How to Make Vegan Orange Chicken Like Panda Express

Does orange chicken actually contain orange, or does the name come purely from the color of this sticky-sweet glazed and fried chicken? Regardless of its origins, the dish has become synonymous with fast-casual Chinese-American restaurants, and vegetarians crave it. Plant-based versions have been replicated across vegan restaurants and the blogosphere, but Panda Express’ limited-time offering Beyond the Original Orange Chicken makes it official. Vegan orange chicken is firmly “a thing”. Although no longer available, you can still get your fix. Here’s everything you need to know about vegan orange chicken, from where to buy it to how to make it at home.

What is orange chicken?

Orange chicken is a Chinese-American invention made with two bite-sized pieces of boneless, skinless dark meat chicken battered, fried and “wok-tossed” in a thick and sticky, sweet and spicy orange sauce.

Panda Express

It was invented by Chef Andy Kao exclusively for Panda Express in 1987. Although the chain keeps its sauce ingredients secret, it also sells a very similar orange sauce, which is available at Target and other big-box retailers.

The main ingredients in this store-bought alternative include sugar, water, vinegar, soy sauce, spices, cornstarch, caramel color and natural flavors. And yes, it’s vegan too. Like many meat-centric dishes, it’s all about the sauce, and getting it right is what makes orange chicken so comforting, enticing, and iconic.

Orange Chicken Nutrition: Vegan vs Chicken

The debate over whether chicken is healthy or not (for now) aside, most would agree that battered and fried chicken completely covered in a sugary sauce isn’t an option if you want to feel your best. According to the Panda Express nutrition spreadsheet, a 5.7-ounce serving (animal-based) of orange chicken clocks in at 490 calories, 23 g total fat (5 g saturated fat), 80 mg cholesterol, 820 g sodium, 51 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 19 grams of sugar and 25 grams of protein. Remember, Panda Express offers small, medium, and large sizes for entrees, and this 5.7-ounce amount doesn’t even fill the small carton — which carries eight ounces.

Just looking at the hard numbers on the nutrition label, total calories, fat, cholesterol, sugar and sodium are among the healthiest.

Orange chicken is a high-calorie and high-fat food, and while both are necessary for physical activity, excess calories and fat can trigger chronic inflammation—a precursor to serious diseases like cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and even cancer.

As for cholesterol, since the human body can make it on its own, we don’t need to consume this waxy substance. Like fat, excess cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease by getting stuck in artery walls and thus restricting or completely blocking blood flow.

Panda Express

For comparison, here’s a snapshot of vegan orange chicken nutrition. A 5-ounce serving of Gardena’s Vegan Frozen Mandarin Orange Crispy Chicken, made with a combination of soy protein and seitan (wheat-based protein), contains 260 calories, 7 g total fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 0 g cholesterol, 590 mg sodium, 36 g Carbohydrates, 19 grams of sugar, 1 gram of fiber and 13 grams of protein. Yes, the sugar content is still high, but this vegan version is significantly lower in calories, fat, sodium and cholesterol. By the numbers, vegetarian orange chicken is clearly healthier than animal-based orange chicken.

Nutrition facts aside, let’s dive into the health effects of animal-based protein. Unlike red and processed meat, chicken has not (yet) been identified as a potential carcinogen. The animal is often considered a health food, scarfed down by bodybuilders and yo-dieters.

However, chicken is one of the most common sources of food poisoning. “Most raw chicken contains Campylobacter. It may also contain Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens and other bacteria,” according to the USDA. The fact that most of these foods contain harmful bacteria should be of great concern.

Also, famous researcher Dr. T. By Colin Campbell China Study Makes a compelling, evidence-based argument against all animal proteins, claiming they stimulate cell growth and increase cancer risk based on studies in 65 different countries and 6,500 participants.

Author of Leigh Garces Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Transform the Chicken IndustryAlso makes a case against eating chicken in the interests of human health. Years of breeding have resulted in what he calls “frankenchickens”—birds so big they’ll crush their own legs if they get a chance to reach adulthood. “The chicken we eat today has more fat than protein. They’re basically obese children — which means we’re eating obese children,” Garces said The Switch 4 Good Podcast.

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Where to find vegan orange chicken?

Panda Express may be the originator of this shiny fried chicken, but that hasn’t stopped the rest of the world from making copycat versions. Plant-based, orange chicken-adjacent options can be found in the freezer aisle of most grocery stores as well as on the menus of fast-casual and sit-down restaurants. Most notably, Panda Express launched its own rendition of vegan orange chicken for a limited time in summer 2021. Coined the Original Orange Chicken for a partnership with plant-based meat maker Beyond Meat, the chain sold more than 1,300 of the sticky-sweet pieces the first day it launched. Within two weeks, the 10 test locations in California were completely sold out. The chain reintroduced Beyond the Original Orange Chicken at 2,300 locations in September 2022, though the item was quietly removed from the menu in early 2023.

Although the Panda Express version is no longer available, you can still find vegan orange chicken at a few restaurant chains such as The Loving Hut and Native Foods. Don’t be surprised to find it on the menu at your local Chinese or Asian fusion go-to spot.

Vegan orange chicken in the supermarket

In terms of vegan orange chicken you can find ready-to-go at the supermarket, here are your options:

Trader Joe’s

1 Trader Joe’s Chicken-Less Mandarin Orange Morsels

The grocer goes out of its way to not say what it really means—take its Almond Beverage Chocolate Bar, aka Vegan Milk Chocolate Bar, for example—but the headline this round is really just vegan orange chicken. Grab this bag from the freezer section with frozen vegetables and rice for a delicious meal at home.
Learn more here

the gardener

2 Garden Mandarin Orange Crispy Chikon

The Garden has been making this vegan orange chicken for years. From its sweet glazed tenders to its spicy gochujang-style chicken wings, this long-standing vegan company has the chicken game off.
Learn more here

Vegetarian Plus

3 Vegetarian Plus Vegan Orange Chicken

If you order a meat analog at a vegetarian Asian restaurant, there’s a good chance they’re made with vegetarian plus plant-based meat. This established brand sells wholesale and retail and makes a very convincing vegan orange chicken with ingredients you can actually pronounce.
Learn more here

How to make vegan orange chicken, plus 8 recipes

Vegan orange chicken can be prepared in a variety of ways using different ingredients to replicate the “meat” of the dish. While store-bought options rely on soy- and seitan-based proteins, recipes at home can be made with tofu or cauliflower (really, there’s nothing a cruciferous veggie can’t do). Baked or fried, these seven exceptional vegan orange chicken recipes will satisfy any craving for takeout.

Ag veg

1 Orange chicken with soy curls

Soy Curls are non-GMO soy dehydrated strips that really taste like chicken when prepared properly. They’re super chewy and delicious, not to mention a nutritional powerhouse. A generous three-quarter cup serving is only 100 calories but contains 10 grams of protein, three grams of fiber and zero saturated or trans fat. This might be the healthiest orange chicken ever.
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Roots cooked at home

2 Sticky Vegan Orange Chicken

Transform tofu with a simple sauce of orange juice, tamari, ginger, sriracha, maple syrup and cornstarch. This basic recipe comes together in about half an hour, and it uses a brilliant tofu freezing technique to get that chewy, meaty texture just right. Even if you don’t use the sauce, you’ll want to bookmark this recipe for this tofu trick.
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Belly rules the mind

3 Asian orange cauliflower

Grab everyone’s attention with an air-fryer, this is your chance to use it. Even if you don’t own one of these magical kitchen devices, the author of the recipe also offers a baked option. This vegetable-forward recipe can be gluten-free, and the sauce packs a ton of flavor with fresh garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Dare we say it’s better than the original? You have to figure it out.
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The Foodie Takes Flight

4 Vegan Orange Tofu

Prepare your mind – you’re about to fry some shallow. This recipe walks you through it, so there’s no need to panic about hot oil if you’re new to this style of cooking. When generously coated with homemade orange sauce, fried tofu can be just as satisfying as fried chicken.
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Curious chickpeas

5 Crispy Orange Seitan and Broccoli

This mashup of orange chicken and beef and broccoli could be your new favorite Americanized Chinese dish. Broccoli adds a delightful crunch element that breaks up the monotony of glazed seitan-based chicken. Serve this wonderfully sweet and fiery mixture over white rice for a weekday meal.
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America’s Test Kitchen

6 Crispy Orange Seitan

It’s not just vegans who get excited about vegan orange chicken. The esteemed America’s Test Kitchen includes a recipe for the saucy main Vegan for Everybody cookbook that debuted in 2017. This multidimensional media company is relentless when it comes to recipe testing—when you make an America’s Test Kitchen recipe, you know it’s going to work.
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Do not bite vegetables

7 Baked Vegan Orange Cauliflower

Even when not fried, this pita, ripe, and bright orange cauliflower is delightfully crunchy and crisp. The secret is Dredge’s soda water. Adding something carbonated to your batter will help anything get that extra bit of crispiness—even without oil. Of all the ways to prepare cauliflower, this is in the top 10.
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Abbott’s Butcher

8 Easy plant-based orange smoothie

This gluten- and soy-free recipe offers a healthier alternative to traditional deep-fried and sugar-glazed orange chicken. Made with Abbott’s Butcher allergen-friendly plant-based chicken, all you have to do is whip up a simple sauce and toss in some fresh or frozen veggies in a pan (or wok, if you have one) and serve over minute rice, and you’re in 30 minutes. Got a nutritious meal.
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