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Panda Express Mushroom Chicken copycat recipe over rice
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4.94 from 15 votes

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken (copycat recipe)

If you like Panda Express Mushroom Chicken, I believe you'll find that this copycat recipe is close to the original but is actually better ... in my humble opinion. Tender chicken, mushrooms, and zucchini in a thick, rich soy ginger sauce ... such depths of flavor!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time17 minutes
Total Time32 minutes
Course: Main Course, Meat
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 277kcal
Author: Sally

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil (or other oil)
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 pound chicken breast , cut into ½- to 1-inch pieces
  • 6 medium mushrooms , 2-3 cups, thick sliced (I used cremini)
  • 1 medium zucchini , 1-½ to 2 cups, thick sliced

Marinade

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon fresh ginger , peeled and minced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic , minced
  • 2 tablespoon rice vinegar (plain without seasonings)
  • 2 tablespoon white wine (dry or not so dry will do - I used Pinot Grigio)
  • 2 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Heat a heavy skillet to medium heat (5-6) on the stove top.
  • For the marinade, take the fresh chopped ginger and garlic and add to a medium-sized bowl along with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, white wine, and corn starch. With a whisk I blend it all together until corn starch is smooth.
  • To the marinade, I add the cut-up chicken pieces and stir together to coat all the pieces. Let this mixture sit while heating up the skillet for about 10 minutes.
  • When the pan has heated for about 10 minutes, add the olive oil (or other oil) along with the sesame oil to the skillet and move the skillet around to coat the entire bottom of the pan.
  • Drain most of the liquid from the marinade into another bowl. I do this with my hand to ensure that the chicken doesn't escape. Then I drop the chicken by handfuls into the hot skillet, leaving most of the liquid behind in the bowl. (Don't discard the extra marinade liquid.)
  • Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes, turning halfway through the cook time. This should cook the chicken at least most of the way.
  • Turn down the heat a bit (about 3) and add the mushrooms, stir, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes.
  • While the mushrooms are cooking, add the honey and sesame seeds to the residual marinade and blend with a whisk until incorporated.
  • After cooking the mushrooms for five minutes, add the zucchini and rest of the marinade to the skillet and stir. Cover and cook only slightly (no more than 2 minutes) in order to lightly cook zucchini but keep it from going to mush. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 949mg | Potassium: 679mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg