If your go-to order from Panda Express is Orange Chicken, you’re not alone. The dish is by far one of the most popular options on the menu, but there’s only so many times you can frequent the drive-through before the guilt starts to set in. Fortunately, we’ve got a recipe you can make at home that tastes even better than Orange Chicken you can get at Panda Express, and it’s super easy to make. In fact, you probably have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already.
Orange Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz Frozen popcorn chicken (about 4 cups)
- 1 tbsp Canola oil
- 2 Medium carrots thinly sliced
- 1 Garlic clove minced
- 1 cup Orange juice
- 1 1/2 tsp Grated orange zest
- 1/3 cup Hoisin sauce
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- Dash cayenne pepper
- 2 cups Cooked rice
Instructions
- Heat popcorn chicken in oven.
- Add oil to skillet and heat on high; sautee carrots for five minutes.
- Combine garlic with the carrots and cook for another minute.
- Add remaning ingredients to skillet (except sauce and rice) - orange zest, orange juice, hoisin sauce, sugar, and seasonings. Boil sauce, then stir and simmer for five more minutes.
- Once sauce is thick, add popcorn chicken to skillet and coat with sauce.
- Top cooked rice with chicken and serve.
Notes
- If you don't want to use popcorn chicken, you can use fresh chicken for this recipe. Take two chicken breasts and cut them into small chunks. Then, whip up a batter that consists of an egg, salt, pepper, and two tablespoons of oil. Coat the chicken chunks in the mixture, and then coat them in a dry mixture - 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup flour. With additional oil, fry the chicken in a skillet and coat with the orange sauce.
- You can also pair the chicken with fried rice or lo mein noodles. To learn how to make more Panda Express-inspired meals, check out our recipe for Chow Mein.
Nutrition
