Orange Chicken Copycat Recipe

Orange Chicken takes center stage whenever I decide to have a Chinese food night. This may not be the exact Panda Express Orange Chicken recipe, but our copycat recipe comes pretty close. I rarely get Chinese takeout anymore because it’s so much cheaper to make it at home, and it tastes so fresh. My favorite part of this meal is the homemade tangy orange sauce. The vibrant orange flavor complements the tender chicken chunks perfectly.

How to Make Orange Chicken

Don’t be scared off by the long list of ingredients. I promise you have most of these on hand.Just a little of this and a little of that adds up to one incredibly easy orange chicken recipe.

Alternate cooking methods

Pan Frying – If you are looking for a healthier alternative to deep-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. Baking – Fry the chicken until it cooks on the outside, then place it on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. You will still get a little bit of a crispy texture and still have all the flavor! Air Frying – 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. I cook it 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.

Make it Gluten-Free

Because we use a cornstarch coating on our orange chicken instead of flour, this is really close to being a gluten-free recipe. 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.

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 broccoli or stir-fry vegetables and steamed white or brown rice, but if you’re wanting to wow friends and family with a scrumptious Asian-inspired spread, try a few of these delightful recipes: