This Panda Express Mushroom Chicken is a copycat recipe you won’t be able to resist. Savory and full of umami flavor, this dish has tender chicken and veggies for a delectable meal.
If you love this chicken dish, then you should try this One Pan Chicken and Potatoes and this Grilled Teriyaki Chicken.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
If you love Panda Express Mushroom Chicken, then you are going to love this copycat recipe. You can make this dish at home and it tastes exactly like what you get at the restaurant.
- TASTE: Savory chicken with earthy mushrooms, all in a delicious umami sauce. The ginger garlic flavor really stands out in this Panda Express Mushroom Chicken.
- TEXTURE: Cooked until tender, the chicken thighs, zucchini, and mushrooms are all scrumptious. The sauce is thickened so it coats everything in flavor.
- TIME: This dish takes 33 minutes.
- EASE: This recipe is so simple. It takes a variety of ingredients, but these step-by-step instructions couldn’t be easier to follow.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken- This dish uses chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless.
- Chicken stock- This is the base of the sauce.
- Corn starch- This will help the chicken crisp up.
- Oyster sauce- This salty, umami-flavored sauce is thick and rich.
- Sesame seed oil- Adds a distinct sesame seed flavoring that goes really well in the Mushroom Chicken sauce.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute other meats- Make this with chicken thighs, pork, or even beef for a delicious variation on this recipe.
- Add other vegetables- Make this with celery, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, boy choy, or yellow squash for extra flavor and a more filling dish.
- Substitute honey- To avoid refined sugar, you can substitute honey for the brown sugar. Its syrupy consistency works well with the sauce.
- Add white wine- Once the alcohol cooks off, this Panda Express Mushroom Chicken is left with the tangy crispness of the wine.
How to Make Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
- Prep the chicken. Cut the chicken breasts into small cubes and place them in a bowl with the cornstarch. Mix.
- Heat the wok. In a large wok, heat the avocado oil and sesame oil over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken. Add the chicken in and stir until fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
Pro Tip: To get a good brown sear on the chicken, don’t stir it right away. Let the chicken sit for a few minutes before mixing.
- Cook the vegetables. Now in the same wok, add the sliced white mushrooms, zucchini, minced garlic cloves, and minced ginger. Add a little more oil (if needed) and stir over medium-high heat until the zucchini is tender and slightly crisp. Then add the cooked chicken back in.
- Add the sauce. Lastly, add in the sauce ingredients, the soy sauce, chicken broth, seasoned rice vinegar, oyster sauce, and brown sugar. Let the sauce come to a simmer for a few minutes while stirring everything together. Serve warm over white rice.
Recipe Tips
- Cut everything to a uniform size- For even cooking and so one ingredient doesn’t overpower the others, cut the chicken and vegetables to a uniform size.
- Add cornstarch- Adding this ingredient to the chicken will help it get crisp. Don’t skip it.
- Don’t stir the chicken right away- Letting the chicken sit in the pan for a few minutes helps it get delicious browning, which will add great flavor to this dish.
- Simmer the sauce- Allowing the sauce ingredients to simmer will let some of the moisture evaporate, leaving the sauce thicker and able to adhere to the chicken and veggies better.
FAQs
Panda Express Mushroom Chicken is made with bite-sized pieces of chicken, sliced zucchini, and mushrooms in a garlic ginger soy sauce. It’s wok-fried for crispness and the sauce is made with other umami-rich sauce ingredients, like oyster sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame seed oil.
Panda Express usually uses chicken thighs in their Mushroom Chicken because its more flavorful and also cheaper. But you can easily make this with chicken breasts, which are healthier and also absorb flavor just as well.
Serving Suggestions
This Panda Express Mushroom Chicken is a savory dish that works with all sorts of sides. Serve it with salads, soups, veggies, and grains.
- Grains/Noodles: Serve this over a plate of white rice, Wild Brown Rice, Chow Mein (VIDEO), or Hibachi Fried Rice.
- Salad: Enjoy this Panda Express Mushroom Chicken with a Chinese Eggplant Salad , Asian Chicken Salad, Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad, or Spinach Salad.
- Sides: Serve it alongside Fried Spring Rolls (VIDEO), Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli, Eggplant Roll-ups, or Bang Bang Shrimp.
- Soups: Pair this chicken dish with a bowl of She Crab Soup, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Shrimp Tempura Udon Soup, or Clam Chowder Soup.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can prep this by cooking the chicken and storing it in the fridge until you’re ready to make the rest of the dish. You can also prepare and allow this recipe to cool, storing it in the fridge until you are ready to reheat it.
Storing: Store any leftovers of this Panda Express Mushroom Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Freeze: Because zucchini doesn’t freeze well, it’s best to only make as much as you can eat in a few days.
More Delicious Copycat Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions
Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
Equipment
- 1 14-inch wok
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 8 oz white mushrooms sliced
- 1 zucchini sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp chicken broth
- 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Cut 1 lb chicken breast into small cubes and place it in a bowl. Now mix it with 1/4 cup cornstarch.
- In a large wok, heat 2 Tbsp avocado oil and 1 tsp sesame oil over medium-high heat.
- Then add the chicken in. Tip: to get a good brown sear on the chicken, don’t stir it right away. Let the chicken sit for a few minutes before mixing. Continue stirring until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Now in the same wok, add 8 oz sliced white mushrooms, 1 sliced zucchini, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 1 tsp minced ginger. Add a little more oil (if needed) and stir over medium-high heat until the zucchini is tender and slightly crisp.
- Then add back the cooked chicken.
- Lastly, add in the sauce ingredients as follows: 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp chicken broth, 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, and 2 tsp brown sugar. Let the sauce come to a simmer for a few minutes while stirring everything together. Serve warm over white rice.
Notes
- Cut everything to a uniform size- For even cooking and so one ingredient doesn’t overpower the others, cut the chicken and vegetables to a uniform size.
- Add cornstarch- Adding this ingredient to the chicken will help it get crisp. Don’t skip it.
- Don’t stir the chicken right away- Letting the chicken sit in the pan for a few minutes helps it get delicious browning, which will add great flavor to this dish.
- Simmer the sauce- Allowing the sauce ingredients to simmer will let some of the moisture evaporate, leaving the sauce thicker and able to adhere to the chicken and veggies better.
Nutrition
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