I Tried to Copy Panda Express’ Orange Chicken! [VIDEO]

There is nothing that scratches my sweet/spicy itch like Panda Express' Orange Chicken! During a mall run with my girls to get Aviator sunglasses for Sabelle at Claire's, we bonded over accessories and Food Court food. It must be genetic, because both of my girls share my passion for the sticky, crunchy yumminess that is Panda Express Orange Chicken. I yelled, "WHOA!!" out loud when I spotted Panda Express bottled Orange Chicken Sauce in the Asian section of Shaw's Mill Creek! I snatched up a bottle and ran home to look up the recipe to go along with the sauce. Unfortunately, the recipe at the Panda Express site simply calls for frozen chicken nuggets. That's just not gonna' cut it.  YouTube is where I found the help that I needed. This is the recipe that I tried, it didn't taste exactly like the Panda Express version, but the chicken was very crunchy and everyone loved it!

Instead of breast I used thigh meat, and next time I will season that magical self-rising flour! I made a batch of basmati rice, and while it was cooking I threw in a handful of frozen carrots and peas. When the rice was done, I stir fried it in a bit of hot canola oil and sprinkled some chopped scallions over it before serving. This recipe was an experiment. I had never fried before and wow what a mess! But it was fun and fairly easy!

Have you ever tried to re-create a recipe that you had at a restaurant? How did that go for you? Share your experience and recipe on our Fan Page, or tweet #atleastitried.

Pad Thai is next!

Celeste