Have you been craving some delicious Chinese-inspired fast food but trying to cut back on meat? Well, lemme tell you about something that’s been causing quite a stir in the fast food world! Beyond The Original Orange Chicken from Panda Express might be exactly what you’re looking for
As someone who loves trying new plant-based options, I was super excited when this dish first appeared. Let’s dive into what this dish actually is, its rocky history at Panda Express, and what makes it so special.
What Exactly is Beyond The Original Orange Chicken?
Beyond The Original Orange Chicken is a vegan version of Panda Express’ iconic Original Orange Chicken dish. Created through a partnership between Panda Express and Beyond Meat, this plant-based option features:
- Crispy, wok-tossed Beyond Meat bites
- Coated in Panda’s signature sweet and spicy orange sauce
- Designed to mimic the taste and texture of traditional chicken
- 100% plant-based ingredients
The dish was specifically created to capture the irresistibly crunchy texture and addictive flavor of Panda’s signature Original Orange Chicken, but without any animal products. It gives everyone looking for plant-based options the chance to enjoy this popular flavor profile.
The Rollercoaster History of Beyond Orange Chicken
The journey of Beyond Orange Chicken at Panda Express has been quite the rollercoaster ride! Here’s how it all went down:
Initial Launch and Testing (2021)
- July 2021: Panda Express introduced Beyond Orange Chicken as a limited test
- Initial release was only available at select locations in Southern California and New York
- The response was INCREDIBLE – over 1,300 pounds sold on the first day alone!
- Southern California locations completely sold out within just two weeks
Expansion Phase
- October 2021: Expanded to 70 locations across 10 states including California, New York, Texas, and Georgia
- September 2022: Launched nationwide in over 2,300 U.S. locations
- Always intended as a limited-time offer (though many fans didn’t realize this)
Disappearance and Return
- January 2023: Removed from the menu, leaving many vegan customers disappointed
- Became the #1 most requested dish on Panda’s social channels
- A petition demanding its return received over 7,000 signatures from hungry fans
- July 3, 2024: Beyond The Original Orange Chicken returns to Panda Express menus for a limited time!
Why Did Panda Express Remove It Initially?
Many ppl assumed the dish was discontinued due to poor sales but that wasn’t the case! The truth is
- It was always planned as a limited-time offering
- Despite huge popularity, Panda Express initially had no plans for permanent addition
- Some concerns existed about cross-contamination (cooked in shared woks)
- The item may have been part of a test-and-learn approach by Panda Express
The 2024 Return: What You Need to Know
The exciting news is that as of July 3, 2024, Beyond The Original Orange Chicken is BACK at Panda Express! Here’s what you should know about its return:
- Available at hundreds of participating locations nationwide
- Still a limited-time offering (so don’t wait too long!)
- Panda Express has stated that if consumer enthusiasm continues, there’s potential for expansion to additional restaurants
- Currently exclusive to U.S. locations (sorry, international friends)
To find participating stores offering Beyond The Original Orange Chicken you can visit https //www.pandaexpress.com/promo/beyondoc
Other Vegan Options at Panda Express
If you can’t find Beyond Orange Chicken at your local Panda Express or if it’s disappeared again by the time you’re reading this, don’t worry! There are still several vegan-friendly options to enjoy:
Vegan Entrées
- Super Greens: A mix of broccoli, kale, and cabbage (available as entrée or side)
- Eggplant Tofu: Lightly browned tofu with eggplant and red bell peppers in a sweet, spicy sauce (availability limited to certain regions)
Vegan Sides & Appetizers
- Chow Mein: Stir-fried wheat noodles with onions, celery, and cabbage
- Chow Fun: Wide rice noodles (select locations only)
- Steamed White Rice or Brown Rice
- Vegetable Spring Rolls: Crisp rolls filled with veggies
- Fortune Cookies: Typically vegan, but check locally
Vegan-Friendly Sauces
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Chili Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Plum Sauce
- Hot Mustard
DIY Beyond Orange Chicken at Home
Can’t wait for the next time Beyond Orange Chicken returns? Try making your own version at home! Here’s a quick copycat idea:
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Plant-based chicken alternative (Beyond Meat pieces, oyster mushrooms, or crispy tofu)
- Dairy-free milk
- Wheat-free flour
- Garlic powder
- Orange zest and fresh juice
- Soy sauce
- Minced garlic and ginger
- A touch of molasses for sweetness
Quick Steps:
- Create a crunchy batter with the dairy-free milk, flour, and seasonings
- Coat your plant-based protein and fry until crispy
- Make your sauce by combining orange zest, juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and molasses
- Toss your crispy pieces in the sauce
- Serve over rice and enjoy!
The best part about making it at home? No worries about cross-contamination if you’re strictly vegan!
Will Beyond Orange Chicken Become Permanent?
The million-dollar question: will Beyond The Original Orange Chicken ever become a permanent menu item at Panda Express?
As of now, Panda Express hasn’t announced plans to make it permanent. However, the overwhelming popularity of the dish – becoming their #1 requested item and inspiring a petition with thousands of signatures – suggests there’s a strong market for it.
The 2024 return specifically mentions that “if consumer enthusiasm continues, there’s potential for expansion into additional Panda Express restaurants.” This gives us hope that with enough support, we might see it become a regular menu fixture.
Final Thoughts
Beyond The Original Orange Chicken represents an exciting step forward for plant-based fast food options. Its creation shows that major chains like Panda Express are recognizing the growing demand for delicious vegan alternatives that don’t sacrifice flavor.
If you’re excited about this dish, my advice is to:
- Try it ASAP during its limited return
- Let Panda Express know how much you love it (through social media, customer feedback, etc.)
- Support the petition if it’s still active
- Keep an eye out for future announcements
Who knows? With enough support, we might see Beyond The Original Orange Chicken become a permanent fixture alongside Panda’s traditional meat options!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Beyond The Original Orange Chicken now a permanent menu item?
No, it’s currently back for a limited time starting July 3, 2024. However, Panda Express has mentioned potential for expansion if consumer enthusiasm continues.
Where can I find stores offering Beyond The Original Orange Chicken?
Visit https://www.pandaexpress.com/promo/beyondoc to find participating locations.
Is Beyond Orange Chicken available internationally?
No, it’s currently exclusive to Panda Express locations in the United States.
Is Beyond Orange Chicken 100% vegan?
The ingredients are plant-based, but be aware that it’s cooked in shared woks with other dishes, which may concern strict vegans due to cross-contamination.
Fake chicken sets its sights on Chinese American fast food.
Say what you will, but vegan meat substitutions have come a long way. Were not just replacing proteins with tofu anymore; weve got an extraordinary amount of uncanny animal-product imitators available to us. There are vegan eggs, an array of faux beef options, and a plethora of plant-based chicken out on supermarket shelves. Fast food is increasingly embracing the vegan chicken trend, and Panda Express wasnt about to get left in the dust: the brand has released a limited-time-only entree called Beyond the Original Orange Chicken, replacing the poultry in its popular entree with plant-based protein (and giving it a punny name with lots of trademark symbols).
The orange chicken was tested at Panda Express last year, but only at select locations; its now available nationally. I ambled on over to the nearest location, and while the Beyond version was provided as a sample, I purchased an order of the classic stuff to see how the two compared.
How does Panda Express’ Beyond Orange Chicken Taste?
I tried the Beyond version of the entree first. It came in the form of relatively uniform breaded nuggets, tossed in Panda Express sweet and vinegary orange chicken sauce. And I have to say, it was pretty impressive. Though it was discreetly apparent that it wasnt chicken, it still had that spongy texture that emulsified chicken nuggets have.
The telltale sign that it wasnt meat was mostly in its density. The Beyond orange chicken was pretty dense, with bounce to its chew. I hesitate to call it rubbery, since people usually consider that as an undesirable trait to food, but its chewiness wasnt off-putting at all.
The other tell was a slight pea-protein-like flavor that mainly came out as the food naturally cooled off. As far as I could tell, there are no ingredients listed on the Panda Express website, but if its the same fake chicken base as Beyond Chicken Tenders sold to foodservice, its main protein component comes from faba beans, per Beyonds website.
Heres the fun side by side. While the Beyond orange chicken came in roughly round nuggets, the real chicken was shaped much more irregularly, sort of like little clouds.
That irregular shape allows much more of the gel-like orange chicken sauce to cling to its surface, and it gets into all the little nooks and crannies of each piece. But whats particularly interesting is the texture. The real chicken was much softer than its new vegan counterpart. Had I just never noticed how soft Panda Express orange chicken was? My teeth sunk into it effortlessly. (Id initially believed the orange chicken was made of white meat, but I was wrong—its dark meat chicken, as Delish reported in 2017.)
With all that noisy sweet and vinegary orange chicken sauce, its hard to tell the flavor of whats inside either the chicken and its vegan counterpart anyway. You can still detect the fibers in the meaty one and catch a little bit of poultry flavor, but thats only if youre concentrating. It could have been practically any protein and I probably wouldnt have been able to taste what was in it, especially if I was eating it under different circumstances. Like at some gas station rest stop or something.
I keep telling myself I need to cut down on my meat consumption, for I rely on it as a staple in my diet more than I want to. So in the case of a quick lunch, Id be totally happy to swap out for the Beyond Meat orange chicken at Panda Express to soothe my conscience (even though yes, I know, its very processed material, which may not be good for you or the planet).
While the original stuff is just a little better, it relies mostly on the flavor of the sauce and the fact that its core protein is battered and fried. Honestly, it could be fish balls, beef, tofu, whatever, and itd still taste good.