by Alora Middleton Hale

To cater to the growing demand for plant-based options, Panda Express treated guests in select locations in the greater Los Angeles and New York City areas to a plant-based version of their most popular dish. On July 26, Panda Express debuted the first-ever product collaboration on their menu, Beyond the Original Orange Chicken made from crispy pieces of Beyond Chicken and tossed in Panda’s signature sweet and tangy sauce.

The first national Asian restaurant concept to serve Beyond Meat, Panda Express knows that more people are looking for plant-based versions of their favorite comfort foods. Panda’s Executive Director of Culinary Innovation, Chef Jimmy Wang said, “As the creator of The Original Orange Chicken®, Panda has significant brand equity in this staple American Chinese comfort food. We know guests’ tastes and preferences have evolved and look to us for variety. Beyond™ The Original Orange Chicken™ is the next step in the brand’s journey to offer more diverse and plant-based options, while still delivering comfort and crave-ability in innovative ways. Creating a fresh new take on a classic favorite is a great and accessible way to introduce plant-based proteins to our guests and perhaps even drawing a new audience for Panda.”

Beyond Delicious Plant-Based Options

VEGWORLD had the opportunity to stop by the Panda Express Innovation Kitchen in Pasadena, California to give the exciting new menu item a try before it sold out. Aside from the new Beyond the Original Orange Chicken, Panda offers a variety of other plant-based dishes, including Eggplant Tofu, Super Greens, Chow Mein, Vegetable Spring Rolls, and Steamed White and Brown Rice. The Innovation Kitchen, which boasts a few special menu items, also features the Panda Tea Bar with a selection of refreshing teas and lemonades.

We were fortunate to be able to give all of the plant-based menu items available at the Innovation Kitchen a try and were surprised at just how many options we had. As someone who always chose Panda Express in the mall food court, we were definitely hit with some nostalgia from our pre-vegan high school days as our trays were loaded up with Panda classics.

Everything we tried was cooked perfectly and full of flavor. The Super Greens, a blend of kale, cabbage, and broccoli, are tossed in a light garlic sauce that adds just enough flavor to the partially steamed veggies. The Eggplant Tofu dish, available at select locations, features a mixture of browned tofu, eggplant, red bell pepper, and green beans in a delicious sweet and spicy sauce. The chow mein, always a favorite, includes stir-fried wheat noodles with onions, celery, and cabbage. We also tried a Pomegranate Pineapple Lemonade with boba from the Innovation Kitchen’s Panda Tea Bar, which we found to be very refreshing and the perfect addition to our meal.

The star of the show was, of course, Beyond the Original Orange Chicken. As with the other dishes, each piece was cooked to perfection. The outside was crispy and covered in Panda’s proprietary sauce – sweet and tangy with a little bit of spice – that fans of the Original Orange Chicken will recognize and love. The texture was spot on and paired wonderfully with the textures and flavors of the other plant-based menu items.

Overall, we enjoyed our plant-based meal at Panda Express. We love to see popular chain restaurants offering options for plant-based guests and those looking to reduce their meat consumption. Beyond the Original Orange Chicken is sure to help many see how delicious plant-based food can be!

It’s important to note that Panda Express does not label their plant-based menu items as vegan or vegetarian due to cross-contamination. If that is something you avoid when choosing your meals, then this won’t be the best option for you. Still, if you’re looking for a restaurant that offers quick service and plant-based options at affordable prices, Panda Express could be just what you’re looking for.

Panda’s Most Successful Regional Launch

We aren’t the only ones who enjoyed Beyond the Original Orange Chicken. In fact, the dish is so popular, that it sold out in Southern California locations in less than two weeks! We aren’t surprised, seeing that at least half of the guests ordering their meals during our visit were asking for Beyond the Original Orange Chicken. While the SoCal locations may be sold out, guests in NYC can still enjoy Beyond the Original Orange Chicken in select locations, but it’s going fast!

“We are thrilled with the positive guest response around Beyond The Original Orange Chicken and are humbled to share that our SoCal restaurants sold out in less than just two weeks. Thanks to our Panda team at the 10 locations, we wok-fired more than 1,300 pounds of Beyond The Original Orange Chicken in just the first day alone. The excitement from our guests is unparalleled, and it’s one of our most successful regional launches to date at Panda.”

It’s always exciting to see launches of plant-based and vegan menu items go so successfully. We have all of our fingers crossed for a wider release of Beyond the Original Orange Chicken in the future. Let us know if you had the chance to try it out for yourself and what you thought in the comments.

*A big thank you to Jeff and the awesome team at the Panda Express Innovation Kitchen!

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