Panda Express Orange Chicken

Reviews

• "I have mixed feelings about this recipe....the instructions are horrible for the first part......I made as posted and the flour/egg mix just clumped up. Made lumpy bumps that had to be spread over the chicken. The chicken should be dipped in the egg mixture, then tossed in the cornstarch mix. It would save a lot of work. I loved the sauce, and agree with other posters that it should be doubled....it is sooo good! For a beginner cook, I'm afraid this would be so confusing that they would give up, which isn't good. This recipe is good and deserves a chance, but the instructions are so confusing that many will not make this recipe. I can't compare this to Panda Express, as I've never had it. But the sauce is delicious if you can figure out how to make the first part of the recipe!! I enjoyed this, but the instructions just aren't clear enough.I would dip in the egg first and then the cornstarch/flour mix. Really enjoyed the finished product! Thanks for sharing a delicious recipe."

  By breezermom on April 23, 2011 | 1212276

• "I have just completed this recipe. It is a very good recipe for orange chicken. It does not taste like Panda Express' orange chicken. It actually taste better than Panda Express. This recipe has a true orange zest! I must agree with others reviewers that the instructions are not too clear. I deviated slightly from the recipe based on previous comments. I put the chicken in the egg mixture first and then took each piece out and coated it with cornstarch only. Then I put the chicken in the deep fryer. I used garlic powder instead of garlic. For the sauce itself, I substituted the water and vinegar with orange juice. This will help enhance the flavor of the sauce. Also I used about 1/3 of an orange for the zest. It came out great! The only bad point I had ..this recipe was time consuming and the unclear instructions. The real secret to this recipe is that true orange taste from the sauce. Also you may want to cut back on the crushed chili pepper! And definitely double up on your sauce! I will definitely be making the sauce again. This is the best orange chicken that I have tasted."

  By bobo1405 on September 19, 2011 | 1251497

• "i didnt follow the first part of this recipe exactly because i was trying to make it healthier. I just browned the chicken in a shot of pam instead of coating it and deepfrying it. After that i followed it exactly. The sauce is what this recipe is really about anyway. Really enjoyed the sauce over the chicken and some rice and steamed broccoli will make again."

  By adamwa on April 19, 2011 | 1211005

• "Perfection! I followed others suggestion and used orange juice & brown sugar in the sauce, instead of vinegar & granulated sugar. YUMMY!"

  By MerelyMarie on July 21, 2011 | 1236827

• "The first time I made this I had the same problem following the directions. But anyone who cooks regularly will be able to interpret what the author is trying to say. The chicken comes out crisp, just the way I like it.........and I have a hard time maintaining the amount of cooked chicken since I keep snitching pieces, they're just that tasty to me! I did double the sauce, and since I looooooooooove orange anything, I not only zested the orange, but peeled it and chopped up the sections to add to the sauce. This is a regular Chinese dish I make, along with Flawless Sesame Chicken. 5 stars and a full stomach!"

  By Nina's Mom on April 28, 2011 | 1213789

• "tastes great! tastes just like panda express' orange chicken! the whole family loved this recipe too! it just wasn't too easy to make and took a longer time to make but it was definitely worth it! the sauce did taste a little like vinegar, but the second time i made it, i substituted the vinegar for orange juice instead and everyone in the house agreed it tasted better that way as well!"

  By Chef #1515477 on July 15, 2010 | 1132123

• "This was wonderful tasting i thought!!! I have never had orange chicken before so I had nothing to compare it to, but I think this is probably better than any restaurant! The only thing I changed was I squeezed the orange juice from orange into mixture as well & topped chicken with sesame seeds."

  By alisamarie07 on May 10, 2011 | 1216861

• "Unclear directions but awesome recipe. Tastes JUST like Chinese spot! I will say that the sauce needs to be almost doubled to properly cover the chicken (so you may want to do that before coating it or it will be hard to add more sauce later)."

  By Chef #1506604 on January 30, 2011 | 1187007

• "I made a tofu version of this that was pretty good, although our sauce evaporated before it boiled -- I threw together another batch super fast but am positive the proportions were way off. Not sure it tasted anything like orange chicken, but it was good anyway!"

  By SAHS on August 31, 2010 | 1143379

• "This is one of the best recipes I have ever tried. It is so delicious. I had a little trouble finding the rice wine at the store- it ended up being with the oriental cooking supplies and it is called AJI-MIRIN sweet cooking wine. I also used McCormick crushed red pepper in the spices aisle- not sure if that is what this is calling for but it worked fine. It has become our Halloween night tradition to make this dish. It is a little time consuming to make- so leave yourself plenty of time. I actually prefer this to Panda Express actual Orange Chicken. This has a really nice flavor with a little kick to it. I make mine in a frying pan because I don't own a wok and it works great. We serve it with rice and store bought pot stickers. TRY IT! You will not be dissapointed!"

  By CateCooks on December 07, 2008 | 762142

• "If I had to rate this on taste alone, I would give 5 stars. I do agree the directions were a tad confusing, however after reading reviews I made some adjustments and it turned out perfect. First key is that the flour / cornstarch / egg mixutre is a WET batter. I increased to 2 eggs and a splash of water to get a thin pancake like batter consistency. I also coated the chicken pieces (I used cut up chicken breast tenderloins) in cornstarch first for about 10 minutes so the wet batter would stick to the chicken when I fried it. Second key is to use PEANUT oil if at all possible for frying. It really does make a difference in flavor. I used a wok and about a half inch of oil and the chicken turned out nice and golden brown. If you are frying in small batches, keep the fried chicken in the oven on warm on a wire rack and it won't get soggy. Third key is to use fresh ingrediants (ginger, sesame oil, etc.). I also adjusted the sauce (yes, double it!) to using a combination of white and brown sugars and reduced the vinegar by half, substituting the remaining vinegar with the juice of the orange. The zest is a must. I made the sauce in a separate sauce pot and let it reduce while the chicken was frying. I also added a cornstarch / water slurry to thicken the sauce just before I tossed it with the chicken. I will say this recipe is probably not best suited for the first time cook, however if you have the passion and the time, anyone can make it and is worth the effort."

  By ARathkamp on January 24, 2013 | 1361649

• "This recipe was great, yes the instructions are a little iffy, but if you have some experience cooking, you will be OK. I mixed the egg, salt and white pepper in a bowl, then mixed the cornstarch and flour in a separate bowl. I dumped the chicken pieces in the egg mix and stirred them around then dumped them all in the flour/cornstarch bowl, mixed it up and then fried them in a wok in about an inch of canola oil over about 6.5 electric element 6-8 pieces at a time. I also substituted 2/5 tbs vinegar in the orange sauce for orange juice as my family likes a strong orange taste and not much tang, and that worked out well. I also reduced the sugar by 1 TBS. Whole family liked it. This was better than takeout!"

  By MrsSpike34 on July 18, 2012 | 1317155

• "This was aaaaaaamazing. It was so much better than Panda Express' orange chicken. I will definitely be making it again. As most of the reviewers said, I also used orange juice in the orange sauce instead of white vinegar and doubled the sauce. Fantastic!!"

  By Mrsleeb on December 18, 2010 | 1173306

• "I believe step 2 should read "in a separate smaller bowl, mix together egg, salt, pepper, etc". I, too had to read this a couple of times before I figured it out."

  By muzik00 on March 12, 2013 | 1373095

• "If I were rating the sauce only, I could give this recipe more stars. However, I did not care for the way the chicken fried up. It never turned a golden brown and I fried it a long time. I am wondering if it has something to do with all the cornstarch. Also, it didn't stay crispy after adding to sauce which was disappointing because at Panda's it stays crisp. The sauce is really good though. It is very similar to Panda's. Like many others, I used orange juice and brown sugar in the sauce and did not need to add any orange zest. I recommend doing it this way. Also the directions were confusing. Could have been clearer."

  By lilcritta2 on January 18, 2013 | 1360565

• "Great recipe, easy, fast and really good.. thanks"

  By Lab Chef on August 25, 2011 | 1245047

• "Just made this last night and my two picky eaters asked for seconds! They were very much impressed and even asked to see the "to-go" boxes to make sure I didn't order takeout. =)
  Like many other previous reviewers, I doubled the Orange Sauce recipe as my family loves extra sauce. It was definitely spot on and will most definitely prepare this dish again!"

  By MrsGamboa on March 31, 2011 | 1206380

• "I skip the flour and egg combo entirely, and I just cook the chicken with half of a white onion, no fried breading on it. Then I add 2 sprigs of green onion, garlic, and some cooked (3-5 mins boiled prior to adding to the chicken mixture) broccoli. Add the sauce (minus 1 TBSP of sugar + squeeze the juice of the orange in). Heat until thicker/warmed through, serve over rice =) Delicioussssss!!"

  By chelseywhitfield on May 01, 2013 | 1383396

• "If I remember right the ingredients call for a 1/4 cup water. I found the batter turns out like paste so I added the water, solved that problem. i bought a bottle of panda orange sauce at the grocery store so didn't make the sauce, skipped step #17 and #19. it was great. For me the fresh ginger root and garlic and green onion made the dish."

  By elevenb7 on April 19, 2013 | 1381736

• "Just made this and I agree with the others who said the directions need to be clarified. Also, I found that it was way too much orange zest,otherwise a good recipe. Thanks for posting."

  By Chef #454829 on April 08, 2013 | 1379267