The dish that was invented at Panda Express in 1987 was the Original Orange Chicken recipe.
In 1987, Panda Express's executive chef Andy Kao invented the Original Orange Chicken recipe and it became the Panda Express restaurant's signature dish and a popular American Chinese Food.
The dish was also inspired by a Hunan style dish with citrus flavors and was created at a Panda Express location in Hawaii.
Panda Express's orange chicken is very popular due to its appealing combination of textures and flavors.
The Panda Express orange chicken, features crispy, battered chicken pieces coated in a sweet and tangy orange-flavored sauce, often with a hint of spice.
The balance of sweet, savory, and slightly spicy notes, along with the satisfying crunch, contributes to its addictive quality.
Panda Express does also offer a plant-based, "fake" or rather, Beyond The Original Orange Chicken, which is made with Beyond Meat.
The plant based orange chicken is a vegan option was brought back to their menu due to popular demand after a successful regional launch and limited national rollou.
Panda Express's Orange Chicken is generally considered unhealthy due to its high calorie, fat, sugar, and sodium content.
A serving typically contains 490 calories, 23g of fat (including 5g saturated fat), 51g of carbohydrates (with 19g of sugar), and 820mg of sodium.
Although when eaten in moderation the Panda Express orange chicken is okay to eat as part of a healthy diet.