express, and you rarely see Orange Chicken featured on the menus of our Chinese restaurants. I remember it well from our US holidays though and I felt I had to recreate it at home. After lots of testing, I’ve finally perfected the recipe! So until Panda Express makes it over the water (and probably even after it it does!), I’m going to continue to cook up my own copycat Panda Express orange chicken!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Chicken thighs - which are a little more tender than breast meat, and stand up well to cooking over a high heat without drying out. They’ll initially be coated in cornflour (cornstarch) to help the batter adhere to the chicken. The batter is made from a mixture of flour, egg, garlic salt, salt, pepper and water - which results in a lovely light batter. The sauce is made up from the zest of half an orange, juice of two oranges, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar (to counteract the acidity in the orange juice and zest), and rice vinegar - to add a little zing. We also need a flavourless oil with a high smoke point to fry the chicken in. I’m using vegetable oil.
Why use chicken thighs?
Chicken thighs are more tender than chicken breast, and stand up well to cooking over a high heat without drying out, but you can replace with chicken breast if you prefer.
How to make orange chicken
How to make the orange chicken sauce
Want to make it spicy? 🌶
Add a tablespoon of sriracha to the sauce and sprinkle with a few chilli flakes before serving. Serve the chicken over boiled rice, topped with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
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If you’ve tried my Orange Chicken then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes!
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Watch how to make it:
This Chinese Orange Chicken post was first published in June 2014. Updated in Jan 2020 with new photos, video, tips and improvements to the recipe. Updated again in May 2020 with extra info and housekeeping reasons. Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
