Panda Express Night

One of our office Elders received a bottle of Panda Express Orange Chicken sauce for his birthday and since then we have been trying to plan a Panda Express Night. With not much on the schedule we decided to host the eight office Elders for Chinese Food on Sunday night. I did some research on the computer and found recipes for Panda Express Orange Chicken, Fried Rice and an Oriental Salad. When the missionaries arrived I provided aprons and let them get cooking.

From Left to Right: Elder Stringham (with his back to the camera was in charge of coating the marinated chicken pieces in cornstarch), Elder Detrinidad fried the chicken along with Elder Fowkes (kneeling) who provided our sauce; Elder Duerden (trying to light the stove) worked with Elder Edwards (in the red apron) to cook the Fried Rice. I stood around and just helped where needed.

Elder Duerden and Elder Edwards did a great job with the rice. And not too much ended up on the floor.

Elder Fowkes was the inspiration for this evening. A big thank you to his mom for the sauce.

Look at Elder Stringham's hand. He was covered in mucky cornstarch. I love the heart on his apron.

Elders Ramirez and Morales took the comfy seats and enjoyed the evening. Actually, Elder Morales is busy unlocking an IPhone for us. He is our mission computer expert.

Finally it was time to eat. Everything look delicious.

All the missionaries agreed that the food was great. There wasn't one grain of rice remaining after they finished eating. But of course they had room for pizookies for dessert. It was a perfect evening with a group of perfect missionaries.

Recipe for Panda Express Orange Chicken

1 lb. chicken breast meat

1 egg white

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

4 cups oil to be used for frying

1 cup cornstarch

1. Cut chicken breast into 1/2-inch cubes; set aside.

2. To make marinade - combine egg white, salt and sugar in a bowl and stir vigorously until ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Add chicken cubes to marinade and stir to coat well.

3. Preheat the oil to 350-375 F. Meanwhile, put marinated chicken in the plastic baggie containing the cornstarch. Shake chicken well for about 20 seconds or until chicken is covered with cornstarch. Shake off all excess cornstarch and fry chicken in hot oil until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes. Remove chicken from oil, drain and set aside. Add fried chicken to heated orange sauce, stir for about 30 seconds, and then serve immediately.