Panda Express Orange Chicken Recipe [Copycat] - Masala Herb (2024)

FAQs

What is Panda Express orange chicken sauce made of? ›

All of the flavor in the Asian chicken dish comes from the Panda Express signature orange chicken sauce, which features orange peel, soy sauce, vinegar, and red chili peppers. This gives the dish a citrusy sweet and tangy flavor with just a hint of heat.

From world-famous orange chicken to delicious chow mein, Panda Express defines American-Chinese cuisine with bold flavors and fresh ingredients. Panda Express entrees and sides contain zero grams of trans fat per serving and adds no MSG in their food.

It's made with crispy breaded morsels of Beyond Chicken that are wok-tossed in Panda Express's signature vegan-friendly orange chicken sauce. Best of all, the Beyond Meat orange chicken at Panda Express is completely vegan as-is—no modifications needed!

Panda Express' orange chicken is made with dark meat chicken

Americans love white meat. Especially chicken breasts. And when prepared correctly, a boneless, skinless chicken breast can be a thing of beauty. But dark meat has its benefits, too, and Panda Express realizes this.

Unfortunately, if it's a nutritious meal you're on the hunt for, this one isn't it. "Panda Express's Orange Chicken and Chow Mein are considered unhealthy due to their high levels of sodium, sugar, and unhealthy fats," says Young.

Water, sugar, rice cooking wine (rice wine, salt), soy sauce (water, soybeans, salt, wheat flour), oyster extractive (oyster, water, salt), modified food starch, rice vinegar, contains less than 2% of salt, yeast extract, sesame oil+, spice, caramel color, safflower oil+, xanthan gum, lactic acid, natural flavors (milk ...

In many countries MSG goes by the name “China salt”. Beside its flavour enhancing effects, MSG has been associated with various forms of toxicity (Figure 1(Fig. 1)). MSG has been linked with obesity, metabolic disorders, Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, neurotoxic effects and detrimental effects on the reproductive organs.

Panda Express primarily cooks their dishes in soybean oil. Soybean oil has a mild flavor with no strong taste of its own, making it a versatile choice for cooking and baking as it doesn't overpower the spices, sauces, and aromatics used in a dish.

Panda Express have discontinued serving the Beyond Meat orange chicken, the only vegan/vegetarian entree option. They have said this was due to the entree being a limited time item, but the popularity should make them change their minds.

However, the idea was always to run the BTOOC as a limited-time item. “As part of Panda's menu innovation strategy, we offer different seasonal limited-time offerings a few times a year to excite our guests about new menu varieties and exclusive flavors,” a spokesperson for Panda Express tells VegNews.

Does Panda Express use chicken broth? ›

Chow Mein

It is prepared by stir-frying boiled noodles with some vegetables and meat or tofu. The Panda Express Chow Mein used to be flavored with chicken broth, but they've long abandoned that practice.

Andrew and Peggy Cherng are cofounders of the $3.5 billion (sales) Chinese fast food chain, Panda Express, which has over 2,200 locations. The Cherngs also run famed ramen house, Ippudo, in Berkeley, CA and have investments in chains that sell everything from pizza, salad and cheesecake.

The most famous dish at Panda Express is the Orange Chicken. Inspired by flavors of the Hunan Province in China, Chef Andy Kho developed it in 1987, and it has been a consistent part of the menu ever since. Distinguished with its orange-flavored chili sauce, it has spawned several 'copycat' recipes.

Chinese names

cheng hua ji (traditional Chinese: 橙花雞; simplified Chinese: 橙花鸡; pinyin: chénghuā jī; Jyutping: caang⁴ faa¹ gai¹; lit. 'orange flower chicken'), an unambiguous term. cheng zi ji (traditional Chinese: 橙子雞; simplified Chinese: 橙子鸡; pinyin: chéngzi jī; Jyutping: caang^4-2 zi¹ gai¹; lit.

When dining vegan at Panda Express, choose from soy, chili, plum, potsticker, sweet & sour, and teriyaki sauces. But don't forget about that Panda hot mustard. Level up your plant-based order with these vegan-friendly condiments.

Panda Express Gourmet Chinese Orange Chicken Sauce, 20.75 Ounce (588 Grams)

Est 1983 Panda Express Chinese Kitchen. No high fructose corn syrup. No MSG added except for that naturally occurring in soy sauce, flavors containing yeast extract, and hydrolyzed soy protein.

Vegan options at Panda Express are solid. Bring on the meatless orange chicken! Panda Express has been hard at work getting vegan options on the menu now that it's ramping up plant-based offerings like so many other fast-food chains.