Panda Express Is Adding Plant-Based Orange Chicken to Menus
If you follow a plant-based diet, you're gonna want to hear this.
Panda Express' Orange Chicken has a cult-like following. It's beloved by many, and non-meat eaters have been missing out for way too long. Luckily, they'll be able to get in on the action soon enough. Panda Express is expanding its menu to include a version of its wildly popular Orange Chicken made with Beyond Meat.
Beyond The Original Orange Chicken has everything loyal Panda Express customers love about Orange Chicken, but with none of the actual meat. The dish has the same texture and flavor as the original—it's wok-tossed in the same signature sauce—but is made with Beyond Meat's plant-based protein. The new offering makes Panda Express the first national Asian restaurant chain to serve Beyond Meat, according to a press release.
"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," chef Jimmy Wang, executive director of culinary innovation at Panda Express, said in a statement.
Panda Express' new Beyond Meat offering is just one of many vegetarian dishes already on the menu. Guests can pair it with eggplant tofu, super greens, chow mein, vegetable spring rolls, and white or brown rice.
This dish won't be available nationwide, at least not to start. Panda Express locations in New York City and Los Angeles will have Beyond The Original Orange Chicken on menus starting July 26.