Panda Express Orange Chicken is $5.90 for a medium serving and carries 490 calories with 25g of protein. It accounts for roughly one in three orders and is the dish the chain invented in 1987.
Everything about Panda Express Orange Chicken in one place: what it costs in each container, the full nutrition, the spicy and plant-based versions, and what actually goes in the sauce. Prices for the rest of the board are on our Panda Express menu, and current Panda Express coupon codes can take up to 20% off any order containing it.
Orange Chicken is a standard entrée with no premium upcharge, so it costs the same inside a Bowl, Plate or Bigger Plate as any non-premium item. The calorie total shifts far more with the side you choose than with the container itself.
Full macros: 23g fat, 820mg sodium, 19g sugar per medium serving. Build any combination on the nutrition calculator.
Hot Orange Chicken is the spicy variant, made with the same battered chicken but a chilli-forward sauce rather than the sweet citrus glaze. It runs as a limited item rather than a permanent one, usually for six to eight weeks at a time, and costs the same as the original.
The dark meat is the detail most people get wrong. Panda Express uses thigh rather than breast, which is why it stays moist under a heat lamp in a way that a breast-based version would not.
| Element | What It Is |
|---|---|
| Chicken | Boneless dark meat, thigh |
| Coating | Wheat batter, fried |
| Sauce base | Soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar |
| Aromatics | Orange peel, garlic, ginger, chilli |
| Allergens | Wheat, soy, sesame, milk |
Orange Chicken is being transitioned to a dairy-free recipe but the rollout is incomplete, so check at your location. Full nine-allergen breakdown on the allergen menu.
Yes. Panda Express Orange Chicken was created in 1987 by executive chef Andy Kao, at a location in Hawaii, and rolled out across the chain from there. It is not a traditional Chinese dish and has no direct antecedent in Chinese cooking ,it was designed for American tastes from the start, which is why it leans sweeter than anything you would find in Hunan or Sichuan cuisine.
It went on to become the most ordered item the chain sells, accounting for roughly a third of all orders, and the version other American Chinese restaurants copied rather than the other way round. That is why menus elsewhere often call theirs “orange chicken” while Panda Express calls its own The Original.
490 calories for a medium entrée serving. As a Bowl with Fried Rice it comes to 1,010; with Super Greens instead, 580. The side changes the total more than the container does.
25g per medium serving, or 5.1g per 100 calories. Grilled Teriyaki Chicken is the stronger choice on that measure at 36g for 300 calories.
$5.90 for a medium à la carte serving and $8.60 for a large. It carries no premium upcharge, so it costs nothing extra inside a Bowl, Plate or Bigger Plate. A Panda Express coupon code can take 20% off the order.
It is one of the higher calorie entrées at 490, with 51g of carbs and 19g of sugar from the glaze. The protein is reasonable at 25g. Pairing it with Super Greens rather than Fried Rice removes 430 calories.
Beyond The Original Orange Chicken uses Beyond Meat in place of the chicken, but it is a limited item rather than permanent and is fried in shared oil, so it is not suitable for strict vegan diets.
An air fryer at 175°C for four to five minutes restores the coating best. A microwave works but softens the batter, since the sauce is already on the chicken rather than served alongside.
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.