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

FAQs

What is orange chicken from Panda Express made of? ›

Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe FAQ

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.

This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest.

✗ Orange Chicken

The version of this Chinese-American classic at Panda Express comes with 490 calories, 23g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 51g carbohydrate, 25g protein, and 820mg sodium. If you order orange chicken, consider skipping an appetizer or boosting fiber by choosing brown rice.

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.

They have said this was due to the entree being a limited time item, but the popularity should make them change their minds. Now, millions of people will not be able to have a full meal other than sides at Panda Express. The people are outraged as seen in the comments on various social media accounts.

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.

True Chinese-style orange chicken is made with sliced fresh chicken—not the battered and fried stuff you'll find in the US—and is flavored not with fresh orange, but with dried orange or tangerine peel.

Tangerine chicken tastes fresh and spicy, but orange chicken tastes sweet and sour. Orange chicken is crispy cooked in a sweet and little spicy orange sauce. The sweetness of orange chicken was introduced to cater to American tastes.

What is the difference between orange chicken and General Tso? Orange chicken is crispy fried with a fruity, sweet, and tangy sauce that's caramelized into a glaze. General Tso is stir-fried in a sweet, sour, and spicy umami sauce.

Is Panda Express healthier than McDonald's? ›

I thought McDonald's would be a cheaper option while Panda Express is of higher quality and therefore more expensive. But from what I've found, Panda Express offers healthier food, there's more of it, and it's even cheaper! So as you can see, it's not just a matter of McDonald's versus Panda Express.

Although the fried rice has veggies (peas, carrots, and green onions), it doesn't make it healthy. The fried rice is the Panda Express menu item with the highest calories and the second-highest amount of sodium. "The Fried Rice at Panda Express is packed with sodium and fat.

Long Grain Rice – If you're going for fluffy, not sticky, then long grain is the way to go for fried rice like Panda Express! Medium grain or jasmine are okay substitutes to use, but short grain should be avoided.

Why is Panda Express chicken so soft? Chinese restaurants use a cooking technique called velveting. One method is to marinate the meat with cornstarch to create a moist, velvety soft texture. Another method is to coat the meat in baking soda for about 20 to 30 minutes, rinse, and use in the recipe as directed.

Wang says it's the sauce's combination of sweet, sour, and savory flavor profiles that makes it stand out. The recipe includes brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and crushed chili to give it a little bit of a kick, without making it spicy. To get the fresh orange taste, they use oils from the citrus peel.

By the fall of 2022, Panda Express fans had something new to clamor about at all of its 2,300 locations with the national launch of Beyond the Original Orange Orange Chicken (BTOOC), a plant-based take on its most popular dish made together with vegan company Beyond Meat.

However, the new hot version is not for fans of a more mild flavor, as it contains six scoops of crushed chilis as well as the dried chilis that may be familiar to those who have ordered the Kung Pao Chicken.

Yes, I'm talking about General Tso's chicken. Here, we'll walk you through the easiest way to make the cult-favorite takeout dish at home — which starts by skipping the deep-frying.

Orange Chicken is crispy and light due to its thin glaze. Meanwhile, Sweet and Sour Chicken is crispy with a thicker and more indulgent sauce. Their different textures make them both a delicious choice when you are craving Chinese food.