How To Make Orange Chicken With Panda Express Sauce:I want to share with you my favorite orange chicken recipe. It tastes just like the orange chicken you get from Panda Express. And it’s easy to make at home.
I love making Panda Express orange chicken at home. It’s really simple and tastes exactly like the real thing. We always have it as leftovers (with rice) for dinner, or my kids take it in their lunches for breakfast the next day.
Mexican Beans and Rice with Chicken
Mexican Chicken, Black Beans and Rice is a quick and easy Southwestern-flavored casserole that takes minutes to prepare and is guaranteed to please all your friends and family!
Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole with Black Beans
This dish takes all the flavors you find in many Mexican dishes – chicken, black beans, green chiles, corn, salsa, cilantro, cumin – and combines them together into a scrumptious, hearty baked dish. It takes just minutes to prepare (minimal chopping – yay!) – and for those super busy days, you can make it ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven around 30 minutes before you want to eat dinner. What could be easier?
How to make Mexican Black Beans and Rice with Chicken
There’s just a few steps to follow in making this quick and easy casserole:
- Preheat the oven and prep the baking dish.
Turn oven on to 350 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish (8 by 8- or 7 by 11-inch) with oil or nonstick cooking spray. - Prep the ingredients.
Chop the cooked chicken; drain the chiles; drain and rinse the black beans; chop the green onions and cilantro. - Mix.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the ingredients, using only 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. - Bake.
Spread mixture evenly in the prepared dish and top with the remainder of the Cheddar cheese. Bake for around 25 to 30 minutes or until heated through. - Serve.
Let cool for a few minutes, then serve, passing additional salsa and prepared guacamole on the side.
Can additional vegetables be added to the Chicken, Rice and Beans?
You can definitely add more veggies to this Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole. I think adding around 1/2 cup of any of these chopped cooked vegetables would be scrumptious:
- bell peppers,
- spinach (moisture wrung out),
- zucchini, or
- broccoli.
- You can also add chopped tomatoes, too.
What to serve with Mexican Chicken, Black Beans and Rice
The beauty of this casserole is that you don’t need to serve much with it. Just a tossed salad (I think a Caesar salad goes perfectly – dressing recipe in my cookbook “Fresh Tastes”) and maybe some bread (Parmesan Buttermilk Cornbread) is all you’ll need.
Storing and Reheating Mexican Beans and Rice with Chicken
Casserole can be prepared but not baked earlier in the day, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before baking.
It can also be well wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw and bring to room temperature before baking and increase cook time by around 5 minutes.
Mexican Chicken, Rice, and Beans
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: casseroles, quick and easy
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Mexican Chicken Black Beans and Rice is a quick and easy casserole that takes minutes to prepare and is guaranteed to please!
Ingredients
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- 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (rotisserie works well)
- 2 cups cooked brown and wild rice mix (can also add quinoa)
- 1 can (4 ounce) chopped green chiles, drained
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen (no need to thaw the frozen corn)
- 1/2 cup salsa (I like to use Pace Picante, medium), plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup sour cream (regular or low fat)
- 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
- 5 to 6 chopped green onions, white and some of the green part
- 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 garlic powder
- kosher salt, to taste
- fresh ground pepper, to taste
- Prepared guacamole
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with olive or grapeseed oil (an 8 by 8- or 7 by 11-inch dish works well).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients using only 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spread evenly in the prepared dish and top with the remainder of the Cheddar cheese. Bake for around 25 minutes or until heated through. Serve additional salsa and prepared guacamole on the side.
Notes
Make ahead: Casserole can be prepared earlier in the day, covered and refrigerated. Can also be frozen for up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before baking, and increase cook time by around 5 minutes.
Orange Chicken (Panda Express Copycat Recipe)
This Orange Chicken recipe tastes just like the popular Panda Express dish, but made with simple ingredients right at home! Tender chicken in tangy sauce beats restaurant take-out any day!
Panda Express Orange Chicken
Orange Chicken takes center stage whenever we decide to have a Chinese food night. We rarely get take-out anymore because it’s so much easier and cheaper to make it at home. The tangy orange sauce is made with pantry staples you already have on hand, and complements tender chicken chunks perfectly. Whip up a batch for your next Chinese feast and turn take-out into take-in!
Andrew Cherng, the founder and CEO of Panda Express (thank you Wikipedia) said that Orange Chicken is a variation of General Tso’s Chicken (which IS an authentic Chinese dish). Orange Chicken is definitely “Americanized”. If you are able to find an Orange Chicken in China, it will probably be “Orange PEEL Chicken” which is a similar dish that is flavored with orange rinds, creating a much tangier flavor. Authentic or not, this dish is certainly popular and oh so delicious!
Is Panda Express Orange Chicken Authentic?
Andrew Cherng, the founder and CEO of Panda Express (thank you Wikipedia) said that Orange Chicken is a variation of General Tso’s Chicken (which IS an authentic Chinese dish). Orange Chicken is definitely “Americanized”. If you are able to find an Orange Chicken in China, it will probably be “Orange PEEL Chicken” which is a similar dish that is flavored with orange rinds, creating a much tangier flavor. Authentic or not, this dish is certainly popular and oh so delicious!
Lighten It Up
Because this recipe is fried, it may not be considered the healthiest Panda Express copycat recipe (see our other copycat options below). If you are looking for a healthier alternative, instead of frying, heat a little oil in a large skillet and cook chicken on each side for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through and THEN add the sauce. You can also just fry until the chicken is cooked on the outside and then place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through (165 degrees F). You will still get a little bit of a crispy texture and still have all the flavor! Try reducing the sugar amounts or even use a sugar substitute (may affect sweetness and flavor).
Air Fryer Panda Express Orange Chicken
To fry your chicken in the air fryer, you just need to make sure you are coating your chicken with cooking spray before it cooks. All air fryers are different so check the correct temperatures and times for chicken pieces. We cook ours at 350 for about 10-12 minutes on each side, spraying any parts of the chicken with dry flour with cooking spray while turning. Just make sure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F before serving.
Gluten Free Panda Express Orange Chicken
Because we use a cornstarch coating for this recipe instead of flour, it is REALLY close to being gluten free. However, as you can see in the recipe below, we use soy sauce in the orange sauce, which contains gluten. The good news is, GF soy sauce is easy to find. Just replace regular soy sauce with a gluten-free brand and you should be good to go. As always, check labels on everything to make sure you’re working with gluten free ingredients.
Tips for Making Panda Express Orange Chicken
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. This will make the chicken easier to both serve AND eat.
- For an extra crispy coating, beat 3-4 eggs in a medium-sized bowl and dip the chicken pieces in the egg mixture before dredging in the cornstarch (or all purpose flour).
- If you want to add a little kick to your Panda Express orange chicken recipe, add some Sriracha Sauce or red pepper flakes. That way you can control the spice depending on taste.
- Box up leftovers and store in the fridge for up to four days. The great news is you can freeze this chicken and store it for a couple of months in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator and then bake or microwave to re-heat!
What to Serve with Orange Chicken
We pull out all the stops when putting together a Chinese feast. Sure, you can make things simple by serving this dish alongside some steamed rice, but if you’re wanting to wow friends and family with a scrumptious Asian spread, try a few of these delightful recipes:
Panda Express Orange Chicken ⋆ Copycat Recipe
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There is just something about the smell of Chinese food that makes my taste buds go crazy. I love the smell of the fresh garlic and spices from Panda Express when we drive by the restaurant. One of my favorite dishes from Panda Express is the Orange Chicken and so I created my own to make at home
This copycat version tastes just like the Orange Chicken entree at Panda Express.
The best part for me is that our large family can eat it anytime we want now. Panda Express Orange Chicken is sweet & sour with a little hint of spice and this recipe tastes just like the original. I’ve been perfecting this recipe for quite a while now and as a result this recipe always receives rave reviews.
Our Walmart Neighborhood Market has a Panda Express sitting right next door. Whenever we go to get groceries we always smell the mix of asian inspired food filling the air and inevitably one of our kids will say, “Can we go to Panda Express?” It’s always so tempting to say yes, but most often we stay on track.
Could you guess which chicken below is the Panda Express and which is mine without the labels?
To come up with this recipe we bought an order of Orange Chicken by itself . This really confused the lady in the drive through when we pulled up with our van full. We all tried the chicken right away and I saved one or two pieces for later.
I took a note of the different flavors. There was a hint of orange/citrus, a sweet rice wine vinegar taste, salty soy sauce, a hint of garlic and a spicy kick at the end. I saved some of the chicken so that we could have a taste test at the end too. This whole experiment was so fun! If you have been following me on Facebook; the chicken on the left was the Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken and the right was the Panda Express!
If you would like to skip all the helpful tips and tricks to make this the best copycat version of Panda Express Orange Chicken ever; feel free to scroll down to the bottom of the post where the recipe is.
The first thing that I did was cut up some chicken and fry it. The original recipe for Panda Express Orange chicken is deep fried. This recipe can either be made with cornstarch or wheat flour for a coating. My family really likes the wheat flour version and so that’s what I used for this.
We all really liked the extra crispy texture of the flour coated chicken and so that’s the way I make it for this recipe. If you want a gluten free recipe you can use corn starch instead of the wheat flour. Once I was done frying a batch I placed it in a 200 degree oven to keep it warm because I fried the chicken in batches.
This orange glaze/sauce is so good that it would taste great as a dipping sauce as well. I also like to make a side of fried rice and reserve a little of the sauce to drizzle onto the rice. It’s so good!
The great thing about making homemade orange chicken is that you can also make this dish a little healthier. Instead of using the batter and frying; make it into a stir fry. Stir fry the chicken in a skillet with just a tbsp. of oil (no coating) instead of frying it and cook thoroughly. Add the yummy orange sauce into the pan and cook for a few more minutes while tossing the chicken with the sauce.
I think I nailed the sauce perfectly. It couldn’t have been much closer unless I had the actual recipe in my hands! In this recipe I added some orange zest which made this sauce even better than Panda Express. When we did the taste test we could actually taste the orange in the homemade where the Panda Express really just tasted “citrusy”, but not a real orange taste.
Tools you’ll need to make Panda Express Orange Chicken:
1. Wok, Frying pan or fryer. I like to use a cast iron dutch oven on the stove to fry in, but there are many great home fryers on the market that make frying easy. If frying on the stove it is best to use a deep pot that is filled no more than half full. Woks are nice to have especially for frying since they have concave sides that require less oil for frying.
2. Orange juicer. I like to use fresh juice for this recipe. In a pinch you can use store bought orange juice, but I highly suggest juicing your own.
3. A microplane or zester for the orange zest. I always put fresh orange zest for my orange sauce because it tastes absolutely amazing. A microplane is just a metal grater that has small holes and it’s my favorite tool for zesting.
4. Baking sheet for keeping the cooked meat warm. This step is not necessary, but I find if I am making several batches of chicken at once it is helpful. Just place the chicken on a baking tray in a preheated oven set to 200 degrees. Once all the batches are fried then follow the next steps as usual.
If you have seen the grocery store version of the Panda Express orange sauce don’t buy it if you are looking for authentic. This recipe is so delicious and so much more like the real thing. We bought a bottle a while back and it went to waste because we just didn’t like it. It tasted nothing like the real deal.
The sauce really doesn’t take long to make and you can always make extras to bottle for later if you want. This sauce tastes great with shrimp, chicken, tofu and much more as a coating or dipping sauce.
FAQ about Orange Chicken:
- Does Panda Express Orange Chicken have gluten? If you buy it in the restaurant then it will have gluten. If you want to make your own version without gluten then just follow the recipe below exactly except replace the flour with corn starch or gluten free flour. We have made it several times this way for my youngest daughter and it’s great!
- Is Panda Express Orange Chicken Dark Meat? Yes. Panda Express uses boneless skinless dark meat which is most likely from chicken thighs or legs. I like to use whatever I have on hand. Just make sure that it is boneless and skinless.
- Is Panda Express Orange Chicken Spicy? It does have a mild spicy taste. I know that wether something is spicy or not may be subjective, but even my mom that does not like spicy things will eat this chicken. So I would say it is pretty mild, but you might get a little “kick” in the back of your throat while eating it. The red pepper in this adds all the spicy kick. If you want it spicier just add more red pepper flakes or Sriracha sauce. I like to serve some Sriracha sauce on the side for anyone that wants to add more to the dish after serving.
- How long can orange chicken sit out? According to food safety standards, orange chicken should not be left out at room temperature for longer than two hours.
- How long can orange chicken be stored in the refrigerator? You can safely store orange chicken in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The chicken will not be crispy when served a second time so keep this in mind.
- How do you reheat orange chicken? My preference is to microwave in a microwave safe dish on high for 1 minute. Stir the chicken after one minute and cook on high for another 30 seconds. Repeat heating for another 30 seconds until the chicken is steaming hot. Be careful when removing from the microwave.
- Is orange chicken the same as sweet and sour? No. While they both have sweet and sour flavors, orange chicken is a dish of its own. Orange chicken has a definite taste of orange where sweet and sour does not.