Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Copycat

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken is so easy to make at home! There’s something so comforting about using fresh ingredients and creating a meal in your own kitchen. It takes less time to throw together than it does to get in your car, drive to the restaurant and pick it up. I drive by a Panda Express every day, and yet I still choose to make this copycat Panda Express mushroom chicken with fresh vegetables and chicken for an easy and yummy weeknight dinner. If you’re craving a good Chinese takeout chicken mushroom recipe, this is the one to try!

Ingredients in Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Recipe

The name alone gives away two key ingredients: chicken and mushrooms. Add in thick slices of zucchini and you’re well on your way to making a healthier, simpler version of the popular chicken recipe. Here’s all you need:

For the chicken and veggies:

Boneless skinless chicken thighs – two pounds of chicken makes a lot of food for 4-6 people. Try to avoid the bone-in thighs; they’re just harder to eat with this meal. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken cutlets. Corn starch – about a third cup, which will help give the chicken its crispy fried texture. Olive oil – five tablespoons. You can use extra virgin olive oil or regular olive oil. Mushrooms – one cup fresh mushrooms, sliced however thick you like. Use baby bella mushrooms, cremini mushrooms or any of your favorites. Soy sauce – use low-sodium soy sauce to cut down on the salt in the recipe. It tastes very similar to regular. Zucchini – about 2 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch pieces.

Panda Express Ginger Soy Sauce:

Chicken broth – one cup of your favorite chicken stock or broth Soy sauce – again, you can use low sodium soy sauce White cooking wine – two tablespoons of dry white wine. If you can’t find any in your store, you can add a little more chicken broth. Rice vinegar – two tablespoons. You can find this in the Asian foods aisle of your grocery store. Garlic – two teaspoons, crushed. That’s about two cloves garlic. Use as much or as little garlic as you like. Fresh ginger – two teaspoons, grated or finely chopped. You can buy fresh ginger and keep it in the freezer for several months. Brown sugar – one teaspoon, packed Cornstarch – three tablespoons, which you’ll mix with water to create a thickening agent for the sauce. Water – one quarter cup

Serve over steamed rice or brown rice or lo mein noodles.

Substitutions and Additions

No zucchini at home? No problem! That’s the beauty of this Panda Express Mushroom Chicken copycat recipe. Try some of these veggies and starches in this recipe and create different variations of a bowl every time.

Broccoli Green pepper Carrots Cauliflower rice instead of rice pasta Garnish with sesame seeds Diced onions or a sprinkle of onion powder Green beans Fresh parsley, fresh thyme or other fresh herbs Diced red potatoes Dijon mustard Parmesan cheese Lemon juice If the chicken needs more flavor, try adding a teaspoon salt.

Cuts of Chicken to Use in Mushroom Chicken

Panda Express typically uses chicken thighs for mushroom chicken. The dark meat has more flavor and fat and is actually cheaper to buy. But if you’d like a healthier version, opt for bite size chunks of boneless chicken breasts or tenderloin. I actually prefer chicken breasts in this recipe, but my husband enjoys the darker meat. However, white meat can get a little dry, so make sure not to overcook the chicken. Use canola oil or sesame oil to sear the chicken in a hot pan before adding the marinade and liquid.

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Sauce

We did a side-by-side comparison of both the Mushroom Chicken and the Panda Express String Bean Chicken Breast recipe and concluded the sauce for both of these recipes is exactly the same! Even on the Panda website, for both recipes they say the chicken is “tossed in a light ginger soy sauce”. The mushrooms may give the sauce for this recipe a deeper flavor but the base sauce recipe is the same. So whip up a double batch of sauce and enjoy two favorite copycat recipes at once.

How to Store Leftovers

Keep leftovers in an airtight container for easy storage in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave for about a minute or so, stirring often.

Frequently asked Questions

Other Panda Express Entrée Recipes (and more Asian-Inspired Entrees)

We have created delicious copycat recipes to many of your Asian restaurant favorites. Make them all for your next big bash or Friday night date night. With our simple recipes, you can have an entire Chinese feast in no time. Pair this Mushroom Chicken recipe with a few more of our favorites: