How to Cook Panda Express Orange Chicken

Serves: 6

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Panda Express Orange Chicken:

• 2 lb boneless chicken, skinned and chopped into bite-sized chunks
• ½ cup green onion, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger root, minced
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• ½ tsp hot red chili pepper, crushed
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• White pepper to taste

For the orange sauce:

• Zest of an orange
• 5 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 ½ tbsp water
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 1 ½ tbsp soy sauce

Cooking instructions for Panda Express Orange Chicken:

• For the orange sauce, add all its ingredients into a bowl and whisk them well together until the sugar dissolves and forms a uniform mixture.
• Dump the chicken chunks in a large bowl and set aside.
• Crack the egg into a separate bowl and sprinkle a dash of salt and freshly ground white pepper to season.
• Drizzle a tbsp of oil into it and whisk them all together until they blend into a uniform mixture.
• Toss the flour and ½ cup of cornstarch together in another bowl and add the chicken chunks into it.
• Fold this dry mixture into the whisked egg and beat them into a uniform, smooth mixture.
• Dip the chicken chunks into the batter and give them a good stir to coat evenly with the mixture.
• Pour oil in a deep-bottomed frying pan or deep fryer and heat it to 375 degrees F.
• Lower the coated chicken into the hot oil, in small batches, and fry them for about 4-5 minutes or until they turn crispy golden brown.
• Drain out the fried chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess grease; set aside.
• Heat a wok over high heat for about 15 minutes and pour in a tbsp of oil.
• Throw in the garlic as well as ginger and sauté briskly, while stirring often, for about 10 seconds or until they give out a nice aroma.
• Stir in the green onions as well as crushed red chilies and add a splash of rice wine to it.
• Give it a nice stir and pour in the prepared orange sauce.
• Stir them well together and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Dissolve rest of the cornstarch in water into a smooth mixture and whisk it into the chicken mixture.
• Continue to cook the mixture, over reduced heat until the sauce thickens and drizzle the sesame oil into it.
• Serve hot.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on January 29, 2013 by