Quick & Easy Panda Express Mushroom Chicken

Name: Quick & Easy Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 1 lb chicken breast (sliced on a bias into 1/4 inch thick pieces); 1 small zucchini (cut into half circles); 4 oz white mushrooms (or cremini mushrooms, sliced); 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil ); 1/4 cup water (to cook the veggies); 1 tbsp regular soy sauce; 1 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil); 1.5 tbsp Cornstarch (or sub with potato starch ); 2 tsp Shaoxing wine (or sub with Dry Sherry or omit); 1/4 tsp white pepper (or black pepper); 1/2 tsp baking soda (do not skip!); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tsp ginger (grated); 1 tbsp regular soy sauce; 1 tbsp oyster sauce (or vegetarian stir fry sauce); 1 tbsp cornstarch (or sub with potato starch ); 1 tbsp white granulated sugar (or brown sugar); 1 tsp sesame oil; 1 tsp Shaoxing wine (or sub with Dry Sherry or omit); 1/2 cup chicken broth (low sodium)

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Tender chicken stir fried with hearty mushrooms, zucchini in a delicious stir-fry sauce. This quick and easy Panda Express mushroom chicken is made with simple ingredients in one pan! It's better-than-takeout saving you money!

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
Other Copycat Panda Express Recipes
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💬 Reviews

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken features ultra-tender chicken 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!

Panda Express is a Chinese-American fast food chain in the United States. Famous for serving popular Chinese Takeout dishes like their Mongolian Chicken, Orange Chicken, or Honey Walnut Shrimp.

This chicken stir fry is a great main dish serving best with white rice or brown rice! But I share many pairing suggestions below.

After having Panda Express' Mushroom Chicken, I personally think my version is better and authentic to Chinese cuisine because the chicken is velveted leading to a very tender bite!

Ingredients & Substitutes

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!
Green Zucchini: or substitute with yellow zucchini
Mushrooms: white mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, or shiitake mushrooms all work
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: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
Neutral oil
Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch
Shaoxing wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic or gluten-free version, substitute with any broth.
White pepper: or substitute with black pepper
Baking soda: the key ingredient to tenderize the meat as it raises the acidity preventing protein bonds.

Stir-Fry Sauce

Garlic cloves
Fresh Ginger
Regular soy sauce
Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce if you don't like oysters. If you're gluten-free: substitute with a gluten-free version.
Corn starch
White Sugar or Brown Sugar
Sesame oil
Shaoxing wine
Low-Sodium Chicken broth: or substitute with beef stock, vegetable stock or as a last resort, water

Equipment

Cutting board
Measuring set
Sharp knife
Large skillet or wok

Expert Tips

Thinly slice the chicken on a bias (which means against the grain on a 45 degree angle) for tender chicken.
Do not skip on the baking soda or cornstarch when marinating the chicken! This makes the meat very tender! Don't worry you can't taste the baking soda.
Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Cut zucchini into half moons for easier consumption!
Prepare all the ingredients in advance as the cooking process is quick!

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Panda Express Mushroom Chicken:

Marinate Chicken and Make Sauce

marinate sliced chicken with marinade ingredients

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

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

Cook Chicken and Vegetables

fry chicken until cooked and remove from pan

In a large 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 vegetables and add ¼ cup water to speed up the process

Reduce to medium heat, add 1 tsp vegetable oil. Fry zucchini and mushrooms for 1 minute to let them brown. Then add ¼ cup water to help cook them until softened. Cook until water has completely evaporated.

Simmer Sauce and Add Chicken

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

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

Storage

Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing mushroom chicken as the vegetables will become mushy.

Pairing Suggestions

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken serves well with:

starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, or plain noodles
cooked vegetables like bok choy, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.

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.

Can I make this spicy?

Yes, add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes into the sauce mixture.

Can I make this in advance?

This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.

Other Copycat Panda Express Recipes

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