Description
Craving a delicious and easy-to-make meal? This Hot Orange Chicken (Panda Express Copycat) delivers a perfect balance of sweet and spicy flavors that will tantalize your taste buds! Crispy chicken pieces are coated in a vibrant orange sauce, making it an irresistible choice for weeknight dinners or casual gatherings. With minimal effort and common ingredients, even novice cooks can master this dish. Serve it over rice or alongside colorful vegetables for a complete meal that everyone will love!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 cup cornstarch
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup orange juice
- Zest from 1 orange
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp rice apple vinegar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- Dried whole red chili peppers
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- Oil for frying
- 2 tbsp oil for egg wash
- 2 tbsp oil for stir-frying
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated (optional)
- 1 tbsp green onions, sliced (plus more for garnish)
- 6 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken coating by mixing cornstarch, flour, salt, and white pepper in one bowl. In another bowl, whisk eggs with oil.
- Dip chicken pieces into the egg wash then coat with the dry mixture.
- Fry the coated chicken in hot oil until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels.
- For the sauce, combine orange juice, zest, soy sauce, rice apple vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat until thickened.
- Sauté garlic and ginger; toss in fried chicken with dried chilies and pour the orange sauce over. Mix well to coat.
- Serve hot over rice or noodles, garnished with green onions.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Approximately 1 cup (240g)
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 120mg