Panda Express Mushroom Chicken

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken. Tender chicken stir fried with hearty mushrooms, zucchini in a delicious stir-fry sauce. An easy delicious main dish made in one pan in 30 minutes!

What is Panda Express Mushroom Chicken?

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken is a flavorful chicken dish stir fried with mushrooms and zucchini in a light ginger soy sauce. Bursting with a savory flavor, this copycat version is better than the original in my opinion! Furthermore, Panda Express is a Chinese-American fast food chain in the United States. They are known to serve many popular Chinese Takeout dishes. One of their most popular menu items is their Mushroom Chicken.

This copycat panda express recipe pairs well with white rice, brown rice, or chow mein to make it complete! After having Panda Express' Mushroom Chicken, I personally think my version is better and more authentic to Chinese cuisine because the chicken is tender and the sauce is smooth and flavorful! I also share a velveting Chinese meat marinade to make the juicy chicken ultra tender!

Ingredients

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements. 

Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select local grocery store or online, like on Amazon.  

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts or skinless boneless chicken thighs. If you're worried that the white meat in chicken breasts will go dry, they won't with my velveting technique in using oil, cornstarch and baking soda! Dark meat is obviously more flavorful so use what you enjoy! 
• Zucchini: Green zucchini or yellow zucchini both work.
• Mushrooms: white mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, or shiitake mushrooms are fine.
• Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil, coconut oil or any heavy scented oils. 
• Water

Chicken Marinade:

• Regular soy sauce: This is different from dark soy sauce and it's much saltier than low-sodium soy sauce. You may use low sodium soy sauce but the chicken won't be as salty so you may need to add more to the stir fry sauce to taste. 
• Neutral oil
• Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch, rice flour or tapioca starch
• Shaoxing wine: aka Chinese cooking wine. If you don't have this ingredient or can’t find it locally, substitute with Dry Sherry Wine or omit.
• White pepper: or substitute with black pepper 
• Baking soda: this ingredient helps to make the chicken very tender! Do not skip!

Stir-Fry Sauce:

• Garlic cloves
• Fresh Ginger 
• Regular soy sauce
• Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce. This is not the same as Hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce is very sweet. 
• Corn starch
• White Sugar or Brown Sugar 
• Sesame oil
• Shaoxing wine
• Chicken broth: unsalted chicken stock or feel free to substitute with beef stock, vegetable stock or as a last resort, water

Equipment:

• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Colander to wash veggies
• Large skillet or wok 

How to Make Mushroom Chicken

Marinate Sliced Chicken

Transfer sliced chicken into a large bowl. Add Marinade ingredients as listed above. Mix well and let this marinate for at least 20 minutes. 

Create Stir Fry Sauce

In a separate small bowl, combine Stir Fry Sauce ingredients as listed above. 

Cook & Remove Chicken

In a large wok or large nonstick pan on medium high heat, add 2 tsp vegetable oil. Once hot, fry chicken until cooked through with a golden brown sear on the edges, about 2-3 minutes. The chicken cooks relatively fast so closely monitor it. Remove and set aside. 

Fry Zucchini & Mushrooms

Reduce to medium heat, add 1 tsp vegetable oil. Fry zucchini and mushrooms for 1 minute to let them brown.

Add Water to Help Veggies Cook

Then add ¼ cup water to help cook them until softened. Cook until water has completely evaporated. 

Add & Thicken Stir Fry Sauce

Pour in sauce, and mix with vegetables. Allow this to simmer to thicken. 

Toss in Chicken

Once sauce is thickened, add in cooked chicken. Toss to mix. Enjoy! 

Storage & Reheating

This dish will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat on the stovetop in a pan on medium heat until hot.

FAQ

Can I add additional vegetables to this stir fry? 

Yes! Feel free to add any veggies you like. I recommend any crunchy veggies, such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, or snow peas.

Can I substitute with another protein?

Yes, beef, pork or shrimp would work well.

What can I garnish this dish with?

Finely sliced green onions or toasted sesame seeds. 

Other Copycat Panda Express Recipes

• Orange Chicken
• General Tso Chicken
• Lemon Chicken
• Mongolian Chicken
• Mongolian Beef
• Kung Pao Chicken
• Black Pepper Beef
• Crab Rangoon
• Panda Express Chow Mein

📖 Recipe