Panda Express brings back Hot Orange Chicken
Panda Express responds to customer demand for the return of Hot Orange Chicken.
Hot Orange Chicken
Photo courtesy of Panda Express
Family-owned and operated Asian dining concept Panda Express is officially bringing back Hot Orange Chicken to all of its US restaurants for a limited time. The launch is complemented by an immersive Orange Chicken Kitchen experience hitting Panda's NYC Midtown Restaurant July 15-20, 2025.
The Original Orange Chicken was first introduced by Panda in 1987. The offering accounts for one third of all entrees sold at Panda, with the brand serving up 137 million pounds of the dish last year alone.
Hot Orange Chicken quickly sold out nationwide during its 2024 debut. This offering features six times more crushed chillies and the same scorched dried chillies used in the brand’s Kung Pao Chicken, all created by Panda's Culinary Innovation team.
Fabiola Del Rio, VP of integrated marketing communications at Panda, said, “We’ve heard from so many fans asking when Hot Orange Chicken would return, and we couldn’t wait any longer to surprise them. The ‘Orange Chicken Kitchen’ pop-up in NYC is our love letter to everyone who’s obsessed with Orange Chicken, whether you’re team OG or team spicy.”
Orange Chicken Kitchen experience
The Orange Chicken Kitchen’ immersive pop-up in NYC’s Midtown, will be running daily from July 15-20, 2025, during store operating hours.
This limited-time activation includes features like exclusive giveaways; a dedicated lounge space drenched in signature orange; art installations to share orange chicken love on social feeds; and a journey through the Orange Chicken eras with an exclusive "I Love Orange Chicken" menu, including a new wing recipe inspired by the OG bone-in Orange Chicken, a classic throwback to Orange Chicken with Bacon which first launched in 2014, and the newly returned Hot Orange Chicken.
Source: Panda Express
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