Honey Sesame Chicken at Panda Express is $5.90 for a medium serving with 340 calories and 16g of protein. It is one of only three entrées made with breast meat rather than thigh, and carries 150 fewer calories than Orange Chicken at the same price.
Honey Sesame Chicken Panda Express sells is the lighter alternative to the battered sweet entrées, made with white meat and finished with a honey glaze rather than a thick sauce. This page covers what it costs in each container, the full nutrition, how it stacks up against Orange Chicken, and the sesame allergy question that comes with the name. Full board pricing sits on our Panda Express menu, and current Panda Express coupon codes apply to any order containing it
Honey Sesame Chicken Breast is a standard entrée with no premium upcharge, so it costs the same inside any container as Orange Chicken or Kung Pao. It also carries the lowest sodium of any sweet entrée on the board at 560mg.
Full macros: 15g fat, 560mg sodium and 8g sugar per medium serving. Build any combination on the nutrition calculator.
Both are sweet, both are $5.90, and most people pick Orange Chicken without comparing. Panda Express honey sesame chicken is the lighter option on every measure that matters — 150 fewer calories, 15g fewer carbs, half the sugar, and 260mg less sodium. Orange Chicken wins only on protein, and only because the portion is heavier.
| Measure | Honey Sesame | Orange Chicken |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 340 | 490 |
| Protein | 16g | 25g |
| Carbs | 36g | 51g |
| Sugar | 8g | 19g |
| Fat | 15g | 23g |
| Sodium | 560mg | 820mg |
| Chicken cut | Breast | Thigh |
| Price | $5.90 | $5.90 |
If you want the sweet flavour with fewer calories, this is the swap. Full detail on Orange Chicken.
Lightly breaded white meat chicken breast, wok-tossed with string beans and yellow bell peppers in a honey sesame sauce, then finished with sesame seeds. The vegetables are part of the dish rather than a garnish, which is unusual for the sweet entrées and accounts for some of the calorie difference against Orange Chicken.
The breading is thinner than the battered entrées, and the sauce is a glaze rather than a coating. That is why it does not hold under a heat lamp as well as Orange Chicken and why the pieces stay distinct rather than clumping.
| Element | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Chicken | White meat breast, lightly breaded |
| Vegetables | String beans, yellow bell pepper |
| Sauce | Honey, soy, sesame oil, garlic |
| Finish | Toasted sesame seeds |
| Allergens | Wheat, soy, sesame |
One of three breast-meat entrées on the menu, alongside String Bean Chicken Breast and SweetFire Chicken Breast. Every item’s cut is listed on the Panda Express menu
The name makes this obvious, but it is worth stating plainly: this dish contains sesame in both the sauce and the visible seeds on top. Sesame became the ninth major FDA allergen in January 2023, so any allergen chart printed before then will not list it.
What is less obvious is that avoiding this dish does not avoid sesame at Panda Express. Sesame oil runs through most of the entrée range, including Orange Chicken, Beijing Beef and Chow Mein. Only seven items on the whole menu are sesame free by recipe.
Panda Express cooks in shared woks, so cross-contact with sesame is possible in any item. The full nine-allergen matrix is on our allergen menu.
340 calories for a medium serving with 16g of protein, 15g fat and 36g carbs. A large is 510 calories. That is 150 fewer than Orange Chicken at the same price.
$5.90 for a medium à la carte serving and $8.60 for a large. It is a standard entrée with no premium upcharge, so it costs nothing extra inside a Bowl, Plate or Bigger Plate.
White meat breast, which is why it appears on the board as Honey Sesame Chicken Breast. It is one of only three breast-meat entrées, alongside String Bean Chicken Breast and SweetFire Chicken Breast.
On most measures, yes. It has 150 fewer calories, 15g fewer carbs, less than half the sugar and 260mg less sodium. Orange Chicken has more protein at 25g against 16g, but from a heavier serving.
Lightly breaded chicken breast with string beans and yellow bell peppers, wok-tossed in a honey sesame sauce and finished with sesame seeds. The vegetables are part of the dish, not a garnish.
Yes, in both the sauce and the seeds on top. Most other Panda Express entrées also contain sesame oil, so avoiding this dish does not avoid sesame across the menu.
It is on the permanent menu but stocking varies by location, and smaller stores sometimes rotate it out in favour of higher-selling entrées. Check the app for your restaurant before travelling.
Codes shown are based on typical U.S. Panda Express Official Website as of August 2026 and may vary by location. Check your local restaurant or Panda Express app for the latest prices.