The Original Orange Chicken by Panda Express

Summary

Jimmy Wang, Director of Culinary Innovation at Panda Express, shares the authentic recipe for their signature Orange Chicken. Starting with dark meat cut into cubes for optimal texture and moisture, the chicken is coated with a wet batter containing egg and cornstarch for a crispy crust. The dish's history dates back to 1987, with Chef Andy Cow's creation gaining popularity due to its unique flavor profile. The cooking process emphasizes the importance of timing and temperature, with the chicken fried at 350 degrees for a precise six minutes. The sauce, a balance of orange juice for acidity and vinegar for potency, is poured over the chicken while hot to absorb quickly, creating a maple syrup-like consistency. Sesame oil adds a glossy finish and nutty flavor, making this dish a nostalgic favorite for its iconic sweet and sour taste.

Takeaways

• 🍗 Jimmy Wang is the Director of Culinary Innovation for Panda Express and he's sharing the recipe for their original Orange Chicken.
• 🔪 The chicken should be cut into one-inch cubes from the thigh meat to achieve the best texture and retain moisture.
• 🍽️ A wet batter is used to coat the chicken, which includes egg and cornstarch for aeration and a crispy crust.
• 🍊 Panda Express is credited with the creation of Orange Chicken, with the story dating back to 1987 when Chef Andy Cow was experimenting with local chicken.
• 🍳 The chicken is fried at 350 degrees, with about 25 pieces at a time to avoid overcrowding the pot, and fried for at least six minutes.
• 👀 The color of the fried chicken will darken after it is taken out and rests, so it should be fried to a lighter shade than desired.
• 🍲 The sauce for Orange Chicken includes orange juice for acidity and vinegar for its potency, which should be smelled when the dish is served.
• 🥣 The sauce should have a consistency similar to maple syrup to ensure the chicken absorbs it well when it's hot.
• 🌀 Sesame oil is added for an extra sheen and a toasted nuttiness, enhancing the dish's flavor profile.
• 🎉 The combination of sweet and sour flavors with fried chicken is iconic and nostalgic, making Orange Chicken a popular choice.
• 🛠️ The preparation of Orange Chicken is technical and cannot be cheated, emphasizing the importance of following the recipe exactly for the best results.

Q & A

Who is Jimmy Wang in the context of this video script?

Jimmy Wang is the director of culinary innovation for Panda Express.

What is the preferred cut and size for making the original orange chicken at Panda Express?

The preferred cut is thigh meat, cut into one-inch cubes to provide the best texture and retain moisture.

Why is dark meat used for the original orange chicken recipe?

Dark meat is used to help retain moisture while the outside of the chicken remains crispy, resulting in a tender and juicy interior.

What is the purpose of using a wet batter to coat the chicken?

The wet batter provides aeration to the crust and coats the chicken better, enhancing the texture and flavor.

What ingredients are included in the batter for the orange chicken?

The batter contains a leavening agent like egg, cornstarch, all-purpose flour, and a bit of starch for crunch.

Why is Panda Express considered the originator of orange chicken?

Panda Express originated orange chicken in 1987 when Chef Andy Cow was experimenting with local chicken dishes.

At what temperature should the chicken be fried for the original orange chicken recipe?

The chicken should be fried at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

How many pieces of chicken should be fried at a time to avoid overcrowding the pot?

Approximately 25 pieces at a time are recommended to ensure even cooking.

Why should the chicken be fried to a lighter color than desired before removing it from the fryer?

The color will darken slightly as the chicken rests, so frying to a lighter color ensures the final product has the correct shade.

What role does orange juice play in the orange chicken sauce?

Orange juice provides the necessary acidity to the sauce, enhancing the overall flavor profile.

Why is it important to add vinegar at the right time in the sauce preparation?

Adding vinegar too early will cause its potency to evaporate, so it should be added later to maintain its aroma and flavor.

What consistency should the sauce have before adding the fried chicken?

The sauce should have a consistency similar to maple syrup to allow the chicken to absorb it effectively.

What does sesame oil add to the dish, and why is it important?

Sesame oil adds an extra sheen and a toasted nuttiness, contributing to the iconic flavor of the dish.

Why is the combination of sweet and sour flavors with fried chicken so appealing?

The combination of sweet and sour flavors with fried chicken evokes a sense of nostalgia and is a universally appealing taste that hits home for many people.

Outlines

00:00

🍗 Making Authentic Orange Chicken at Home

Jimmy Wang, the director of culinary innovation for Panda Express, shares the process of making the original Orange Chicken at home. He emphasizes the importance of using dark meat, cut into one-inch cubes, for its texture and moisture retention. The chicken is coated with a wet batter containing egg and cornstarch for a crispy crust. The history of Orange Chicken is traced back to 1987, when Chef Andy Cow created it, and Andrew Cherng, the founder, recognized its potential. The cooking process involves frying the chicken at 350 degrees, ensuring it's not overcrowded and monitoring the color to avoid overcooking. The sauce requires a balance of acidity from orange juice and vinegar, which should be added last for maximum aroma impact. The final dish is characterized by a maple syrup-like consistency, with sesame oil adding a sheen and nutty flavor. The iconic status of Orange Chicken is attributed to its nostalgic sweet and sour taste, reminiscent of classic American comfort foods.

Keywords

💡Culinary Innovation

Culinary innovation refers to the process of developing new food products, techniques, or concepts in the culinary arts. In the video, Jimmy Wang, as the director of culinary innovation for Panda Express, is focused on recreating the original orange chicken at home, showcasing the importance of innovation in maintaining the brand's menu freshness and relevance.

💡Orange Chicken

Orange chicken is a popular dish known for its sweet and sour flavor profile, typically associated with Chinese-American cuisine. It is the central theme of the video, as the director explains the process of making this iconic dish from Panda Express, emphasizing its significance in the restaurant's menu and its appeal to customers.

💡Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated in batter or breading and then deep-fried. In the context of the video, fried chicken is a key component of the orange chicken recipe, with the director detailing the process of frying the chicken to achieve the desired texture and flavor.

💡Texture

Texture in cooking refers to the feel of the food in the mouth, which can be influenced by factors such as the preparation method and the type of meat used. The video emphasizes the importance of achieving the right texture in the orange chicken, with the director noting that cutting thigh meat into one-inch cubes provides the best balance of crispiness and tenderness.

💡Moisture Retention

Moisture retention is the ability of a food to maintain its natural juices and avoid drying out during cooking. The video script mentions using dark meat for the orange chicken to help retain moisture, ensuring that the chicken remains tender and juicy even after being fried.

💡Batter

A batter is a thick mixture used to coat food before cooking, often for frying. In the video, the director describes using a wet batter to coat the chicken for the orange chicken recipe, which helps to create a crispy crust and better adhere to the chicken.

💡Corn Starch

Corn starch is a fine white powder made from corn and is commonly used as a thickening agent in cooking. In the context of the video, corn starch is part of the batter mixture, contributing to the formation of a crunchy crust on the fried chicken.

💡Crispy

Crispy refers to a food texture that is characterized by a crunchy exterior. The video script discusses the desired texture of the orange chicken, with the director aiming for a crispy exterior while maintaining a tender interior.

💡Potency

Potency in cooking refers to the strength or intensity of a flavor or aroma. The video mentions the potency of vinegar in the orange chicken sauce, which needs to be noticeable to the nose and retained even after cooking.

💡Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is a cooking oil made from sesame seeds, known for its distinct nutty flavor and aroma. In the video, sesame oil is used in the orange chicken recipe to add an extra sheen and a toasted nuttiness to the dish, enhancing its overall flavor profile.

💡Sweet and Sour

Sweet and sour is a flavor combination that is both sweet and tangy, often associated with Asian cuisine. The video script discusses the nostalgia and appeal of the sweet and sour flavor in orange chicken, highlighting its iconic status in American Chinese food.

Highlights

Jimmy Wang is the director of culinary innovation for Panda Express.

Making the original Orange Chicken at home starts with fried chicken.

Cutting thigh meat into one-inch cubes provides the best texture and retains moisture.

Using dark meat helps keep the chicken moist while the outside is crispy.

A wet batter with egg and cornstarch coats the chicken for aeration and a crunchy crust.

Panda Express is the originator of Orange Chicken, dating back to 1987.

Chef Andy Cow created the dish using local chicken and testing different batters.

The dish was popularized by the founder and chairman Andrew Cherng.

Frying chicken at 350 degrees for about 6 minutes prevents overcrowding.

The fried chicken's color will darken after resting, so fry it lighter initially.

Chinese food cannot be processed like fast food; it requires precise cooking methods.

Orange juice provides the necessary acidity for the sauce.

Vinegar adds potency to the aroma and should be added last to preserve its scent.

The sauce should have a maple syrup consistency for the chicken to absorb it well.

Sesame oil adds sheen and a toasted nuttiness to the dish.

The iconic taste of sweet and sour combined with fried chicken creates nostalgia.

The Orange Chicken's flavor profile is reminiscent of ketchup, coleslaw, and barbecue sauce.

Transcripts

hi my name is jimmy wang i'm the

director of culinary innovation for

panda express here's how we're going to

make the original orange chicken at home

start with fried chicken we feel like

when you cut the thigh me into about a

one inch cube it kind of gives you the

best texture out of every bite and also

retains the best moisture

so we wanted to use the dark meat to

help to sort of keep that moisture in

there while the outside is crispy the

inside is nice and tender and juicy

so using the wet batter to coat the

chicken it gives a little bit of

aeration to the crust and it also coats

the chicken better

so the batter itself has a lemon agent

such as egg and we also use corn starch

plus ap flour to help to have some sort

of a crust with the wheat and then also

a little bit of starch so that there's a

crunch

the panda express is the originator of

orange chicken the story goes back to 87

chef andy cow was working with local

chicken he was testing a couple

different badges people smelled it so

the customer was just automatically says

i want that instead founder and chairman

andrew saw the whole thing he was like

this might be it

we actually want to fry the chicken in

badges at 350 degrees it's roughly about

25 pieces at a time so that way the pot

doesn't get overcrowded we want to fry

at least

six minutes one of the things that we

also need to remind people is that the

shade of the color that you fry in here

by the time you take it out and rest

it's going to go one shade darker so we

always want to go a little bit lighter

when people think of fast food they

think it's processed with chinese food

there is no way to cheat it they always

have to do it exactly the way it is or

else it doesn't come up with the right

result everything is very technical

that's one thing that we're really proud

of

i think orange juice definitely gives

the acidity that is needed the vinegar

has to be the potency of it so you want

it to the nose if you boil it earlier

the vinegar comes off then you don't get

it so that's why you can always smell

the orange chicken when you go to the

stores because that vinegar really hits

at the end so we're looking for almost

like maple syrup consistency

when the chicken is nice and hot when

you drop it into the sauce it's going to

absorb right away so it could be a

little bit wetter

the sesame oil it gives a extra sheen

and also a toasted nuttiness to the dish

one of the reason why i think it becomes

such an iconic dish there's a certain

nostalgia about a taste of sweet and

sour think about ketchup coleslaw

barbecue sauce when you think about a

sweet and sour flavor combined with sort

of something very iconic as fried

chicken that really really hits home

it's really good

you