First post of 2025. Happy New Year!
I’ve never had the “real” Panda Express orange chicken, but I’m sure the chicken is pre-battered and frozen and the sauce comes out of a 5-gallon bucket. Such is the necessary way of fast food. I’m also sure that it tastes really good.
So, having nothing to compare this recipe to, I will say that it’s really good. The batter is a little weird, but it does make for good chicken. The sauce is really good, too.
It’s a long list of ingredients, but overall, this recipe is worth the time you need to invest. Note that this makes a ton of chicken. You could probably get away with making a half-batch if you’re feeding 2 or 3 people.
This recipe was posted at Allrecipes.
What you’ll need
- 2 cups flour
- 0.5 cups cornstarch
- 2t salt
- 0.5t white pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 cup water
- 2T neutral oil, divided, plus more for frying
- 2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1-inch pieces
- 1T sesame oil, divided
- 0.25t crushed red pepper
- 2t minced ginger
- 2t minced garlic
- 0.25 cups brown sugar
- 0.25 cups orange juice
- 1t orange zest
- 0.25 cups white vinegar
- 2T soy sauce
- 2T cornstarch
- Neutral oil for frying
- sliced green onions and sesame seeds for garnish
What to do
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and white pepper in a large bowl. Add the egg, water, and 1.5T oil and stir to combine. The mixture will turn into a sticky batter. Add the chicken pieces to the batter and toss well to coat. Put the chicken in the refrigerator while you make the sauce and begin heating the oil.
Pour the oil into a deep saucepan filled about 2 inches deep. Begin heating the oil to 375 F. degrees.
To make the sauce, heat the remaining 0.5T oil and 2t teaspoons sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crushed red pepper, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, and soy sauce and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.
Combine 3T cold water with the cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Turn the heat off and keep warm while the chicken is cooking.
When the oil has reached 375 degrees F., working in batches, carefully add some coated chicken pieces to the hot oil—don’t crowd the pan. The oil temperature will reduce when the chicken is added, so cook the chicken at 350 degrees F., stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy—about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon or wire spider and drain on a wire rack set over paper towels. Bring the oil temperature back up to 375 degrees F. and repeat process with the remaining chicken. You may have to make up to four batches, depending on the size of the cooking vessel and how much oil you use.
When the chicken is all cooked, there are two things you can do with the sauce: 1) reheat it and add the cooked chicken to the frypan, tossing it and coating it all with the sauce, or 2) reheat it and pour the sauce over the cooked chicken in its serving dish. With either method, top with optional green onions and sesame seeds before serving hot.
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