Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe (Copycat – Easy & Crispy)
Want to make Panda Express Orange Chicken at home?
This copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe gives you the same crispy chicken, sweet orange glaze, and restaurant-style flavor — without deep frying like a fast food kitchen.
In this guide, you’ll get:
- Exact ingredients
- Step-by-step cooking method
- Sauce secrets
- Nutrition overview
- Storage & reheating tips
What Is Panda Express Orange Chicken Made Of?
Panda Express Orange Chicken is made with:
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Egg & cornstarch coating
- Flour
- Oil (for frying)
- Sweet orange sauce
It’s known for its crispy texture and sticky orange glaze.
Ingredients for Panda Express Orange Chicken
Panda Express Orange Chicken is a popular entree known for its savory, crispy texture, perfectly paired with a flavorful orange sauce. Below is the list of ingredients used to make this delicious dish
What are ingredients in Panda Express Orange Chicken Sauce?
The sauce is the most important element of Panda Express Orange Chicken, giving it a sweet and tangy taste. The sauce ingredients are simple, but it’s very important to get the perfect taste. Here, I have provided the list of ingredients for making this magical sauce:
List of Ingredients
Want to know how many calories are in the restaurant version? See our full Panda Express Orange Chicken Calories guide.
How to Make Panda Express Orange Chicken (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Prep the Chicken
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Pat dry completely.
Step 2: Coat the Chicken
- Beat eggs in one bowl.
- Mix flour + cornstarch in another bowl.
- Dip chicken into egg → then flour mixture.
Step 3: Fry Until Crispy
- Heat oil to 350–375°F.
- Fry chicken 2–3 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove and drain on paper towel.
Tip: Double fry for extra crispiness.
Step 4: Make the Orange Sauce
In a saucepan combine:
- Orange juice
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Chili flakes
Bring to a simmer.
Add cornstarch slurry and cook until thick.
Finish with sesame oil and orange zest.
Step 5: Combine
- Toss fried chicken in sauce.
- Coat evenly.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information (Approximate Per Serving)
- Calories: 450–500 kcal
- Protein: 22–25g
- Carbs: 50–55g
- Sugar: 18–22g
- Fat: 20–25g
Note: Homemade version may vary depending on oil absorption.
Tips for Best Results
- Use chicken thighs (juicier than breast)
- Do not overcrowd fryer
- Add sauce just before serving
- Use fresh orange zest for strong citrus flavor
How to Store & Reheat
Refrigerator: 3–4 days
Freezer: Up to 2 months
Reheat in oven at 350°F for 10–12 minutes.
Avoid microwave if you want crispy texture.
The Best Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe Ever!
Course: EntreeCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Medium6
servings20
minutes20
minutes40
minutesTry the Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe at home to enjoy the restaurant type food without much effort. In this step-by-step recipe, fried chicken is coated with a sweet, tangy orange sauce. It is perfect to have any time, even for a birthday or wedding.
Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken.
1 or 2 Eggs.
Salt and black pepper (teaspoon)
Cornstarch (one cup)
Flour (one cup)
Oil.
Sauce.
- Panda Express Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients
Soy Sauce (one tablespoon).
One cup of orange juice ( any orange juice will be okay, but freshly squeezed can be better)
Brown Sugar (one cup)
Orange zest.
Oil (Tablespoon).
Minced ginger root (Tablespoon).
Minced Garlic (Tablespoon)
Red Chili flakes ( Teaspoon).
Chopped Green Onion (one cup)
Rice Wine (Tablespoon)
Water (One Cup)
Cornstarch (Tablespoon)
Sesame oil (Tablespoon)
Directions
- For the Chicken:
- First, take the Boneless chicken pieces and wash them.
- After you wash it, dry it with the help of tissue.
- Put the chicken in the bowl.
- Take a medium bowl and add eggs, salt, pepper, and Tablespoon oil in it and put it aside.
- Take another medium bowl and add cornstarch and Flour in it.
- Pour oil into a fryer and heat the oil to a temperature of about 375 degrees.
- After the oil is heated, put the chicken pieces into the egg mixture and then into the Flour and cornstarch. Remove extra material and add it to the fryer.
- Fry it for 3 to 4 minutes until it gets golden brown.
- Do not overcook it.
- Take out the chicken pieces and put them on the tissue paper plate to dry the extra oil.
- For the Orange Chicken sauce:
- Take a small bowl, add soy sauce, orange juice, brown sugar, and orange zest, mix it, and put it aside.
- Clean the wok and heat it for 15 seconds over a high flame.
- Put one tablespoon of oil, ginger root, garlic, crushed chili pepper, and green onion in the wok and stir fry them until they get fragrant.
- Add a tablespoon of rice wine and soy sauce to it and put it aside.
- Add the fried chicken to the sauce you make and mix them well.
- Add cornstarch water in it and cook it.
- Cook it until it thickens.
- After it gets ready, enjoy it with fried rice or simple rice.
Notes (Common Mistakes To Avoid While Cooking)
- Do not add too much chicken or other at once in the frying pan to fry, or the meat can burn or get greasy.
- While you are coating the chicken with the batter, always remove the extra material because that small batter particle can make the oil black or bitter.
- While you are adding the chicken to the hot oil, do not panic and throw the chicken in because, in this way, the oil can splash on you and can hurt you, so always be calm while frying anything.
- When you are cooking the sauce, always do it on low or medium flame because a high flame can burn the sauce.
- Do not add the chicken or fries when the oil is cold because the chicken can be greasy, and the fries will feel like they are steamed instead of fried.
- Do not decorate it so much that it looks good only and does not taste good.
- Serve it immediately, and don’t let it wait for too much time because when the food is cold, it loses half of its taste, and it is not fun to eat it.
- Do not fry or cook chicken on high flame because the chicken can burn or look like it is cooked but is uncooked or raw from the inside.
- When you are cooking, always check if the flavors you add to it are balanced or not. What if it is too sweet but lacks the tangy flavor?
Nutrition Facts
6 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories564
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
15g
20%
- Saturated Fat 3g 15%
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 100mg 34%
- Sodium 900mg 40%
- Potassium 350mg 8%
- Total Carbohydrate
79g
29%
- Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
- Total Sugars 35g
- Protein 26g 52%
- Vitamin A 4mcg 1%
- Vitamin C 20mg 23%
- Calcium 5mg 1%
- Iron 15mg 84%
- Vitamin D 2mcg 10%
- Vitamin E 5mg 34%
- Vitamin K 5mcg 5%
- Thiamin 25mg 2084%
- Riboflavin 15mg 1154%
- Niacin 40mg 250%
- Vitamin B6 25mg 1471%
- Vitamin B12 15mcg 625%
- Folate 10mcg 3%
- Biotin 10mcg 34%
- Pantothenic Acid 20mg 400%
- Phosphorus 15mg 2%
- Iodine 4mcg 3%
- Magnesium 5mg 2%
- Zinc 10mg 91%
- Selenium 25mcg 46%
- Copper 10mg 1112%
- Manganese 10mg 435%
- Chromium 6mcg 18%
- Molybdenum 10mcg 23%
- Chloride 10mg 1%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is made up of dark meat of chicken thighs.
Yes. It uses boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Yes. The chicken is deep-fried before being coated in sauce.
If you are on a diet, then I don’t recommend it, but if you are not, then it is pretty yummy.
Heat the orange chicken oven over 350°F, cover the orange chicken with the foil, and heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
Yes, Yeast is present in the Panda Express Orange Chicken.
Yes, you can freeze the Panda Express Orange Chicken.
Yes, but texture will be less crispy. Air fryer works better than oven.
Yes, you can reheat the Panda Express Orange Chicken.
Some retail stores sell bottled Panda sauces, but homemade tastes closer to restaurant style.
Conclusion
Lastly, I would like to say that Panda Express Orange Chicken is very tasty and has a very savory texture. In Today’s article, I provide a very easy and simple Orange Chicken recipe that you can try at home to surprise your kids and make them happy. The nutrition of the Panda Express is also covered. And yeah, that’s it for Today! See you soon with a new post, a new recipe, and a new interesting article. For now, goodbye! By Charles Dickens: “The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.”
