P.F. Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken is crispy, spicy and sweet, with notes of orange flavor and even healthier than the restaurant version!
This was one of my first posts on the blog back in 2015. It was a recipe I couldn’t wait to post and since then I’ve gotten better at taking photos. So there is a fun new set of photos for the recipe. Same delicious flavors though!
This dish is the first I ever tried there, and as I am sure you know about me (or will learn soon enough) when I love a dish, it becomes my go-to. At PF Chang’s it is this Orange Peel Chicken, at The Cheesecake Factory it is the Spicy Cashew Chicken (with no cashews). 
I am a loyal fan, only deviating from my favorites to taste a bite of my husband’s dish. He is, luckily for me, the opposite of me when we go out to eat and loves to try new things. So I end up with the best of both worlds.
Now if only I could convince him not to eat from my plate as I am eating from his…
The one change I made to this recipe is that I skipped the breading and deep frying process and used cornstarch in place of flour to keep the chicken as crispy as possible. 
You can definitely add that back in if you would like, but with just a coat of cornstarch (or flour if you prefer), you will still have a completely delicious dish. I made it both ways at home for the same meal so we could compare, this version won by unanimous decision.
We normally serve this P.F. Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken with Perfect Brown Rice, Every Time and Roasted Garlic and Ginger Carrots. 
If you’d like to try out another P.F. Chang’s favorite you should try my Easy Mongolian Beef which is a delicious and easy copycat of the original!
P.S. Did you know I’ve recreated every Panda Express recipe on the menu? Head over and check out all the copycat recipes now!
Tools Used in the making of P.F. Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken:
Wok: The best way to cook quickly and over high heat for Asian dishes, this wok is the perfect stir fry pan.
Sriracha: Quite possibly the king of all pre-made hot sauces as far as I’m concerned. Adds heat without overwhelming you and can be used in almost every cuisine. Try mixing with mayo to make a perfect spicy mayo!
Citrus Zester: This zests your citrus perfectly without getting any of the pith in the recipe.
P.F. Chang's Orange Peel Chicken (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken breast , cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons minced garlic
- 4 green onions , sliced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- peel from 1 orange , half zested and half julienned
- Perfect Brown Rice
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1 inch chunks. Put in a bowl and coat with cornstarch.
- Add two tablespoons of oil to your wok.
- Heat oil on medium high and add the chicken.
- Cook until browned on both sides.
Remove chicken from pan. If you have about a tablespoon of oil in the pan go ahead and use it without wiping your pan clean. If not, add a tablespoon of oil, minced garlic and green onions and let cook for about 1 minute, but don't let your garlic burn.
- Add tomato sauce, water, sugar, Sriracha and soy sauce.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add the chicken back into the pan with the sauce.
Top with the orange zest and orange strips and mix until all coated, letting it cook for another 20-30 seconds for the chicken to heat back up.
- Serve with Perfect Brown Rice, Every Time and some Roasted Garlic and Ginger Carrots.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Recipe Secrets
3.3.3077
This was delicious, just like PF Chang’s maybe better! My husband’s favorite dish which we order at PF’s but we are now 2 hours away from PF’s and this was the answer to our craving. I too added juice from half an orange as per tips by other cooks! 😉 Thanks so much.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Over the top delicious….thank you so much for an amazing dish
I’m glad you enjoyed it enough to give it a 5 star rating. Thanks!
This turned out fantastic. It tastes just like the restaurant recipe. Being in Canada, P.F. Chang’s is a long way to go for this dish. My only changes to the recipe were that I used peanut oil to give it a more authentic Chinese feel and I added juice of 1/2 the orange in the sauce. Holy Moly, we’ll be making this again!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Bob.
We make this almost every week except with shrimp. FANTASTIC recipe! I crave it now. Best orange chicken/shrimp we’ve made…and we’ve tried a lot! Easy, straightforward, quick, yummy. What’s not to love? Pair it with steamed broccoli and brown rice! Great as leftovers too.