Name: Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Copycat {5 Steps}
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1lb chicken (skinned and cut into small cubes); 8oz white/crimini mushroom (sliced); 1 medium sized zucchini (1/2 inch cut lengthwise); 1tbsp canola oil; 1tbsp sesame oil; ¼ cup soy sauce; 1tbsp rice vinegar; 2tsps sugar; 3tbsps cornstarch; 3 cloves of garlic; 2tsps minced garlic; Sesame seeds for garnish

Jump to Recipe

Mushroom chicken is one of the most popular meals from Panda Express along with teriyaki chicken, beef broccoli, orange chicken, and chow mein noodles.

It is delectable for its pan seared chicken, zucchini and mushroom mix, and Asian garlic and ginger sauce. It is easy to recreate as a dish and in this post, we will roundup everything about mushroom chicken along with a recipe to follow.

Table of Contents

homemade panda express mushroom zucchini chicken

What is Panda Express Mushroom Chicken?

Panda Express mushroom chicken is a flavorful dish made from skinless chicken breast, rich garlic and ginger sauce, and mixed with a generous amount of white mushroom and zucchini.

It is a favorite take-out food from Panda Express and often as a combo meal to super greens, chow mein, and other beef and chicken dishes.

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Ingredients & substitute

In making your own Panda Express mushroom chicken at home, here are the ingredients that you need:

1lb chicken breast
6 medium mushrooms (sliced)
1 medium zucchini (sliced lengthwise)
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp sesame oil
2tbsp cornstarch

For the sauce:

Soy sauce
Minced ginger and garlic
Rice vinegar
Cornstarch
White wine
Honey
Sesame seeds

For substitutes, you can use hoisin sauce or Kikkoman instead of soy sauce. You can also change the chicken with beef, pork, or shrimp. As for the veggies, you can add celery, carrots, broccoli, water chestnuts or bamboo shoots. You can also make it spicier by adding sambal chili paste or Szechuan chili oil paste.

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken calories & nutrition

As per Panda Express website, mushroom chicken contains 220kcal, and 130 calories from fat. It also contains 2.3g of saturated fat, 840mg of sodium, 5g of sugar, 23g of protein and 3g of fiber.

Tools used in the recipe

Here are the tools that you will need in making Panda Express mushroom chicken:

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken sauce

Interestingly, the sauce used in mushroom chicken is the same sauce that can be tasted from Panda Express string bean chicken breast dish. They are made of the same Asian ginger and garlic sauce, with soy sauce, sesame oil, and thickened with cornstarch.

How to make Panda Express Mushroom Chicken

To make Panda Express mushroom chicken, the chicken must be seared to perfection. And then the mushrooms and zucchini are cooked until brown, followed by making the sauce with the combination of soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and garlic.

First, pour canola oil in the pan. Rub the chicken with cornstarch and sear in the pan on medium-high heat for 3mins each side.
Remove the chicken and switch to high heat. Saute mushroom and zucchini until they are light brown. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook for 3mins and 30secs or until the veggies are soft.
Next, toss the chicken on the pan and stir with the mushroom, zucchini, and spices. Cook for a few minutes or until the chicken is evenly coated.
Now add the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sugar for the sauce. Coat everything evenly. Cook for 5mins.
Transfer in a bowl of white rice. Serve warm.

More Panda Express copycat recipes

Variations to Panda Express Mushroom Chicken

To enhance taste or for a personal take on the mushroom chicken of Panda Express, here are some variations that you can incorporate:

Proteins: you can use finely sliced beef or pork in place for chicken.
Vegetables: you can add or use carrots, broccoli, snow peas, cauliflower, other mushrooms
Flavor: you can add more kick to it by incorporating chopped jalapenos, sambal, or thai red paste, as well as red pepper flakes.
Crunch: you may also include toasted peanuts, or water chestnuts in the dish to give it additional crunch and texture.

How to store Panda Express Mushroom Chicken

Leftover mushroom chicken can retain its flavor and crunch even after five days of being stored in the fridge. Just make sure that it is sealed on an airtight container.

Can you freeze Panda Express Mushroom Chicken?

Yes. When stored properly, Panda Express mushroom chicken can last in the freezer for two months.

What does Panda Express Mushroom Chicken taste like?

Panda Express mushroom chicken comes in a subtle, delicate chicken taste but made rich by its brown, thick, Asian ginger and garlic sauce. True to its Asian heritage, mushroom chicken has that signature umami taste which makes it a go-to takeout dish in Panda Express.

What to serve with Panda Express Mushroom Chicken?

You could simply settle for white, plain rice. But as a versatile dish, mushroom chicken is best paired with egg and shrimp rice, ham fried rice, chow mein noodles, chicken and cabbage salad as well as pork and veggie pot stickers.

Is Panda Express Mushroom Chicken healthy?

Yes. It is packed with fiber rich vegetables and a good source of lean protein with the chicken. To make it healthier, you can replace the soy sauce with a low-sodium one or only use good oils such as olive oil or avocado oil.

Is Panda Express Mushroom Chicken keto-friendly?

Minus the rice, yes, Panda Express mushroom chicken is good for those on dirty keto. You can substitute the white mushroom with shirataki. Instead of rice, you can have cauliflower rice instead. You can also add fried tofu to go along the chicken breast for more protein. And with just 11g of carbohydrates, it could pass for a low-calorie meal.

Is Panda Express Mushroom Chicken gluten-free?

No, but if you are making it at home, you can use gluten-free soy sauce and use an alternative thickening agent for the sauce to make it gluten-free.

Is Panda Express Mushroom Chicken dairy-free?

Yes. Most of the time, Panda Express dishes are not vegan friendly and are not gluten-free but you can count on their menu for being dairy-free. Thus, mushroom chicken is perfect for those with dairy allergies or are lactose intolerant.