Panda Express Orange Chicken Copycat

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!

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?  

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.

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:

• Serve over rice or with our copycat chow mein. 

More Copycat Recipes:

• Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce
• Instant Pot Honey Baked Ham
• Copycat Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo

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. 

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:

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

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5 from 16 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

Author: Easy Budget Recipes Original!

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.
  
• 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.
  

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.
  
• Serve with chow mein or white rice.
  

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!