Panda Express Orange Chicken

This was an amazing Panda Express copycat recipe that I adapted from Recipezaar. Crispy chicken with a sweet-spicy orange sauce. Served with a side of stir-fried veggies and fragant rice, it was way better than any take-out I've had. The ingredient list looks kinda long but it cooks up really quickly. The most time consuming part of the recipe is measuring out the ingredients.

For a healthier version or if you don't want to deep fry, you could stir-fry the chicken to cook it through (without the batter) then make the orange sauce and proceed as directed in the recipe.

Panda Express Orange Chicken
Serves 4

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, bite sized pieces
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
oil (for frying)

1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red chili pepper
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Orange Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
8 tablespoons sugar
10 tablespoons white vinegar
1 orange, zest of

1. Heat 2-3 inches of oil for deep-frying to 375 degrees F. Place chicken pieces in large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well. Toss in cornstarch and flour mixture to coat.
2. Add chicken, small batches at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp. Do not overcook. Remove from oil with slotted spoon and set aside.
3. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon corn starch with 1/4 cup water and sesame oil. In a separate bowl combine all orange sauce ingredients. Set aside.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil over high heat. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, 10 seconds. Add crushed chiles, rice wine and green onions. Add orange sauce and bring to a boil then add cornstarch mixture and simmer until thickened. Add cooked chicken, stirring to coat.