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This copycat Panda Express teriyaki chicken is tender, juicy and features a phenomenal homemade teriyaki sauce. Perhaps best of all, it’s ready in only 20 minutes, so you’ll be tucking into your new favorite Asian-inspired dish in no time at all.
Homemade Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken
This copycat recipe isn’t just easy to make. It tastes absolutely phenomenal. Our chicken is cooked to perfection, with a crispy outside and of course a moist, juicy interior. We’re using some common household ingredients to make the teriyaki sauce. You can spoon it over your chicken (or just about any other protein) and tuck into this delicious dish.
Our recipe will give you the glossy, flavorsome teriyaki chicken experience in your own home. A great garnish for this recipe is fresh green spring onions, which add some bite and zest to what can be a very sweet, sticky, umami flavor profile.
Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken Ingredients
Check your pantry. You might have most, if not all, of these ingredients already.
How To Make Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken
Our teriyaki chicken recipe is so simple. You only need a mixing bowl, pan, and tongs to start cooking your very own delicious teriyaki chicken.
This recipe produces six servings, so if you’re into leftovers, it’s perfect.
- In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and sesame oil, mix to combine. Keep aside. (If you’re skipping the teriyaki glaze, our easy homemade stir fry sauce gives you that savory-sweet balance without the extra sweetness.)
- Heat oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until lightly browned.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the sauce and bring to a simmer, cook until the sauce thickens. If it is too runny, add the cornstarch slurry and mix to combine. Cook over low heat until it thickens up.
- Slice the chicken, spoon the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with green onions and serve over steamed rice immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Storage: You should allow any leftovers to cool completely before storing. Place your leftovers in tupperware, storing them in the fridge. Your chicken should keep for up to three days.
- Freezing: You can freeze any leftover chicken, too. If you want to freeze your leftovers, all you need to do is place your cooled chicken in a freezer-safe container and place it in the freezer. Your chicken will keep in the freezer for up to a month. You’ll want to thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight before you reheat it.
- Reheat: To reheat your chicken, you only need to pop your leftovers into the microwave until it’s heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Genuine teriyaki sauce is made using a combination of soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake. Westernized versions typically include other ingredients like ginger, garlic, and honey.
Chicken is reasonably healthy, depending on your health goals. The sauce can be high in sugar and sodium depending on what you put in it. Chicken is a really good source of protein, but you should always be mindful of your health goals when considering a diet.
Soy sauce is made from a mixture of water, salt, and fermented soybeans. Teriyaki sauce contains soy sauce as a key ingredient, as well as several others such as sugar, ginger, and garlic.
Panda Express
Panda Express is a very successful chain of restaurants based in the United States. Many Americans are familiar with the Panda Express experience, as the restaurant delivers Asian cuisine at rapid speeds. Panda Express might nominally be a Chinese-American restaurant, but as you will have noticed, their menu includes many other staples of Asian cuisine.
One of these is the Japanese classic teriyaki! Teriyaki is a long-standing facet of Japanese cuisine. The term “teriyaki” actually refers to the shiny, lustrous appearance of food. This comes thanks to the sugar in the sauce.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
- Panda Express Shanghai Angus Steak
- Panda Express Mushroom Chicken
- Black Pepper Chicken
- Shrimp Yaki Udon
- Crispy Chicken Stir Fry
- Black Pepper Beef
- Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken
- Chow Mein Panda Express
If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! We will be happy to hear from you!
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Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup sugar, white granulated or brown sugar
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 pounds 1 kilogram skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch, or corn flour mixed with 3 tablespoons water, optional
- 2-3 tablespoons green onions, sliced to garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and sesame oil, mix to combine. Keep aside.
- Heat oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until lightly browned.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the sauce and bring to a simmer, cook until the sauce thickens. If it is too runny, add the cornstarch slurry and mix to combine. Cook over low heat until it thickens up.
- Slice the chicken, spoon the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with green onions and serve over steamed rice immediately.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made this last weekend for my family and it was fabulous. I can’t believe how spot on the flavor was. So happy with the results. Will definitely be saving and cooking this meal again.
Thank you, Jihoon!
I made this tonight and it turned out great, my husband thought it was phenomenal and had three helpings!
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️ I am glad you liked the recipe!
Made this twice now and was a big hit! The chicken is so tender, moist, and scrumptious it’s become a go to in our house! It’s definitely a keeper!
Thank you, Antonia!
The recipe recreates it perfectly! My husband adored this and I loved how easy it was.
Made this recipe exact and it was fantastic! The flavor was fabulous and it could not have been easier to make! Everyone loved it!
Thank you Nayrika!
I made this last night and it turned out great it was really delicious and my whole family loved it.
Thank you Jeilyn! I am glad you liked the recipe.
I absolutely love this dish. An easy wonderful dinner!!
Hey, Franca! I am glad you liked this teriyaki chicken and thank you for sharing your experience!
We loved this!! Very tasty flavor combination! This will definitely be added to our regular schedule!
Hey, Alexis! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️ I am glad you liked this recipe!
Made this tonight and my husband says it’s a real keeper!
Hey, Chantal! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️ I am glad you liked this recipe!
This recipe is my new favorite. I loved how easy the directions were to follow.
Thank you, Tamires!