Orange Chicken and Panda Express go together like the Big Mac and McDonald’s and the Whopper and Burger King. When you pick up your Combo Plate, you always have to fill one of your entrees with the delicious sweet and tangy, Orange Chicken.
Panda Express seems to be a staple in most strip malls or shopping centers. Currently as of the writing of this post, they are only in 45 states with the only holdouts in the North East of the US. (Sorry Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.)
Finding this recipe was a difficult task and took a while to perfect, but this is my best guess and I think it comes pretty dang close.
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Orange Chicken from Panda Express
The timeless classic that is Orange Chicken from Panda Express. It is quick and easy to make and sure to please everyone.
Trim the Chicken into bite sized chunks. Throw the chicken bites into a couple ziplock bags and add the egg, salt, pepper, flour, corn starch, and soy sauce. Slowly add water to make this an even coated batter. Let this sit in the fridge for 1 hour.
Heat up some oil for frying (enough to cover the chicken). Fry the chicken until golden brown. Drain the chicken and wait 3 minutes before adding them into the sauce.
Sauce Prep
Add all sauce ingredients into a pot and heat until a slow simmer, constantly stirring. Cook until a dark golden brown.
Today, we are going to take a look at an amazing recipe for my favorite pasta dish, the Spicy Chicken Chipotle Alfredo Pasta from The Cheesecake Factory. This thing is loaded with flavor (and calories) so keep that in mind. It is super simple to prepare, even though there seem to be a lot of moving parts, it all comes together in the end. It is the perfect combination of spicy and sweet and savory.
Introduction to The Cheesecake Factory
If you have never been to The Cheesecake Factory, you are definitely missing out. The huge menu is rather intimidating at first, but you soon realize that most of the menu is Cheesecake. I think that is why the Cheesecake Factory is so well-liked. No matter what everyone is craving, there is something for everyone. From Cuban Sandwiches to Asian Salads, to Burritos there is something for even the pickiest of eaters.
What is the Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta from The Cheesecake Factory?
Made using Penne Pasta, the Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta has Chicken breast sauteed in honey. The sauce is a unique sauce made from Alfredo and Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce. This gives it a beautiful mild kick that you crave as well as a deep smokey flavor. The sweetness of the honey combined with the spice of the sauce makes an amazing dish that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Add the asparagus to the pasta water and boil for 2-3 minutes or until slightly tender.
Pull out the asparagus and run under cold water to shock it and stop it from cooking.
Add your pasta to the water and remove when al-dente, normally 12-13 minutes rolling boil.
Combine lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chicken and let it marinade.
Prepare your skillet with butter on medium heat.
Add bell peppers and onions.
Leave on the heat until translucent, stirring occasionally to make sure they do not char, then add the garlic cloves, saute for 1 minute.
Cook Chicken and Serve
Remove the veggies and add olive oil to your skillet
Add chicken to the pan and turn the heat up to medum-high.
Keep on the heat until browned on all sides.
Add in the honey and stir until the honey loosens up.
Add the bell pepper mix.
Puree the Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can and set aside.
Brown the chicken on both sides and remove from heat.
Cook for an additional 3 minutes, then add all other ingredients (Veggies, Adobo, Pasta)
Make a basic Alfredo sauce (Butter, Parmesan, Heavy Cream, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder) and add in the Pureed chipotle peppers. Let it come to a simmer. Add your frozen peas to thaw in the sauce.
Add sauce, pasta, chicken in your pot adding the asparagus last or as a garnish. Add Cilantro or parsley and grated Parmesan as a topper. Tortilla strips if you want to be really authentic.
This right here is a soup for winners. Sometimes you just need a thick and hearty soup to warm the soul after a day chasing Polar Bears through the Arctic. This Broccoli Cheese Soup is super easy to make and tastes great.
Place the butter along with the chopped onion and celery into a pot and sweat these bad boys off. Once translucent, add the flour making sure to keep stirring. If you think you can stop stirring, you are wrong. Keep stirring.
Add the broth and continue to stir. Add in the pepper and salt. After about 2 minutes, you are going to add the rest of the ingredients and let them cook down for about 7-10 minutes. Add in the milk and cheese. Make sure to keep the temperature on a solid 4/10 on the heat scale or you will scorch it and no one likes scorched soups.
Garnish with some Jalapeños and some more cheddar and you got yourself an amazing soup.
If you are like me, the thought of anything with Jalapeños or Habaneros in it just makes your mouth water. That is why I had to try out the Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Dog. Made with thick cut premium bacon, Nathans hot dogs, and premium cheddar cheese, this is sure to be a unique eat you will come back to over and over. Now, what is so special about this Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Dog? Well, let’s take a look.
For this recipe, I am going to be starting off with the best hot dogs on the market, Nathans. If you disagree, you are just plain wrong and I feel sorry for you. Nathans is an American staple and worth our praise.
A word for the wise here, you always want to use the best quality ingredients for everything that you do. That goes for everything in life. Life is too short to save a dollar on crappy ingredients.
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Bacon Jalapeño Cheese Hot Dogs
Made with thick cut premium bacon, Nathan's hot dogs, and premium cheddar cheese, this is sure to be a unique eat you will come back to over and over.
Slice your hot dogs down the middle all the way through. Next, slice your cheese into small strips that can be placed on top of half of the hot dog. Next, add the cheese to the middle of the hot dog. Add as much cheese as you would like.
Take raw strips of bacon and wrap the hot dog all the way. Make sure it is tightly wrapped.
Grill on a griddle to cook all the way through.
Slice the tops and bottoms off of your jalapeños and then slice down the middle, not cutting all the way through. Remove the white membrane and seeds.
Take the hollow jalapeno tubes and wrap the bacon chedar dog in it. Place these on a griddle as well and make sure to cook the jalapenño so it becomes softer.
Place in your bun and smother with mustard or cheese sauce.
Cuban Picadillo…Anyone that has ANY Cuban blood in them can make Picadillo from scratch, it’s a known fact. It is the most basic of recipes that are simple to make, doesn’t break the bank, and is done in a matter of minutes. When I was growing up, this was one of my mom’s go-to recipes when there wasn’t a lot of time and people were hungry. I mean, how basic can you get with ground beef, olives, and tomato sauce and spices.
Origins of Picadillo
Many picadillo recipes derive from the one that Nitza Villapol put in her cookbook “Cocina Criolla,” published in 1954. Villapol, a writer and television host, was the closest thing Cuba has had to a Julia Child. Her shows were broadcast there for more than 40 years, and her cookbooks were a mainstay of Cuban home cooking from the 1959 revolution until her death in 1998.
Cortina’s first picadillo was a Villapol recipe, she said. Her mother had packed her off to Gainesville with the cookbook. “It was probably just beef and raisins then,” she said of her early attempts at the dish. “The first time, I skipped the tomatoes entirely.”
Picadillo roughly translates from the Spanish as “mince.” The dish bears some resemblance to American sloppy joes, or to hash. Some cooks use tomato sauce in the base. (Cortina’s mother, for one.) Others insist on fresh tomatoes.
Take note, this meat is also used as a filling in several different recipes including Papas Rellenas and Empanadas. You can serve it on Potatoes, Rice, in a sandwich, or as a side dish.
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Cuban Picadillo
This is a recipe for a traditional Cuban Picadillo that doesn't break the bank and that every Cuban should know how to make.
In a large skillet, start to brown the ground beef with the green pepper and onion.
Once browned, drain the grease from the saucepan.
Combine all the other ingredients and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Remove that Bay Leaf and serve it up over some rice and add the cilantro and WHAM, you will be craving Mojitos and Cuban Cigars in no time.
Recipe Notes
There is a topic of hot debate among Cuban households, and that is the addition of Potatoes and Raisins to the mix. My family are Picadillo purists and those things are blasphemy. If you would like to adulterate the recipe with raisins and potatoes, be my guest. The wonderful thing about Picadillo is that it is very forgiving, so experiment away!
