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Vegans and vegetarians around the world should jump for joy! After many years of requests, Panda Express has joined the plant-based team, making a vegan version of one of the most popular dishes: Orange Chicken! Read on to learn about this collaboration with Beyond Meat...
Introducing Plant-Based Orange Chicken
Thomas Pallini/Insider
Over the past few years, many fast-food restaurants have debuted vegan-friendly dishes. From plant-based meat patties to vegan chicken, fast food fans have seen it all. Well, almost! Finally, at long last, Panda Express has joined the plant-based team. And the company did so with one of its most beloved items, their tangy Orange Chicken. Now, many in the United States can order the collaboration with Beyond Meat, "Beyond the Original Orange Chicken."
Apparently, the dish is "unlike any plant-based chicken dish you've had before," according to Beyond Meat. It includes "a brand-new plant-based chicken innovation co-developed with and found exclusively at Panda Express." While the company only plans to feature the dish in New York City and Southern California initially, it hopes for a nationwide expansion soon. In fact, Panda Express has some big plans in store!
Panda Express’ Executive Director Responds
Thomas Pallini/Insider
According to Panda Express' executive director of culinary innovation Jimmy Wang, the company looks forward to a future where more people are "flexitarian." What does that mean? Well, they are people who sometimes eat meat and other times eat plant-based options! "We see that people are starting to really become 'flexitarian.'" As long as they have plant-based options, people will choose them," he said.
Meanwhile, the vegan orange chicken is just the first step towards a more inclusive menu! "We know guests' tastes and preferences have evolved and look to us for variety," Wang wrote in the announcement of the new product. "Beyond the Original Orange Chicken is the next step in the brand's journey to offer more diverse and plant-based options. 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."
Finally, at long last, the reviews for the Beyond Orange Chicken have started to roll in...
Official Review
Thomas Pallini/Insider
The food writer for Insider Magazine, Thomas Pallini, was one of the first to try the new plant-based Orange Chicken first. Apparently, one couldn't tell the difference by looking at the two products! "I came in thinking that Panda Express was going to try to disguise the vegan aspect by dousing it in extra sauce but that wasn't the case," he stated, adding that the taste was outstanding. "A light coating of the sweet and sour sauce was all that accompanied the nugget."
In the future, the company will also work with Beyond Meat on golden potstickers made with Beyond Beef with cabbage and scallion. Hopefully, it tastes just as good!
Sources: MSN, The Takeout.
