Love Panda Express Orange Chicken? Come see how to easily make Orange Chicken with Panda Express Sauce! My family has literally insisted on this meal twice a week for the last month now. This post contains affiliate links.
My family sure does love it, but I’ve been buying the Panda Express Orange Sauce at the store and making it quick and easy at home. You can, too!
Table of Contents
What ingredients do you need to Easily Make Orange Chicken with Panda Express Sauce?
You don’t need much! Here’s the ingredients I use:
- boneless chicken thighs
- cornstarch
- vegetable oil or olive oil
- soy sauce
- minced garlic
- Panda Express Orange Sauce
How do you make Easily Make Orange Chicken with Panda Express Sauce?
This is one of those meals you can have ready on the table in about 30 minutes. It goes together really fast.
Please be careful when frying. You can easily burn yourself with hot oil. I always wear an apron when frying and use large tongs, so my hands are not near the hot oil.
First, add about an inch of oil to a frying pan and turn it on HIGH, so it can get hot while you’re getting the chicken ready. You can use any vegetable oil. I’ve done this with canola oil, vegetable oil, and olive oil.
Cut the boneless chicken thighs into pieces. I usually cut them into about 2-inch pieces.
Toss the chickens thigh pieces in the corn starch until it’s well coated.
When the oil is hot, transfer the coated chicken to the frying pan. Do this in batches, so you don’t crowd the chicken.
After about a minute, gently turn the chicken over.
It will typically cook very quickly, in just a couple minutes. I always check the temperature of the chicken to make sure it gets above 165 F degrees.
When it’s ready, transfer the cooked chicken to a plate covered in paper towels.
Once you have cooked all the chicken, let the skillet sit for a few minutes to cool. Then, pour the excess oil in a disposable container such as an old milk carton. I often will let it sit and then pour it into a large pyrex bowl. Once it’s completely cool, I put it in a ziplock bag, seal it, and throw it in the trash. Never pour oil down the drain.
Then, add enough oil to the skillet to just cover just the bottom of the pan and place it back on the fire set at about Medium High.
Add a tablespoon of minced garlic and about a tablespoon of soy sauce (I like to use low sodium soy sauce).
Mix it all up and when it’s hot, transfer about half the chicken into the pan.
Add about half a cup of the orange sauce to the pan and then gently stir everything up to toss the chicken in the sauce. Let it bubble for a minute and remove the chicken to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
Add the second half of the chicken, add a bit more orange sauce and gently stir again to toss the chicken in the sauce. Let it sit for a minute or so while it’s bubbling. Then, transfer it to the bowl as well with the slotted spoon.
This meal is so easy, I often make it with a single chicken breast or boneless chicken thigh for my tween for lunch. Then, I heat up a Minute Ready Jasmine Rice to go with it.
What do you serve Orange Chicken with?
Serve over rice. I buy Jasmine Minute Rice and cook it in the microwave while I’m cooking the chicken.
About half the time I just serve the chicken with the steamed rice. But, sometimes my kids ask for fried rice, so I make my Easy Fried Rice! I just quickly clean out the skillet and make it in about 5 minutes in the pan.
How do you store leftover Orange Chicken with Panda Express Sauce?
This is the perfect meal to use leftovers for meal prep. I use these Ziplock screw top containers and fill halfway with rice and halfway with orange chicken.
It’s easy for my husband and kids the next day. Though, they often end up being a late night snack.
Recipes to Pair with this Meal
- The EASIEST Fried Rice
- 4 Quick & Easy Asian Dipping Sauces
- Asian Marinated Zucchini
- Super Easy Cheap Ground Beef Lo Mein
More Chicken Recipes
- Quick Honey Garlic Chicken Tenderloins
- Creamy Chicken Alfredo Tortellini Soup
- Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
- Creamy Chicken Pasta Casserole Bake
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Orange Chicken with Panda Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless chicken thighs
- 1 cup cornstarch
- vegetable oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3/4 cup Panda Express Orange Sauce
Instructions
- First, add about an inch of oil to a frying pan and turn it on HIGH, so it can get hot while you're getting the chicken ready.
- Cut the boneless chicken thighs into pieces. I usually cut them into about 2 inch pieces.
- Toss the chickens thigh pieces in the corn starch until it's well coated.
- When the oil is hot, transfer the coated chicken to the frying pan. Do this in batches, so you don't crowd the chicken.
- After about a minute, gently turn the chicken over.
- It will typically cook very quickly, in just a couple minutes. I always check the temperature of the chicken to make sure it gets above 165 F degrees.
- When it's ready, transfer the cooked chicken to a plate covered in paper towels.
- Once you have cooked all the chicken, clean the skillet.
- Then, add enough oil to cover just the bottom of the pan and place it back on the fire set at about MEDIUM HIGH.
- Add a tablespoon of minced garlic and about a tablespoon of soy sauce (I like to use low sodium soy sauce).
- Mix it all up and when it's hot, transfer about half the chicken into the pan.
- Add about half a cup of the orange sauce to the pan and then gently stir everything up to toss the chicken in the sauce. Let it bubble for a minute and remove the chicken to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
- Add the second half of the chicken, add a bit more orange sauce and gently stir again to toss the chicken in the sauce. Let it sit for a minute or so while it's bubbling. Then, transfer it to the bowl as well with the slotted spoon.
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