Panda Express Mushroom Chicken (Copycat)

Craving takeout but don’t want to leave the house? Now you can stay in for dinner with this easy copycat Panda Express mushroom chicken recipe!

There’s something so fun about recreating your favorite takeout dishes at home, and today, I’m sharing a a tried-and-true classic: Panda Express mushroom chicken! If you’ve ever found yourself craving that delicious bite of tender chicken, earthy mushrooms, and crisp zucchini in a savory brown sauce, this recipe is for you.

Not only is this copycat recipe ridiculously easy to whip up in your own kitchen, but it’s also a healthier option that doesn’t skimp on flavor. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or meal prep, this dish captures everything you love about the original Panda Express mushroom chicken.

This is a great family-friendly dish that’s packed with both protein AND vegetables. (For an extra kick of veggies, I recommend pairing this mushroom chicken stirfry with my easy frozen vegetable fried rice!)

Why You’ll Love My Copycat Panda Express Mushroom Chicken

• It’s so easy: The entire recipe takes less than 30 minutes.
• Perfect for meal prep: We love cooking this on a Sunday to batch up throughout the week. Pack it up in glass containers, along with your favorite rice, cauliflower rice, or noodles for a complete meal that’s as satisfying as it is delicious.
• Delicious flavors: There’s something so delicious and nostalgic about Panda Express mushroom chicken. This is a recipe you’ll want on repeat.
• It’s nutritious: This recipe is packed with protein AND veggies.

Copycat Mushroom Chicken Ingredients

We’re keeping things pretty simple with this recipe, but there are two ingredients that I’m using that might be a bit unfamiliar. The first is Shaoxing wine.

This Chinese cooking wine adds a delicious flavor and aroma that will remind you of authentic Chinese food. I really urge you to try to find this ingredient as it imparts such a unique flavor, but other substitutes you can use for this would dry sherry, mirin, sake, dry white wine or chicken broth.

And the second ingredient is Oyster sauce. This savory sauce should be easy to find in your local grocery store for just a few dollars, but worse case scenario, you can leave it out of the recipe.

We’ll also be using chicken breast (feel free to substitute chicken thigh), white mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, ginger and cornstarch.

Our sauce will include the Shaoxing wine and oyster sauce, along with just a bit of sugar and soy sauce.

Panda Express Mushroom Chicken Step-by-Step

Start by dicing your chicken breast into small bite-size cubes. Add your diced chicken to a bowl, sprinkle on the cornstarch, and mix until each piece is coated. I like to use tongs for this steps.

Add oil to your pan, followed by the chicken. (While the chicken is cooking, I like to mix together the ingredients for my brown sauce.) Cook until chicken is lightly browned, and then transfer cooked chicken pieces to another plate.

In the same pan, add in your diced zucchini and mushrooms. Cook until moisture is released from the veggies, and then add in your garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Once the garlic no longer has a raw smell, add the chicken back into your pan, along with your sauce.

Cook until sauce has thickened, and serve with your favorite side dish. Some of our favorite side dishes for this mushroom chicken stir fry include:

• Frozen vegetable fried rice
• Cauliflower rice
• Jasmine rice
• Lo-mein noodles

Or serve it on top of a crunchy cabbage salad!

Recipe Tips

When stir frying vegetables, you’ll want to keep the pan nice and HOT. The higher heat will help sear the veggies quickly to make sure they are still crisp. If you use a lower heat, the veggies release all their liquid and it ends up steaming them and can turn the vegetable soft and mushy.

I don’t recommend using a nonstick pan for this recipe – they are not recommended for higher heat cooking. My favorite pans are Hexclad pans which you’ll see being used in all my photos, but you can also use stainless steel, cast iron, or a traditional wok for this recipe.