Better Vegan Orange Chicken
I just went to Panda Express because they brought back their beyond orange chicken for a limited time. But, it was pretty disappointing, there were only a couple small pieces of chicken in a huge bowl of rice. I figured, I haven’t had it in awhile, maybe I don’t understand how good these little nuggets of beyond chicken are. So we’re going to taste test it, and compare it to my own version that I make! If you like this recipe, check out this one too! and this one!
Orange Sauce
You can get beyond chicken nuggets, an entire bag, for $7.50! And I paid $10.50 for my Panda Express chicken! Also, making orange sauce is easy, it’s probably one of the easiest sauces you can make. I got microwave rice, so I can make it quickly. Let’s get started. To do that I add about a teaspoon of olive oil into a small saucepan with a little bit of minced garlic and ginger (I’m saying a little bit because I am eyeballing everything that I am adding in here). I let that simmer together for just a moment.
Then I add about half a cup of orange juice, a little water, some brown sugar or whatever sweetener you want, a quarter cup of soy sauce, a quarter cup of rice vinegar. I made sure to whisk that all together well. Then I brought it to a slight simmer. Next, in a small bowl I’m going to whisk together a cornstarch slurry. I’m going to do about a tablespoon of cornstarch with about a tablespoon (maybe a little more) of water. Add that to the sauce and let it thicken up. Now I throw my brown rice in the microwave for about ninety seconds.
Chicken And Rice
I also put my chicken nuggets into an air fryer for a few minutes. Once they were done, I chopped them up into smaller bits. Next I put them into a bowl, top with the sauce, and shake them around. Now the rice is done, so I add it to my bowl, top it with the beyond chicken nuggets, and I add some sesame seeds and chopped green onion over mine. Time to put it to the test! What is going to be better? The homemade bowl or the Panda Express?
Taste Test
The Panda Express chicken is chewy, fried on the outside but not very crispy. It has a basic, sweet orange chicken flavor. But overall very plain, and no flavor to the rice. My vegan orange chicken resembles chicken more, it has more crunch, and the flavor is better. It also feels lighter, it’s sweet but it also has a kick. So there you have it! Make it yourself! You can probably make it at home quicker than it takes to go and get it! Watch the full video here!
Panda Express Vegan Chicken But Better
Ingredients
- rice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- minced garlic
- ginger
- .5 cup orange juice
- brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- beyond chicken nuggets
Instructions
- Add olive oil to saucepan with minced garlic, and ginger. Let that simmer for a moment.
- Add in the orange juice, water, brown sugar, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Whisk, then bring to a simmer.
- In a small bowl whisk together water and cornstarch then add it to the sauce.
- Microwave the rice, and put the chicken nuggets in the air fryer. Once the nuggets are done, chop them up a bit smaller, and put them in a bowl, then add the sauce, and shake them around.
- When the rice is done, add it to your bowl, then the chicken nuggets and enjoy!