Orange Chicken Recipe {Panda Express Copycat} - TipBuzz (2024)

FAQs

What is orange chicken made of at Panda Express? ›

Ingredients: dark meat chicken, water, sugar, distilled vinegar, modified food starch, corn starch, potato starch, contains less than 2% of: wheat, orange extract, caramel color, salt, garlic, phosphoric acid, rice wine, sesame oil. *The dish uses a proprietary batter and sauce.

Orange chicken is a popular item at Chinese restaurants. It consists of small cubes of chicken that are breaded, pan-fried, and coated in an orange sauce. The orange sauce is sweet with a little tang and a hint of spice. It's mainly known for its orange flavor (as you can guess from the name).

The original “Orange Chicken” had no breading around each piece of chicken and the sauce was made of leftover orange or lemon peels cooked with soy sauce, chilis and garlic. The sauce had a citrus element, but it wasn't as pronounced or sweet like you would think of today.

Trader Joe's award-winning Mandarin-orange chicken was just as delicious as actual takeout. Trader Joe's Mandarin-orange chicken is one of the brand's most popular items — it's so beloved by shoppers that it's earned a spot in the chain's Product Hall of Fame.

Panda Express entrees and sides contain zero grams of trans fat per serving and adds no MSG in their food. Panda Express uses only 100% pure soybean oil in the preparation of recipes.

All of the flavor in the Asian chicken dish comes from the Panda Express signature orange chicken sauce, which features orange peel, soy sauce, vinegar, and red chili peppers. This gives the dish a citrusy sweet and tangy flavor with just a hint of heat.

How to make the orange chicken sauce. The orange sauce is made from a mixture of the orange juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. This is bubbled up in the wok until slightly thickened. The chicken is then added back in, and tossed in the sauce until fully coated.

Though regional variations exist, most modern hoisin sauce recipes contain some combination of the following ingredients: fermented soybeans, five-spice powder, garlic, red chili peppers, and sugar. "Hoisin" comes from the Cantonese word for seafood, though it's not commonly associated with seafood dishes.

This dish may have originally come from the "tangerine chicken" dish from Hunan, China. In Chinese, this dish is known as "陳皮雞", literally "dried citrus peel chicken", referring to dried orange or tangerine peel. However, the taste and recipes of this dish differ due to cultural and geographical factors.

2022 Billionaires Net Worth

Andrew and Peggy Cherng are cofounders of the $3.5 billion (sales) Chinese fast food chain, Panda Express, which has over 2,200 locations. The Cherngs also run famed ramen house, Ippudo, in Berkeley, CA and have investments in chains that sell everything from pizza, salad and cheesecake.

Which country invented orange chicken? ›

Instead, the origins of orange chicken, similar to Panda Express, are uniquely American. Customers should cast their gaze to the island state of Hawaii. Executive chef Andy Kao invented orange chicken in Hawaii in 1987, having ventured there to lend a hand in opening the state's first Panda Express.

One distinct characteristic of orange chicken is that it is sweet, and that comes from the addition of brown sugar (and honey), which gives the sauce it's sticky, caramelized glaze. The addition of brown sugar in many Asian recipes helps to balance out sour flavors and spices added to the dish.

General Tso's chicken and orange chicken are two popular Chinese-American dishes that are often compared. While both dishes feature crispy fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet and savory sauce, there are some key differences between the two.

While tangerine chicken is made with pieces of chicken that are stir fried in a tangerine spicy sauce, the chicken in orange chicken is breaded just like General Tso's chicken, and tossed in a sweet orange chili sauce.

Although they're both made with an orange-based sauce, mandarin chicken and orange chicken are different dishes. Mandarin chicken is typically sweeter because it uses more dark brown sugar than orange chicken. The sauce for mandarin chicken also tends to be thicker and much stickier.

"Panda Express's Orange Chicken and Chow Mein are considered unhealthy due to their high levels of sodium, sugar, and unhealthy fats," says Young.

And when prepared correctly, a boneless, skinless chicken breast can be a thing of beauty. But dark meat has its benefits, too, and Panda Express realizes this. Perhaps that's why dark meat chicken is the star of their orange chicken.

Andrew Cherng, owner and founder of Panda Express, said that orange chicken is just a variation of General Tso's chicken, another dish that is almost unknown in China. Journalist Jennifer 8. Lee says that both "General Tso's chicken and Orange Chicken are Americanized mutations of sweet and sour dishes found in China."

Why order takeout when you can make your own orange chicken at home? This recipe features crispy chicken coated in a zesty orange sauce, and it's easy to make in your own kitchen!