Air Fryer Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken

Last Updated on July 23, 2024

Skip the takeout and make this air fryer copycat Panda Express orange chicken at home instead.

This is my take on the famous Panda Express orange chicken that everyone loves. 

If you want your chicken to look like the one pictured above, serve it with Instant Pot white rice. Add this tenderstem broccoli to your menu and you’ll have a beautiful meal to serve your family that was easier to make than it looks.

If you love making takeout favorites at home, then this is a recipe that you are going to enjoy. It’s crispy chicken coated in a tangy flavorful sauce.

Jump to:

• What are the Main Differences Between This Homemade Version and the one From Panda Express? 
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔀 Substitutions
• 🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
• 🥄 Equipment Needed/Helpful Tools
• 🔪 How To Make Air Fryer Orange Chicken
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🙏 Pairing
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• 📋 Recipe
• Recipe FAQs

What are the Main Differences Between This Homemade Version and the one From Panda Express? 

The original orange chicken we all love that Panda Express developed in 1987 was inspired by Hunan province’s flavors. It is a crispy chicken covered with savory orange sauce. You can taste all these flavors in this amazing copycat Panda Express orange chicken, however, there are some differences. 

• Cooking Method: This homemade version is made using an air fryer and uses only a couple of sprays of oil. The restaurant version is usually deep-fried using lots of oil.
• Ingredients: Of course, we tried to copy the Panda Express recipe as close as we can, but they don’t give away all their secrets, so we can’t be exactly the same.
• Control Over Ingredients: The nice thing about making a recipe at home is you can control the ingredients to be according to your preferences or any dietary restrictions. When you get takeout, you have to be careful what you choose and you may not be able to eat much of it in order to stay within your caloric intake.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

If you want to save money, you should skip the takeout and make this air fryer orange chicken at home instead.

• Easy to make: This orange chicken is really easy to make. You just have to combine the ingredients and cook the sauce and coat the chicken and air fry it.
• Fills the house with a delicious aroma: Just like when you walk in the door with a bag of takeout and it smells so good in your house, the same delicious scent will fill your house as you cook the sauce and add it to the chicken.
• Leftovers make a great lunch: We’ve all enjoyed eating leftover Chinese food takeout for lunch the next day, so now you can enjoy bringing your homemade version to work for lunch.

If you love making Chinese takeout recipes at home give this Instant Pot beef and broccoli recipe a try.

🥘 Ingredients

You only need basic ingredients to help you make this air fryer orange chicken. Most of these ingredients can be found in your kitchen pantry. 

• Cornstarch: You will use this as one of the ingredients to coat the chicken and also as an ingredient to thicken the sauce.
• Nature’s Seasoning: It adds a savory depth that enhances the sweet and tangy elements of the orange sauce, making the final dish more delicious and satisfying.
• Eggs: They help keep the breading on the chicken.
• Orange, you’ll need the juice and zest: This is where the sauce gets its brightness and tangy flavor.
• Brown sugar: It adds the “sweet” to the sauce.

🔀 Substitutions

Brown sugar: The best substitute for brown sugar is white sugar mixed with molasses since this is what brown sugar is mainly made of. You would use use 1/2 cup of white granulated sugar mixed with 1/2 tablespoon of molasses.

Nature’s seasoning: To make your own nature’s seasoning, mix together 1/4 cup salt, 2 tablespoons black pepper, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon onion powder. Then, use the amount stated in the recipe and save the rest for another recipe.

White Vinegar: You can use rice vinegar if you want to since most Asian cuisines use this kind of vinegar. Use 6 tablespoons of rice vinegar to compensate for its milder flavor.

🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins

This recipe is pretty straightforward and easy to follow. However, there are a few variations that you can do to make this Panda Express inspired dish your own.

Add some vegetables: You can add some veggies to this dish to make it more filling and nutritious. Some good options include broccoli, bell peppers, and carrots. 

Make it spicier: If you want a little more heat, you can add more cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the dish. 

Add some crunch: To add some crunch and texture, you can top the dish with chopped peanuts or cashews.

If you want to try making a similar dish in the Instant Pot instead, try this Instant Pot orange chicken.

🥄 Equipment Needed/Helpful Tools

You only need a handful of kitchen tools to make this dish. These are all things that you probably already have in your kitchen. 

• Air fryer: This is where you’ll cook the chicken.
• Saucepan: A 2-quart saucepan allows the sauce ingredients to blend well and ensures even cooking, while leaving enough room to add the cooked chicken at the end.
• Mixing bowls: You’ll need 2 mixing bowls to coat the chicken.
• Measuring cups and spoons: Use these to measure the wet and dry ingredients.

🔪 How To Make Air Fryer Orange Chicken

Make your own orange chicken from Panda Express in the comfort of your own home with these simple steps. You will be so glad that you made this tasty dinner recipe.

Step 1: Make the Sauce

In a saucepan over medium heat, add all sauce ingredients and bring to a slow boil. Once slow boiling, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir every couple of minutes to prevent the sauce from sticking. Let sit on warm while the chicken cooks.

Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a mixing bowl, mix spices, flour and cornstarch.

Step 3: Whisk the egg

In a separate bowl whisk egg.

Step 4: Coat the Chicken

Coat the chicken in the flour, and then dredge in egg.

Step 5: Repeat the Coating

Return chicken back to flour and fully coat.

Step 6: Put Chicken in the Air Fryer

Place breaded chicken in an oil sprayed air fryer basket. Spray chicken with oil.

Step 7: Air fry the Chicken

Cook on 380 F for 10 minutes.

Step 8: Coat chicken in the Sauce

Once all the chicken is cooked, increase sauce heat to low medium and add fried chicken. Stir until chicken is completely coated.

Step 9: Serve and Enjoy

You can serve this orange chicken in a bowl over rice. If you want to be fancy, or just have your kids try something new, you can try eating it with chopsticks.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🙏 Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Air Fryer Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken:

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📋 Recipe