Easy Budget Recipes

Panda Express Orange Chicken Copycat

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Recipe Cost $9.10
Recipe Serving Cost $1.52
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This Panda Express Orange Chicken copycat recipe is crispy, flavorful, and a little bit tangy. It tastes just like the Panda Express dish. This recipe serves 6 and costs $9.10 to make. That’s just $1.52 per serving!

For another Chinese favorite try our General Tso Chicken recipe. 

Finished Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe with text overlay for Pinterest.

One of my sons has LOVED Panda Express Orange Chicken since he was about 3 years old. He even began eating it with chopsticks and it was just about the cutest thing ever. Fast forward to 5 kids later and it is, no joke, super expensive to take them all out to eat! 

One of our biggest monthly expense is food. We are constantly reviewing our budget and looking for ways to decrease our monthly food bill. One of the easiest ways to do this is to cut back on eating out.

Sure, we’ll cut back on eating out, but we don’t want to cut back on the delicious food we get when eating out. So what is the solution to this problem you ask?

Panda Express Orange Chicken

Copycat recipes! You can make the same great tasting food at home for a better price. Our orange chicken recipe serves 6 and costs $9.10 to make. Our chow mein recipe serves 6 and costs $4.26 to make.

This means you can serve your family one of their favorite meals for just $13.36! 

Can I get a woot, woot! 

The Copycat Orange Chicken Recipe we are sharing with you today will satisfy those cravings you get for Chinese takeout. It is a little sweet, a little spicy, a little crunchy, and dripping in orange sauce.

We dredge it in a flour and cornstarch mixture before frying it to make it extra crispy. Mmmmm, is your mouth watering yet?  

A fork picking up a piece of Panda Express Orange Chicken.

Is Orange Chicken Spicy?

Orange Chicken does have a little spice to it but it would not win any competitions for the spiciest dish out there! In comparison to other Chinese-American dishes, General Tso’s chicken is known for being spicy. 

What is orange chicken sauce made of?

Our sauce is made of the following ingredients: red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger root, sugar, brown sugar, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, water, oil, cornstarch, and sesame oil. 

A pile of Panda Express Orange Chicken on top of white rice.

How to Make Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe:

  1. First, make the sauce. 
  2. Next, make the chicken by dipping pieces of chicken into the prepared egg mixture, and then into the flour. 
  3. Then, fry the chicken in oil in small batches. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken. 
  4. Finally, add the fried chicken into the sauce and stir until completely coated in the sauce and serve. 

How to get the kids involved with this recipe:

  • Ages 2-3: Let them help you measure out the ingredients for the sauce. 
  • Ages 4-5: Let them help you measure and mix the ingredients for the egg and flour mixtures. They can also help line the baking sheet with paper towels. 
  • Ages 6-8: Teach your kiddo to dip the chicken in the egg and flour mixtures. Have them help you take the temperature of the oil with an instant-read thermometer. Teach them safety when frying food in oil. 
  • Ages 9-11: Supervise them while they prepare the entire recipe. Remember to have them read it twice before beginning the recipe. 
  • Ages 12+: Let them prepare the entire recipe, unsupervised, while you do the happy dance in the corner!

Discover why we love getting the kids involved in the kitchen and more tips in our How to Get Kids Involved In Cooking article.

A spoon lifting up pieces of Panda Express Orange Chicken.

The flavor and Recipe Variations:

  • If you like an extra flavor kick, then add orange zest to the sauce.
  • If you like the orange sauce on the spicier side, then add in more red pepper flakes. 

What to Serve with Orange Chicken:

More Copycat Recipes:

How long is this good for:

  • Serve: You can keep this recipe at room temperature for up to 2 hours before you need to refrigerate it. 
  • Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 
  • Freeze: It’s best to freeze the fried chicken and sauce separately in freezer-safe bags. Frozen this way they will keep for 3 months. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan until warmed through. For the chicken, place it in a 400 degrees F oven for 15 minutes or until crisp and heated through. 

Overhead picture of the finished Panda Express Orange Chicken copycat recipe.

How much will this Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken cost:

RECIPE COST: $9.10

PRICE PER SERVING: $1.52

  • 1 egg – $0.10
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt – $0.01
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs – $5.84
  • 1 pinch black pepper – $0.01
  • 3 cups + 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil – $1.53
  • 1/2 cup + 3 Tablespoons cornstarch – $0.29
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour – $0.05
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes – $0.02
  • 2 garlic cloves – $0.12
  • 2 teaspoons ginger root – $0.01
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar – $0.24
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar – $0.12
  • 2/3 cup orange juice – $0.27
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar – $0.11
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce – $0.18
  • 1/4 cup water – $0.00
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil – $0.20

To find out more about how we price our recipes, check out Budget Recipes Explained.

Cook’s Tools:

A bowl full of finished orange chicken.

Close up picture of orange chicken with a slice of orange.
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5 from 21 votes

Copycat Orange Chicken

Recipe Cost $9.10
Recipe Serving Cost $1.52
This Copycat Orange Chicken recipe is crispy, flavorful, and a little bit tangy. It tastes just like the Panda Express dish. This recipe serves 6 and costs $9.10 to make. That’s just $1.52 per serving!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Chinese
Keyword: chicken, copycat recipe
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 576kcal

Equipment

  • slotted spoon
  • wok
  • measuring cups
  • Measuring spoons
  • medium mixing bowls
  • large bowl
  • instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

FOR ORANGE SAUCE:

  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 large garlic cloves minced
  • 2 teaspoons ginger root peeled and minced
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ⅔ cup orange juice
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil

FOR CHICKEN:

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1inch pieces
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

MAKE SAUCE:

  • Preheat 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil in a large saucepan or medium pot over medium-high heat.
  • Once the oil is simmering, add garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook while stirring constantly for 30 seconds.
    Add the ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the hot oil and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Whisk in brown sugar, granulated sugar, and orange juice. Cook while stirring often until the sugars are almost all dissolved, about 2-4 minutes.
  • Whisk in vinegar and soy sauce.
  • In a small bowl whisk together water and cornstarch until it makes a paste. Then, whisk the paste into the sauce.
  • Cook and stir the sauce until it thickens to the consistency of syrup (it will thicken more as it cools).
  • Whisk in the sesame oil.
    Cook the sauce until thickened to the consistency of syrup.

PREP FOR FRYING:

  • In a shallow bowl or pie plate whisk together egg, salt, pepper, and 1 Tablespoon of oil.
  • In a second shallow bowl or pie plate whisk together cornstarch and flour.
  • Pour the oil into a large pan or wok. Heat the oil over high heat until it registers 375 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.
  • Line a baking sheet with 3-4 layers of paper towels.

FRY CHICKEN:

  • Place a ⅓ of the chicken pieces into the egg mixture, and then dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.
  • Add the chicken to the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Move chicken to paper towel-line baking sheet to drain.
  • Repeat the process with the remaining chicken, frying in 2 more batches.

FINISH THE ORANGE CHICKEN:

  • Transfer the chicken to the sauce and stir to coat.
    Add the chicken to the sauce and stir until combined.
  • Serve with chow mein or white rice.
    Serve the orange chicken over a bed of white rice or with chow mein.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 576kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 1277mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 161IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg
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This Panda Express Orange Chicken copycat recipe is crispy, flavorful, and a little bit tangy. It tastes just like the Panda Express dish. This recipe serves 6 and costs $9.10 to make. That’s just $1.52 per serving!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Renee Goerger

    5 stars
    This tastes just like the original and I love how it’s saving me $$! Thanks for the yummy recipe!

    Reply

  4. Denay DeGuzman

    5 stars
    Orange chicken is one of our favorite Chinese entrees! I love making this easy recipe at home. It’s definitely a money saver too!

    Reply

  18. Jaclyn Mercer

    Will absolutely have to try this. We love orange chicken but have a lot of food allergies so we have to be careful when ordering out. I much prefer to make my own!

    Reply

    • Jess Jankowski

      Copycat recipes are perfect for those with allergies. We have a couple allergies in our family too so I love how much more control we have when we make it ourselves.

  19. Melissa Storms

    This sounds fantastic.My son was just talking about craving orange chicken. I think this may be for dinner tonight, I actually have everything required on hand.

    Reply

  20. Connie Headley

    5 stars
    This recipe is so spelled out . I have never seen one like it. Even down to how you how long you could keep in fridge or in freezer. It looks great but normally I like the General Tso’s Might have to try and make this. or look for the other one .

    Reply

  27. Jacque Hastert

    5 stars
    This was way better than anything I have ever had at Panda Express! I can’t believe how flavorful it was and how simple it was to create at home.

    Reply

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